No we didn't change the relief valve because our neighbor has the identical tractor with identical problems a few years ago and all he did was change the pump and he was back in business. I should have listened to my gut and replaced the valve too, ah well, not a hard job to drop the oil and the plate to access everything. Thanks, I'll give it a shot and let you know what happens. Also, when checking the oil level there are tons of tiny bubbles in the oil like something is blowing there.