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About This Quiz
Do you have what it takes to become ASE certified? Is your technical knowledge about repairing cars to a professional level? Are you a step above the ordinary grease monkey, with a vast knowledge of vehicles of all types, makes and models? This quiz will make you prove it!
The Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) exams are known for being quite difficult, which is why becoming certified is a great way to boost any mechanic's career. Plenty of technicians stress out about taking any of the exams, which can focus on several subject areas, or focus on certain vehicle systems like brakes, air conditioning, steering, electrical components, manual drive train, automatic transmissions, engine performance, light vehicle diesel engines, suspension and more.Â
Each ASE test has been designed to measure the extent of your knowledge when it comes to best practices for fixing cars. The goal is to ensure the public has a good perception of the ASE and mechanics who carry the certification, instead of it just being a meaningless piece of paper on the wall. Many people study for an extensive period of time before taking these tests, ensuring they're fully prepared. How well can you answer the questions? Take the quiz now and find out!Â
What's the correct method for testing a radiator cap?
cooling system pressure tester
When a radiator cap has gone bad, the cooling system's pressure will drop, so using a cooling system pressure tester will expose this problem.
dry ice
smoke generation machine
air pressure tester
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What would the average person notice about a damaged transmission case?
coolant leak
grinding gears
oil leaking
A damaged transmission case will cause an oil leak, something people often notice and likely will attribute to another problem.
hard shifting
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If the U-joints aren't in alignment, what will be the result?
nothing
vibrations
If the U-joints are in alignment, they won't cancel each other out and the vehicle will be subject to vibrations, which can vary from annoying to dangerous.
The vehicle will pull to one side.
The suspension will make a snapping sound.
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Where is a vehicle's auxiliary automatic transmission oil cooler located?
under the dash
inside the radiator
behind the radiator
separate from the radiator
Not all vehicles have this setup, but it is necessary in heavy-duty applications, especially vehicles that will be towing heavy loads.
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Before taking a vehicle with an automatic transmission on a road test to measure a poor shifting problem, what must you do first?
rev the engine with the transmission in neutral
check for diagnostic trouble codes
check the transmission fluid level
Before you ever take a vehicle with a transmission problem out on the road, you should always check the transmission fluid level, or you might make a bad problem worse.
look for disconnected sensors
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What are steering dampers helpful with correcting?
negative camber
toe-in
positive camber
positive caster
Too much positive caster means the wheel is too high, which will result in wheel kickback if it lifts too high. Steering dampers can change this.
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What's the final thing you do in a CV boot install, before you clamp the boot?
grease up the CV joint
burp any air out of the boot
If you don't burp the boot, when that air is heated it will balloon out and when it's cold it will collapse, causing problems later.
mark the shaft for positioning the boot
spread lubricant on the boot
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If you're removing the engine from a vehicle with an automatic transmission, what do you do with the torque converter?
flush it
drain it
keep it on the engine
keep it on the transmission
The proper procedure when dealing with such a setup is to keep the torque converter with the transmission, always, unless you're disassembling the transmission as well.
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What are the three critical clutch pedal measurements?
reserve, pedal height, free play
When dealing with a manual transmission you must take these measurements, otherwise the pedal might not operate correctly.
reserve, kickback pressure, height
height, kickback pressure, operating range
apply pressure, height, free play
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Why do you adjust drum brakes?
The cables wear out.
The lining wears down.
The lining wears down, so the clearance between the drum and brake lining must be decreased through adjustment.
wheel bearings loosen
to reduce fluid loss
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When running an air conditioning performance test, how do you test for strange odors?
run the car in a closed bay
run the AC in fresh mode
Evaporator odor can be a problem when testing an air conditioner, so using the system in fresh mode will avoid this, while recirculating mode will make it worse.
run the AC in recirculating mode
dump baking soda through the vents
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When checking for voltage drop in a component or circuit using a DMM, where should the meter leads be connected?
across the circuit or component
Always measure voltage with the leads in parallel or across the circuit or device.
touching only non-conductive parts
at the positive end only
at the negative end only
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Which of the following won't cause pulling to one side when a car brakes?
a seized brake caliper
excessive tire pressure
The only thing too much air pressure in the tires will affect is the tire tread wear, since it will cause the middle of the tread to wear out faster.
fault with the steering gear
misalignment
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What will cause a light to dark brown color to appear in automatic transmission fluid?
water contamination
oil pollution
overfilling/under filling
When someone either adds too much transmission fluid or not enough, the result is oxidation, which varnishes the fluid to be a brownish color.
a loose plug
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Which of the following would make a brake pedal sit too high?
a loose wheel bearing
too little brake fluid
fresh brake adjustment
a seized caliper piston
When a brake caliper piston can't move, the pedal will sit too high, while overall braking power will be reduced.
