Five free practice questions on transmission removal and overhaul: content area C of the ASE A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle test, 7 of its 45 scored questions (15.6%). 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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A transmission is being replaced after an internal failure that left the pan full of metal and friction material. Why does the manufacturer require the cooler and its lines to be flushed, then flow-checked, before the new unit is run?
- The cooler's trapped debris could wash into the new unit
- The flush checks the cooler for an internal coolant leak
- The flush purges air so the pump primes on the first start
- The flow check resets the cooler's thermal bypass valve
Show the answer
A. Correct. A cooler and its lines trap metal and friction particles from the failure, and the first time the new unit pumps fluid through them the particles wash back into it, often straight into its lubrication passages and bushings. The flow check afterward confirms the cooler is clear and passing enough fluid; a cooler that cannot be cleared is replaced.
Why not the others
B. An internal coolant leak is found by pressure-testing the cooler or by finding ATF and coolant mixed; a flush does not test for it. The flush removes the debris trapped in the cooler so it cannot wash into the new unit.
C. Air in the cooler circuit is pushed out into the pan within moments of the first start, and the pump draws from the pan, not from the cooler. The flush is required to clear the debris the failure left in the cooler and lines.
D. A thermal bypass valve opens and closes with fluid temperature on its own; there is nothing for a flow check to reset. The flush clears debris from the cooler, and the flow check proves the cooler still passes enough fluid.
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During an overhaul, the case, valve body and hard parts are washed in solvent. Each of these is correct cleaning practice EXCEPT:
- blowing every fluid passage clear with dry compressed air.
- spinning each washed bearing with shop air to dry it.
- drying parts with air or lint-free wipes, not shop towels.
- keeping abrasive pads off the valve body's machined faces.
Show the answer
B. Correct. A bearing spun by an air jet turns far faster than it was built to, with no lubricant, which can score its rollers and races or make it fly apart. Washed bearings are dried with air directed through them while they are held still, then lubricated with ATF.
Why not the others
A. This is correct practice. Solvent and loose particles left in a passage end up in the valve body or a clutch circuit, so case and valve body passages are blown clear with dry air after washing.
C. This is correct practice. Shop towels leave lint that can stick a valve or block a screen or orifice, so parts are air-dried or wiped with lint-free cloths.
D. This is correct practice. Abrasive pads round the sharp edges of the passages and ports, can spoil the flatness of the machined face, and leave grit in the soft aluminum, which can make valves stick or passages cross-leak; machined faces are cleaned with solvent and dried, not scoured.
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A transmission is in for slipping. Before teardown, a dial indicator on the end of its input shaft reads 0.062 in. of total movement as the shaft is pushed in and pulled out. The manufacturer specifies input shaft end play of 0.010 to 0.036 in. Which of these could be the cause of the excess end play?
- Too much clearance in a clutch pack
- A worn front pump bushing
- Worn input shaft sealing rings
- A worn thrust washer or bearing
Show the answer
D. Correct. End play is the input shaft's fore-and-aft travel, set by the thrust washers and bearings stacked between the rotating parts, and 0.062 in. is 0.026 in. over the 0.036 in. maximum. The worn thrust surface is found during teardown, and on reassembly end play is reset, usually with a selective thrust washer, and measured again.
Why not the others
A. Clutch pack clearance is the gap inside a pack between its plates and snap ring; it does not let the input shaft move endwise. The excess end play comes from a worn thrust washer or bearing in the shaft stack.
B. The pump bushing supports the converter hub radially, so its wear lets the hub move sideways; it does not let the input shaft move fore and aft. End play beyond 0.036 in. comes from a worn thrust washer or bearing.
C. Sealing rings seal fluid between a shaft and its bore; worn rings leak apply pressure, but they do not control how far the shaft moves endwise. The 0.062 in. reading points to a worn thrust surface.
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Some thrust washers in an automatic transmission have tabs that fit into slots in the part they sit against. What do the tabs do?
- Set the washer's thickness for end play
- Lock the washer to the slotted part
- Feed fluid to the bushing behind it
- Absorb the gear train's thrust load
Show the answer
B. Correct. The tabs anchor the washer to the slotted part so the rotating part beside it wears against the washer face instead of dragging the washer around. A washer with a bent or unseated tab can spin and wear the part it should protect, so the tabs are checked and seated in their slots at assembly.
Why not the others
A. Thickness is the washer's own dimension, and a selective washer is chosen by thickness to set end play; the tabs do not change it. They lock the washer to the slotted part so it does not turn.
C. Fluid reaches thrust surfaces and bushings through drilled passages and grooves, not through the tabs. The tabs lock the washer to the slotted part so the rotating part wears against its face.
D. The thrust load is carried across the washer's face; the tabs only anchor it. They lock the washer to the slotted part so it cannot turn with the rotating part beside it.
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How is a transaxle's drive chain checked for wear (stretch) with the chain and its sprockets still in place?
- By measuring its deflection midway between the sprockets
- By measuring the drive sprocket's runout with a dial indicator
- By counting its links against the replacement chain's count
- By measuring the distance between the two sprocket centers
Show the answer
A. Correct. A worn chain grows longer, so its slack side can be pushed in and pulled out farther between the sprockets; that total deflection is measured and compared with the manufacturer's limit. A chain over the limit is replaced, and the sprocket teeth are inspected at the same time.
Why not the others
B. Sprocket runout checks the sprocket and its shaft for wobble, not the chain for stretch. Chain wear is checked by measuring the chain's deflection midway between the sprockets against the manufacturer's limit.
C. A worn chain has the same number of links as a new one; it is longer because its pins and links wear. Its deflection midway between the sprockets is measured instead.
D. The sprockets turn on shafts fixed in the case, so the distance between their centers does not change as the chain wears. The chain's deflection midway between them is measured.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | A |
| Q2 | B |
| Q3 | D |
| Q4 | B |
| Q5 | A |
03What area C covers
This content area covers taking an automatic transmission out, rebuilding it and putting it back. Questions deal with flexplates, converter seating and crankshaft end play, cooler flushing and flow checks, software and relearn steps after installation, cleaning and inspecting pumps, shafts, bushings, thrust washers, planetary gears, drive chains and final drives, and measuring end play, preload and clutch pack clearance.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Transmission/Transaxle Unit Removal, Inspection, and Installation”. It carries 7 of the 45 scored questions, 15.6% of the test.
- Remove and install the unit; check dowels and seals
- Inspect the flexplate and seat the torque converter
- Flush and flow-check the cooler and lines
- Program calibration codes and run relearns
- Clean and inspect pumps, shafts, bushings and washers
- Inspect planetary sets, chains, sprockets and final drives
- Measure end play, bearing preload and clutch clearance
- Air test clutches and servos; check one-way clutches and bands
04What the questions turn on
Seat the converter fully
An unseated converter sits too far forward, so it meets the flexplate before the case meets the block, and drawing the case in with bolts forces its hub into the pump. A seated converter slides forward by hand to meet the flexplate.
Selective parts set clearances
Clutch pack clearance over the maximum is closed up with a thicker selective snap ring, and a thicker shim between a differential bearing cup and the case raises bearing preload. The size of the change comes from how far the reading is off the specification.
Reset what the TCM learned
A TCM learns to compensate for clutch wear, so values learned on worn clutches can make new ones shift harshly; the adaptive values are reset and the relearn drive run. A replacement valve body's calibration code tells the TCM how its solenoids deliver pressure.
Listen during the air test
With the valve body off, regulated air at a clutch passage should stroke the piston with a dull thud and hold with little leakage. A loud hiss with no thud means the air escapes first, such as past a cut or rolled piston seal.
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.