Abstract: An air conditioning service valve includes a valve body with a pair of tubes extending from the valve body. The tubes have respective first ends, proximal to the valve body, that extend away from the valve body at nonzero angles to one another, such as substantially perpendicular. One of the tubes has a bend, such that second ends of the tubes, distal to the valve body, are substantially parallel to one another. The air conditioning service valve may be mounted to a bracket without use of fasteners, for example with the valve body engaging edges, tangs, and/or tabs of the bracket. The valve body also has a stem port and a charge port, with the stem port parallel to the second ends of the tubes. The arrangement of the tubes allows use of a smaller valve body, while also reducing pressure drop relative to prior Z-flow valves.

Abstract: An electro-hydraulic power steering system for motor vehicles using closed center valving. Utilizing closed center valving (40) in association with the steering gear (50) allows the pump (12) to build hydraulic pressure in the accumulator (20) against the closed center valve area (47) in the valving for the steering gear, thus always maintaining a relatively high pressure, regardless of the position of the steering wheel shaft 3 and the input shaft (43). The input shaft was modified from that of the prior art, particularly with respect to the size and relative positioning of the exterior grooves (140) for the return ports (46), which exterior grooves selectively mate with like, longitudinally extended grooves (144) in the conventional control sleeve (42).

Abstract: A check valve integral with the tube and the method of manufacturing a check valve are disclosed. The ball or poppet of the check valve is maintained in position via a magnetic mandrel while the tube is crimped at both sides of the poppet. The tube is inwardly crimped to prevent the poppet from being displaced in either direction and simultaneously to allow flow to bypass the poppet in the desired flow direction. Thereafter the poppet is physically displaced against one of the crimped indentations to coin a seat such that the poppet and the seat coact to prevent flow of fluid in the undesired direction. In this manner, a check valve is formed integrally with a tube without requiring any additional components.