Five free practice questions on manual transaxle: content area C of the ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles test, 7 of its 40 scored questions (17.5%). 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 transaxle's manufacturer calls for thread sealant only on the case bolts whose holes break through into the inside of the case. Why?
- Fluid could seep out along their threads
- To lock those bolts against loosening
- To keep the steel bolts from seizing in aluminum
- To let them take a higher torque
Show the answer
A. Correct. A bolt hole that opens into the case is wet with fluid on its inner end, and fluid can creep along the thread clearance to the outside. Sealant fills that path; bolts in blind holes do not need it.
Why not the others
B. Locking bolts is the job of a thread-locking compound, and if loosening were the worry it would apply to every bolt, not only those in through holes. The sealant stops fluid creeping out along the threads.
C. Keeping steel bolts from seizing in aluminum is what anti-seize compound is for, and it would apply to every bolt. Sealant is called for only where a hole opens into the case, to stop fluid creeping out along the threads.
D. Sealant does not raise the torque a bolt can take; the bolts are tightened to the manufacturer's figure either way. It is there to stop fluid seeping out along the threads of holes that open into the case.
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A front-wheel-drive car's manual transaxle, which has a hydraulic clutch and cable shifting, is being removed for overhaul with the engine left in the car. Each of these is part of the job EXCEPT:
- supporting the engine before its transaxle mount is unbolted.
- pulling both half-shafts out of the differential side gears.
- unbolting the pressure plate from the flywheel.
- disconnecting the shift cables and the clutch slave cylinder.
Show the answer
C. Correct. The clutch stays bolted to the flywheel on the engine; the transaxle slides back until its input shaft clears the clutch disc's splines. The clutch is removed afterwards if it is being serviced.
Why not the others
A. This is part of the job. The transaxle mount carries one end of the engine, so the engine is held with a support fixture or a jack before that mount comes off.
B. This is part of the job. The half-shaft stubs ride in the differential's side gears, so they are pulled out, or the shafts removed, before the case can come away.
D. This is part of the job. The cables and the slave cylinder, or its line on a concentric slave, attach to the transaxle, so they are freed before it is lowered.
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A manual transaxle has been reassembled on the bench and is not yet back in the car. The input shaft is turned by hand while the shift shaft is moved into each gear and back to neutral in turn. What is this check for?
- Setting the bearing preload by feel
- Measuring each gear's backlash
- Seating each blocking ring on its cone
- Catching binding or a missed gear
Show the answer
D. Correct. With each gear selected in turn, the input shaft should turn smoothly and drive the output shaft, and in neutral it should spin without driving it. Binding, a gear that will not engage or two gears engaged at once shows an assembly error, which is far easier to correct on the bench than after installation.
Why not the others
A. Bearing preload is set with the manufacturer's shim procedure and checked as a measured turning torque, not judged by feel. Turning the input shaft through each gear on the bench shows binding or a gear that will not engage.
B. Backlash is read with a dial indicator against a gear held from turning; turning the shaft by hand measures nothing. This check confirms that every gear engages and that the shafts turn without binding.
C. Blocking rings need no seating step; they work against their cones on every shift. Turning the shaft through each gear is done to find binding or a gear that will not engage while the unit is still on the bench.
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During a transaxle overhaul, the 3-4 shift fork is checked in its synchronizer sleeve's groove with a feeler gauge. The manufacturer allows a maximum fork-to-groove clearance of 0.039 in. (1.0 mm), and the groove's width is within its specification. The clearance measures 0.052 in. What should be done?
- Reuse the fork, which is within its limit
- Replace the 3-4 sleeve and hub
- Replace the 3-4 shift fork
- Replace the 3-4 rail's detent spring
Show the answer
C. Correct. 0.052 in. is 0.013 in. over the 0.039 in. maximum, and the sleeve's groove is within its specification, so the wear is in the fork's pads. A worn fork lets the sleeve wander and can keep it from engaging fully, so the gear can jump out.
Why not the others
A. 0.052 in. is more than the 0.039 in. maximum, not within it: the limit is the most clearance allowed. The fork has worn 0.013 in. past the limit and is replaced.
B. The groove's width is within specification, so the sleeve is not what wore. The extra clearance is in the fork, which is replaced.
D. The detent spring holds the rail in each position but has no effect on the fork's fit in the groove. The clearance is measured at the fork, and a fork 0.013 in. over the limit is replaced.
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On a manual transaxle whose Reverse uses a sliding idler gear while the forward gears stay in constant mesh, Reverse normally makes more gear whine than any forward gear. Why?
- Its teeth are cut with extra backlash to slide
- Reverse has no synchronizer to slow it
- Its ratio is about as low as first gear's
- Its gears have straight-cut spur teeth
Show the answer
D. Correct. A sliding idler has to slide sideways into mesh, so the reverse gears are straight-cut spur gears, whose teeth meet across their full width at once and whine. The forward gears are helical, with angled teeth that come into contact gradually and run quietly.
Why not the others
A. Backlash lets gears clunk as the load reverses; it does not make the steady whine heard in Reverse. The whine comes from the straight-cut spur teeth that a sliding idler needs.
B. Having no synchronizer can make Reverse grind as it goes in, but it has nothing to do with a whine once the gears are meshed. The whine comes from the straight-cut spur teeth.
C. First gear has a similar ratio and is quiet, so the ratio is not what makes the noise. Reverse whines because its gears have straight-cut spur teeth.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | A |
| Q2 | C |
| Q3 | D |
| Q4 | C |
| Q5 | D |
03What area C covers
This content area covers the front-wheel-drive manual transaxle, with the gearbox and differential in one case. Questions deal with cable shifting and adjustment, seals and case sealing, removal with the engine left in place, shafts, synchronizers and shift forks, reverse gears, differential gears, bearings and limited-slip units, preload and end play by shim selection, fluid level checks and sensors.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair”. It carries 7 of the 40 scored questions, 17.5% of the test.
- Diagnose transaxle noise, shifting and leak problems
- Adjust shift and select cables; service the shifter
- Remove and install the transaxle; align the subframe
- Inspect shafts, synchronizers, forks and reverse gears
- Service the differential and limited-slip units
- Set bearing preload and end play with shims
- Check fluid level and test sensors and switches
04What the questions turn on
Slop is in the linkage
A sloppy lever or a missed gate comes from free play in the shifter base bushings, the cable-end bushings or a loose cable bracket. Worn blocking rings make a gear grind or clash as it engages but add no free play to the lever.
Accurate measuring sets the shim
Shim choices depend on accurate measuring. A bearing cup left off its seat while end play is measured makes the reading too small, so the shim chosen is too thin and end play appears after assembly. Thicker side gear thrust washers take up differential backlash.
Open differentials split torque equally
An open differential cannot send more torque to one wheel than the other. With one tire on ice, the wheel with grip gets only the small torque the spinning tire can take, so the car does not move; a limited-slip unit is what changes that.
Fill to the check hole
When a transaxle has a high fill plug and a lower level-check plug, the correct level is the height of the check hole with the car level. Filling to the fill hole with the check plug in overfills the case.
05The other content areas
The A3 test has six content areas. Each has its own page of free questions:
The ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles 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.