Five free practice questions on in-vehicle transmission service: content area B of the ASE A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle test, 12 of its 45 scored questions (26.7%). They are in the ASE format: four options, one best answer. Answer each one before opening the explanation. No account, no email.
01The questions
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On a rear-wheel-drive automatic transmission, any of these seals or gaskets can be replaced with the transmission still in the vehicle EXCEPT the:
- extension housing rear seal.
- case-mounted speed sensor's O-ring.
- oil pan gasket.
- torque converter hub seal.
Show the answer
D. Correct. The converter hub seal sits in the front pump at the front of the case, behind the torque converter, so the transmission must come out and the converter must come off to reach it. The other three are reached from outside or underneath the transmission.
Why not the others
A. This can be replaced in the vehicle. Once the drive shaft is out, the seal at the back of the extension housing is pulled and a new one driven in.
B. This can be replaced in the vehicle. An externally mounted speed sensor unbolts from the case, and its O-ring is renewed without disturbing anything else.
C. This can be replaced in the vehicle. The pan comes off from underneath, which is also how a filter is serviced, and a new gasket goes on before it is refitted.
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A front-wheel-drive car is in for a suspected transaxle leak at the right axle seal. The case around that seal and the nearby subframe are coated with thick, dark, sticky material that smears like grease, not oil, and the ATF on the dipstick is at the full mark. Which of these could be the cause?
- A split outer joint boot on the right half-shaft
- A split inner joint boot on the right half-shaft
- A worn right axle seal letting ATF past
- ATF forced out of the case vent by overfilling
Show the answer
B. Correct. The inner joint sits right against the transaxle, so grease slung from a split inner boot coats the case around the axle seal and looks like a seal leak. Replace the boot (or the shaft if the joint is worn) and leave the axle seal alone; ATF from a seal would be thin oil, not grease.
Why not the others
A. An outer boot sits at the wheel and slings its grease around the inside of the wheel and the brake parts, not onto the transaxle case. Grease at the case comes from the inner joint's boot.
C. A leaking axle seal lets out ATF, a thin oil that wipes off as oil, and the material here smears like grease. The grease comes from a split inner joint boot.
D. Fluid pushed out of the vent would be ATF, a thin oil, and the level is at the full mark, not above it. The grease around the seal comes from a split inner joint boot.
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When a valve body is removed with the transmission in the vehicle, the manufacturer's procedure says to hold the spacer plate against the valve body as the assembly is lowered. Why?
- So its check balls stay in their pockets
- So the spool valves stay inside their bores
- So the solenoid wiring is not pinched by it
- So its gaskets stay aligned for reuse
Show the answer
A. Correct. On this design check balls sit in pockets between the valve body and the spacer plate, and if the plate drops away they fall out and are easily lost or put back in the wrong pockets. Note each ball's location against the service information before the plate is lifted off.
Why not the others
B. The shift and regulator valves are held in their bores by retainers and end plugs, not by the spacer plate. The plate is held on so the check balls beneath it stay in their pockets.
C. The wiring is unplugged before the valve body comes down, and the plate does not hold the wires. It is held on so the check balls beneath it stay in place.
D. Valve body gaskets are replaced, not reused, when the assembly is resealed. The plate is held on so the check balls beneath it stay in their pockets.
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The manufacturer specifies 106 in-lb for a transaxle's valve body bolts. Any of these tools can be used to reach that torque EXCEPT:
- an in-lb click-type torque wrench in calibration.
- an impact driver on its lowest power setting.
- a digital torque adapter set to read in in-lb.
- a beam-type torque wrench with an in-lb scale.
Show the answer
B. Correct. An impact driver delivers torque in hammer blows whose effect depends on the fastener, the joint and how long the trigger is held, so even on its lowest setting it gives no controlled or measured torque and can easily pass 106 in-lb, distorting the valve body or stripping the aluminum threads. A torque-reading tool sets the final torque.
Why not the others
A. A click-type wrench calibrated in in-lb, used inside its range, releases at the set torque, so it can apply 106 in-lb accurately.
C. A digital torque adapter measures the torque passing through it and signals at the target, so set to in-lb it can reach 106 in-lb accurately.
D. A beam-type wrench shows torque directly from the bending of its beam, and with an in-lb scale it can show 106 in-lb accurately.
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To read a shift solenoid's control signal on the transmission harness, a technician connects the meter through a breakout lead plugged in between the connector halves rather than piercing the wire's insulation. Why?
- A pierced wire lets moisture in to corrode the strands
- A piercing probe adds resistance that skews the reading
- A piercing probe can ground the circuit through the meter
- A pierced wire changes the signal's frequency at the TCM
Show the answer
A. Correct. A hole in the insulation lets water and road salt reach the copper, and corrosion can then spread along the strands under the insulation, raising resistance later. A breakout lead, or back-probing where the service information allows it, reads the circuit without opening the insulation.
Why not the others
B. A DMM's voltage input draws almost no current, so the small contact resistance of a piercing probe does not change the reading. The reason to avoid piercing is the corrosion that can follow.
C. A DMM on a voltage range has a very high input resistance, so it does not ground the circuit through either probe. Piercing is avoided because the hole lets moisture in.
D. A probe touching the conductor does not change a signal's frequency, which is set by the TCM's switching. The problem with piercing is moisture getting in and corroding the wire.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | D |
| Q2 | B |
| Q3 | A |
| Q4 | B |
| Q5 | A |
03What area B covers
This content area covers work done on an automatic transmission while it stays in the vehicle. Questions deal with shift linkage and range switches, external seals and gaskets, slip yokes and axle seals, pans and filters, cooler circuits, valve bodies, accumulators and servos, solenoids, sensors and harness repairs, powertrain mounts, and fluid changes on units with and without a dipstick.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “In-Vehicle Transmission/Transaxle Maintenance and Repair”. It carries 12 of the 45 scored questions, 26.7% of the test.
- Adjust shift linkage and set the range switch
- Replace external seals, gaskets and extension bushings
- Read what the pan and filter show
- Check coolers, thermal bypass valves and cooler lines
- Inspect and torque valve bodies in the vehicle
- Service accumulators and servos
- Test solenoids, sensors, wiring and module data
- Replace mounts and refill fluid to the correct level
04What the questions turn on
The range switch only reports
The manual lever positions the manual valve, which sends line pressure to the selected range's circuits, so the linkage must put the lever fully in each detent. The range switch only reports position; it cannot move the lever or the parking pawl.
Check balls are one-way valves
A check ball seated over a single hole lets fluid pass one way only. On some designs the balls sit between the valve body and spacer plate, so the plate is held in place during removal and each ball's location is noted.
Inch-pounds, not foot-pounds
Valve body bolts take a low torque in in-lb, and 1 ft-lb equals 12 in-lb, so a figure read in the wrong unit is twelve times too high. Blind bolt holes are blown clear first, because trapped fluid can stop a bolt before it clamps.
Refill what drained, then check
A pan-drop service drains only the pan and part of the valve body; the converter, cooler and lines keep most of their fluid. The total capacity would overfill it, so the drained amount goes in and the level is set by the maker's check.
05The other content areas
The A2 test has three content areas. Each has its own page of free questions:
The ASE A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle practice test page describes the full question bank. How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.
ToolboxPrep is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASE (the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). Our questions are original practice questions written to the published ASE test specifications; they are not actual test questions.