Patent ID: 7364204

Claim:
Apparatus for carrying hydraulic fluid in an automotive steering system, comprising: a tube including a tube wall formed with a first port extending though a thickness of the tube wall; a housing including a housing wall formed with a second port extending though a thickness of the housing wall; a fluid transfer line for carrying hydraulic fluid between the tube and the housing, the fluid transfer line having a first end and a second end; a retainer secured to the housing, the retainer including a lateral opening formed therethrough communicating with the second port of the housing; a fitting secured to an outer surface of the tube, the fitting including a radial passage communicating with the first port of the tube and a lateral passage communicating with the radial passage; wherein the fluid transfer line extends only parallel to the outer surface of the tube such that a portion of the first end of the fluid transfer line extends through the lateral opening of the retainer and into a portion of the second port of the housing and is disposed therein in an interference fit therewith and a portion of the second end of the fluid transfer line extends into a portion of the lateral passage of the fitting and is disposed therein in an interference fit therewith.