Can anyone enlighten me to the point of this hose routing?

When I did this project, I remember wondering just what Nissan was thinking when they routed this out of the engine bay and back in, but I forgot about it until a friend of mine was looking at the project photos and asked.



Click the image for a larger version

 

That line looks bypassed. Line supposed to extend more towards the driverside.

It is a miniature cooler for the power steering.

 

That is for the power steering oil cooler that someone removed and put a bypass hose on the car. There should be a loop of metal tubing going across the front of the a/c consensor coil.

 

Thanks for the replies!

At 140k miles, it doesn't seem to have negatively affected anything. I'm wondering just how necessary it is.

 

My 99 looked exactly the same as yours and didn't have the extended cooler. I don't know why but it was OEM.

It did make it easier rerouting the PS lines though.

 

Thats stock on the later 4th gens. Either Nissan thought it was unnecessary or a cost saver.

 

i replaced mine with just any metal tubing when i got into my accident.

 

Considering that the cooler is just tubing without any fins or anything, I do wonder how effective it is.

But I will leave it be on my car because:
a - It doesn't leak
b - It doesn't rattle
c - The temperature outside is almost 100 degrees, so it might do some good.
D - It's much easier to leave it alone than mess with it.

 

What about a bypass for 5spds for the tranny cooler for autos since that's what was standard from the factory?