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What could cause high steering effort in a car?
a sheared shift tube
misaligned steering column assembly
The misalignment of a steering column assembly will lead to binding, which increases steering effort.
worn steering rack
loose tie rod
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If you're looking up service information specific to a vehicle, what information do you need to supply?
make, model and year
Virtually all online data services require you to put in the make, model and year for the vehicle you are servicing.
vehicle VIN
manufacturing date
model year
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If conventional Cardan U-joints drive the front wheels on a four-wheel-drive vehicle, what happens when accelerating and turning sharply?
grinding
intermittent power loss to the front wheels
vibrations
Older four-wheel-drive vehicles might have this setup, but owners don't realize this is normal and nothing to worry about.
the steering locks up
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Too much brake pedal travel can be caused by which of the following?
brakes dragging
a short power assist brake booster push rod
If the push rod is too short, the brake pedal will need to travel further to make contact.
brake light sensor fault
line lock
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What does it mean if during an air conditioning performance test the compressor outlet is hot?
nothing
It's completely normal for the compressor outlet to be hot, but if it's cold that's from an overcharge.
The system is overcharged.
There's an electrical short.
The system needs to be charged.
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Which of these devices can measure digital signals in wires?
logic probe
The only device that can measure digital signals at all is a logic probe.
voltmeter
megger meter
analog meter
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Whenever you're working on a steering column, what risk do you run personally?
electrical shock
cutting the fuel line
triggering the airbag
You always need to look up OEM information for airbag disabling procedures before working on a vehicle's steering column, otherwise the airbag could deploy and injure you.
locking the steering mechanism
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What would an automatic transmission pressure test help you to detect?
bad engine shutoff solenoid
a dirty transmission filter
When thee transmission filter is dirty, line pressure will be lower as a result, so this test is perfect for detecting this problem.
defective shift solenoid
bad position sensor
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What's the first step in diagnosing any worries about engine performance?
talk to the vehicle owner
Before you begin, getting an accurate description of what's been happening with the vehicle is key, and you can only get that from the owner.
retrieve any diagnostic trouble codes
take the vehicle for a test drive
look up symptoms in the service manual
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Which of the following if the most likely cause of a four-wheel-drive vehicle's transfer case not shifting out of the low gear ratios?
stripped planetary gears
broken shift shaft
While there are other potential causes, a broken shift shaft is the most likely, so you should begin any diagnostic work there.
mangled shift shaft spring
shift indicator has blown
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What sound does a tight timing belt make?
no sound
slapping
whining
As the cogs on the belt come into contact with the cogs on the sprocket, they combine to make a whining sound.
grinding
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Edge wear on an air conditioning compressor drive belt can be caused by all but which of the following?
damaged mounting bracket
worn pulley bearing
worn pulley
a clutch air gap
An air gap in a clutch doesn't wear down a belt at the edges or elsewhere.
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If a newly installed starter motor makes a whining noise when the engine is started, what's the most likely source?
The flywheel is defective.
The solenoid is defective.
The shims were left out.
If the clearance between the starter drive pinion and flexplate or flywheel teeth isn't correct, a whining noise will be produced. Shimming during the installation will prevent this.
The wrong starter is in the car.
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If you run an open circuit voltage test on a battery that's fully charged, what voltage should be shown?
5.3 volts
12.6 volts
The standard car battery has six cells, and the standard open circuit voltage is 2.1 volts per cell.
2.6 volts
1.8 volts
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Which of the following can't a careful visual inspection of a serpentine belt reveal?
belt tension
No matter how much you look at a belt, you cant' see the tension, which you must measure with an instrument or ruler.
cracks or chipping
correct orientation of the belt
correct seating at the pulley
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If a rear-wheel-drive car with low miles is experiencing leaks at the transmission output shaft seal, which of the following is the most likely cause?
bad fluid filter
bearing is worn out
simple evaporation
transmission breather filter is clogged
If the breather filter is clogged, it will increase internal pressure for the transmission, resulting in leaks on such a low-mileage vehicle.
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What does touching the tip of a halogen light bulb with your bare fingers do?
breaks the glass
causes microscopic cracks
shortens bulb life
The oil on your skin leaves a residue, which traps more heat in the bulb than in normal operation, causing it to burn out sooner.
nothing
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If the brake pedal on a car feels spongy, which of the following could be the cause?
low brake fluid
air in the hydraulics
When air enters the brake lines or master cylinder, it creates a gap in the flow of brake fluid, which is what causes the spongy feel.
worn brake pads
defective metering valve
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In a modified X-method of tire rotation for a front-wheel-drive car, where does the right front wheel end up?
right rear
The modified X-method of tire rotation goes in this order.
left rear
right front
left front
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If on a vehicle with a 4-speed automatic transmission, you feel a shock when shifting from neutral to drive, which of these fixes requires an off-vehicle repair?
line pressure test
forward clutch
While there are other off-vehicle repairs for this type of a transmission, this is the only one relating to a shock when shifting between neutral and drive.
temperature sensor test
control valve repair
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You Got:
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