ASE A4 steering systems practice questions.

Five free practice questions on steering systems: content area A of the ASE A4 Suspension & Steering test, 12 of its 40 scored questions (30%). They are in the ASE format: four options, one best answer. Answer each one before opening the explanation. No account, no email.

01The questions

1. EXCEPT · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   On a pickup with a recirculating-ball power steering gear, steering effort is high in both directions with the engine idling. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:

   1. too much sector lash in the gear.
   2. a pump flow control valve stuck in bypass.
   3. worm bearing preload adjusted too tight.
   4. a slipping power steering pump belt.
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. Too much sector lash leaves free play between the ball nut and the sector, which shows as steering wheel freeplay and wander, not high effort. High effort in both directions comes from too little assist or from added friction in the gear or column.

   Why not the others

   B. A flow control valve stuck in bypass returns too much of the pump's output to its inlet, so too little reaches the gear and effort rises both ways. This can cause it.

   C. Worm bearing preload set too tight adds friction to the worm shaft, so the wheel is hard to turn in both directions and may not return well. This can cause it.

   D. A slipping belt cannot turn the pump at full speed under load, so pump output and assist fall in both directions. This can cause it; the belt and its tension are checked early.

2. Recall · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   The reservoir cap and service information of a hydraulic power steering system call for a specific power steering fluid and warn against ATF. A customer has topped the system up with ATF. What should be done?

   1. Top it off with the specified fluid to dilute the ATF
   2. Flush the system and refill with the specified fluid
   3. Add a seal conditioner to protect the pump and seals
   4. Replace the pump and refill it with the specified fluid
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. When the manufacturer warns against ATF, the system's seals and hoses are made for its own fluid, and the mix can harm them or change how the pump and gear work. Flushing removes the ATF, and the system is refilled and bled with the specified fluid.

   Why not the others

   A. Adding more of the right fluid only thins the ATF; what the manufacturer warns against is still in the system. The mixed fluid is flushed out and replaced with the specified fluid.

   C. An additive does not remove the wrong fluid and is not part of the manufacturer's procedure. The fix is to flush out the mix and refill with the specified fluid.

   D. Nothing shows the pump has been damaged, and replacing it leaves the mixed fluid in the gear and hoses. The system is flushed and refilled with the specified fluid, then checked for noise and leaks.

3. Recall · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   Fluid drips from the bottom of a recirculating-ball power steering gear, where the shaft that carries the pitman arm leaves the housing. After cleaning, the side cover and the input shaft area stay dry. Which seal is leaking?

   1. The side cover gasket
   2. The input shaft seal
   3. The sector shaft seal
   4. The adjuster plug O-ring
   Show the answer

   C. Correct. The pitman arm is splined to the sector shaft, so fluid where that shaft leaves the bottom of the housing comes from the sector shaft seal. On many gears it can be replaced with the gear on the vehicle once the pitman arm is removed.

   Why not the others

   A. A side cover gasket leak wets the side cover, which stayed dry after cleaning. Fluid where the pitman arm's shaft leaves the housing comes from the sector shaft seal.

   B. The input shaft seal is where the worm shaft enters the gear from the steering column, and that area stayed dry. The leak is at the sector shaft, which carries the pitman arm.

   D. The adjuster plug sits at the input shaft end of the worm, an area that stayed dry. The drip where the pitman arm's shaft leaves the housing is the sector shaft seal.

4. Diagnosis · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   A power steering pump was replaced and the system filled and bled. The fluid level was at FULL when checked, but the fluid looks milky with tiny bubbles, and within a few minutes of shutting the engine off the level rises well above FULL. There are no leaks, and every hose clamp is tight. What does this indicate?

   1. The reservoir was filled above its mark
   2. The fluid still has air trapped in it
   3. The pump relief valve is stuck open
   4. The fluid is the wrong type for the system
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. Milky fluid full of fine bubbles is aerated, and when the pump stops, air in the gear and hoses expands and pushes fluid back up into the reservoir, so the level rises. The system needs more bleeding: let the fluid settle, then repeat the manufacturer's procedure, keeping the level up, until the fluid is clear and the level holds.

   Why not the others

   A. An overfilled reservoir would read high every time it is checked, and its fluid would be clear. Here the level was correct, then rose after shutdown, and the fluid is milky with bubbles, which shows trapped air.

   C. A relief valve stuck open bleeds off pump pressure and leaves the steering heavy; it does not fill the fluid with bubbles or make the level rise after shutdown.

   D. Fluid of the wrong type can harm seals over time, but it does not turn the fluid milky with bubbles or make the level climb after shutdown; those signs show air still in the system.

5. Recall · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   Which tool should be used to remove a pitman arm from the steering gear's sector shaft?

   1. A puller gripping the arm and pushing on the shaft
   2. A slide hammer threaded onto the sector shaft
   3. A tapered fork driven between the arm and the gear
   4. A hammer used on the side of the arm's eye
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. The arm is a tight fit on the splined sector shaft; a pitman arm puller grips the arm and pushes on the end of the shaft, so the force stays between those two parts instead of passing through the gear's bearings and housing. The arm and shaft are marked first so the arm goes back on the same splines.

   Why not the others

   B. The sector shaft end is not made for a slide hammer, and impact pulling through the shaft hammers the sector, ball nut and bearings; a puller presses the arm off steadily instead.

   C. A tapered fork is a ball stud separator; wedged between the arm and the gear it can crack the housing or damage the sector shaft seal and bearings, and it does not pull the arm squarely off the splines.

   D. Striking the arm sends shock into the sector shaft, its bearings and the gear housing and can damage the gear; a puller presses the arm off without loading the gear.

02Answer key

03What area A covers

This content area covers everything from the steering wheel to the tie rod ends. Questions deal with columns, intermediate shafts and air bag handling, column and rack electric power steering, recirculating-ball and rack-and-pinion gears, power steering pumps, belts, hoses and fluid, pressure and flow tests, flushing and bleeding, variable-assist systems, and parallelogram linkage, idler arms, center links and tie rods.

The ASE test specification calls this content area “Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair”. It carries 12 of the 40 scored questions, 30% of the test.

• Diagnose column noise, effort and tilt or telescope faults
• Service columns and shafts; handle air bag parts safely
• Diagnose and adjust steering gears and racks
• Check fluid, belts, pumps and hoses
• Run power steering pressure and flow tests
• Flush, fill and bleed hydraulic systems
• Diagnose electric and variable-assist steering
• Inspect pitman arms, idler arms, center links and tie rods

04What the questions turn on

Effort versus freeplay

Looseness and friction cause different complaints. Too much sector lash shows as freeplay and wander, while low assist or added friction in the gear or column raises effort. A binding strut bearing makes steering stiff but adds no lost motion.

Reading the pressure analyzer

With the analyzer valve closed, the gauge sees only the pump, so low pressure there points to the pump or its relief valve. High pressure with the valve open and the wheels straight points to a restriction downstream, such as the return hose or cooler.

Worm preload before sector lash

On a recirculating-ball gear, worm bearing preload is set first, because the over-center reading is a total that includes worm bearing drag. Sector lash is then set at the center of travel, where the sector and ball nut mesh most tightly.

Aerated fluid needs more bleeding

Milky fluid with fine bubbles is aerated, and its level rises after shutdown as trapped air expands. Some manufacturers bleed with vacuum on the reservoir, which makes the bubbles grow and rise out; the procedure is repeated until the fluid is clear.

05The other content areas

The A4 test has four content areas. Each has its own page of free questions:

The ASE A4 Suspension & Steering 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.