The valve (58) has a control piston (94) and a sleeve (96), which are independently movable away from each other in an axial direction (98). The control piston and the sleeve are arranged in a housing (122) e.g. single piece housing. An elastic element (100) applies a biasing force to the sleeve in the axial direction. Another elastic element (102) applies another biasing force to the control piston in the axial direction. The elastic elements are designed as a spring. A relay control input (56) is connected with a vent (84) in a switching position. An independent claim is also included for a method for operating a relay valve.
