B737 PREFLT PROBS WITH MAINT ITEMS AND MAINT LOGBOOK WRITE-OFF SOPS AND PHRASEOLOGY FOR RELEASING ACFT FROM ORD.

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LOCATION: GATE AT ORD. THE FO AND I SHOWED UP AT THE AIRPLANE 60 MINS PRIOR TO DEP. WE BOTH REVIEWED THE LOGBOOK AND SAW MANY ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN SIGNED OFF THE NIGHT BEFORE. APPROX 30 MINS PRIOR TO DEP; THE FO WENT OUTSIDE TO DO THE WALKAROUND. HE WITNESSED A FUEL SPILL FROM THE R MAIN TANK COMING FROM THE VENT BOX ON THE WING. I CALLED RAMP CTL TO INFORM THEM OF THE FUEL SPILL. THEY IN TURN ACKNOWLEDGED THAT. I THEN CALLED MAINT TO INFORM THEM THAT THE WRITE-UP THAT WAS CLRED THE DAY PRIOR WAS ACTING UP ONCE AGAIN. I ENTERED THE ITEM IN THE LOGBOOK AS A 'REPEAT ITEM.' A MECH CAME TO THE AIRPLANE SOMETIME LATER AND INFORMED US THAT THE VALVE WAS VERIFIED CLOSED AND WROTE THAT IN THE LOGBOOK AND LEFT. I HAD A QUESTION WHETHER OR NOT THE ITEM IN QUESTION WAS SIGNED OFF IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEL REQUIREMENTS. I CALLED MAINT BACK ON THE RADIO AND ASKED IF I COULD SPEAK WITH A MAINT SUPVR. THEY SAID ONE WOULD BE ON THE WAY. WHEN THE GENTLEMAN SHOWED UP; HE SAID HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT MY CONCERN WAS BUT WHEN A FUELING SHUTOFF VALVE HAS NOT WORKED IN THE PAST ON OTHER EQUIP; THIS IS THE TYPE OF SIGNOFF THAT THEY HAVE USED THERE AS WELL. I ASKED HIM WHERE IN THE MEL OR IN HIS GPM DOES A REF FOR THIS TYPE OF SIGNOFF COME FROM. HE COULD NOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION AND WE BOTH DECIDED TO CALL MAINT FOR A RULING ON THIS ISSUE. WE BOTH SPOKE WITH THE MAINT TECHNICIAN DESK PERSON FOR THE B737 AND HE ASSURED ME THAT THE VALVE WAS CLOSED. I TOLD HIM THAT I HAD CONFIDENCE IN THE MECHS BUT HAD CONCERN THAT THE 'ACTION TAKEN' COLUMN DID NOT HAVE A PROPER SIGNOFF. HE TOLD ME THAT THE MEL AND THEIR BOOKS DID NOT HAVE A REF ON THIS BUT THE VALVE WAS WORKING FINE. IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL GLITCH. THE VALVE WAS WORKING BUT HAD TO BE CLOSED MANUALLY AND THAT THEY HAD USED THIS SIGNOFF IN THE PAST ON OTHER EQUIP TYPES. I INFORMED HIM THAT IF HE IS COMFORTABLE WITH THE MECHANICAL SIDE SIGNOFF THEN I WOULD TAKE THE PLANE. HE SAID HE ABSOLUTELY WAS.