Five ASE A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle practice test questions, answers included.

1. Recall · Transmission/Transaxle Diagnosis

   How does a dual-clutch transmission (DCT) change gears without a break in power to the wheels?

   1. It holds both clutches applied through each shift
   2. It preselects the next gear on the other input shaft
   3. A one-way clutch carries torque until the shift ends
   4. It cuts engine power while one clutch is released
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. One clutch drives the odd gears through one input shaft and the other drives the even gears through a second input shaft, so the next gear can be engaged by its synchronizer while the current gear still carries the load. The shift is then a handover: one clutch releases as the other applies, with no gap in power.

   Why not the others

   A. With both clutches fully applied at once, two different gear ratios would be locked to the output together and the transmission would bind. During the shift one clutch releases as the other applies, with the next gear already engaged on the other input shaft.

   C. One-way clutches belong to planetary automatics, where they hold a gear member in one direction. A DCT uses layshaft gears on two input shafts, and the overlap of its two clutches carries torque through the shift.

   D. Cutting engine power while a single clutch is released is how an automated single-clutch manual shifts, and it causes the very break in power a DCT avoids. A DCT has the next gear already engaged on its second input shaft and swaps clutches.

2. Recall · Transmission/Transaxle Diagnosis

   A TCM stores a DTC titled 'shift solenoid A performance or stuck off' rather than one for an electrical fault in the solenoid A circuit. What does that DTC type tell the technician?

   1. An open or short in the solenoid winding or its wiring
   2. A sound circuit with the expected shift missing
   3. A failed solenoid A driver inside the TCM itself
   4. A fault that set earlier and is no longer present
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. An electrical (circuit) DTC sets when the TCM's driver monitoring sees an open, short or out-of-range value; a performance or stuck DTC sets when the circuit looks normal but the result, such as the gear ratio, is not what the command should produce. That points to a solenoid stuck mechanically or a hydraulic or mechanical fault downstream.

   Why not the others

   A. An open or short in the winding or wiring is what the TCM's circuit monitoring detects, and it sets an electrical (circuit) DTC. A performance or stuck DTC means the circuit looked normal but the commanded result was missing.

   C. A failed driver shows up to the TCM's own circuit monitoring as an electrical fault and sets a circuit DTC. A performance DTC means the electrical side looked normal but the expected result did not follow.

   D. Whether a DTC is current or history is shown by its status, not its title. The title 'performance or stuck off' says the circuit looked normal while the expected shift was missing.

3. Recall · Transmission/Transaxle Diagnosis

   This manufacturer's road-test procedure for a shift concern calls for the transmission fluid to be at normal operating temperature before shift quality is judged. Why?

   1. Solenoid resistance is only specified hot
   2. The TCM shifts differently when cold
   3. DTCs cannot set until the fluid is hot
   4. Cold fluid reads high on the dipstick
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. With cold fluid, many TCMs change their shift points and pressures, delay upshifts and hold off TCC apply to warm the fluid. Shifts judged cold can look like faults that are normal cold behavior, or hide a fault that shows only hot.

   Why not the others

   A. Solenoid resistance is specified at a temperature the service information states, and a road test does not measure it anyway. The reason is that the TCM shifts differently when the fluid is cold.

   C. Many transmission DTCs can set with cold fluid; each has its own enable conditions. The reason for a warm road test is that the TCM's shift strategy changes when the fluid is cold.

   D. Cold fluid takes up less room and reads lower, not higher, and the level check is a separate step anyway. The reason for a warm road test is the TCM's cold-fluid shift strategy.

4. Recall · In-Vehicle Transmission/Transaxle Maintenance and Repair

   Many transmission cooler circuits include a thermal bypass valve. What does this valve do while the ATF is still cold?

   1. Routes all of the ATF through the cooler first
   2. Routes the ATF around the cooler to the case
   3. Stops flow in the cooler lines until it warms
   4. Raises line pressure so the ATF heats faster
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. Cold ATF needs no cooling, so the valve's temperature-sensitive element sends the cooler feed straight to the return side and back to the transmission, and the fluid reaches operating temperature sooner. As the ATF warms, the valve sends more of the flow through the cooler to keep it from overheating.

   Why not the others

   A. Sending cold ATF through the cooler would slow its warm-up, the opposite of what the valve is for. While the fluid is cold, the thermal bypass valve routes it around the cooler and back to the transmission.

   C. The valve does not stop the flow: fluid keeps returning to the transmission, where the cooler return often feeds the lubrication circuit. The valve only routes that flow around the cooler until the ATF warms.

   D. Line pressure is set by the pressure regulator and the control module, not by a valve in the cooler circuit. The thermal bypass valve speeds warm-up by routing cold ATF around the cooler.

5. Recall · Transmission/Transaxle Unit Removal, Inspection, and Installation

   What is the main job of the dowel pins between the engine block and the transmission's bell housing?

   1. Indexing the flexplate to the crankshaft flange
   2. Aligning the case on the crankshaft centerline
   3. Setting the converter's depth in the pump
   4. Grounding the case to the engine block
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. The dowels locate the bell housing on the block so the transmission's input centerline lines up with the crankshaft, which centers the converter hub in the pump bushing and seal. Missing or damaged dowels, or worn dowel holes, let the case sit off-center and wear the pump bushing, seal and gears, so they are inspected whenever the unit is out.

   Why not the others

   A. The flexplate is located on the crankshaft flange by its own bolt pattern or a flange dowel, not by the bell housing dowels. The block-to-case dowels align the transmission case with the crankshaft centerline.

   C. Converter depth comes from seating the converter fully into the pump drive before installation, often confirmed with a manufacturer's measurement. The case dowels align the case with the crankshaft centerline; they do not set how deep the converter sits.

   D. The case is grounded through its bolts and any ground straps the manufacturer fits; the dowels are there for location. They align the case with the crankshaft centerline so the converter and pump run centered.

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