Five ASE A4 Suspension & Steering practice test questions, answers included.

1. Recall · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   During a steering gear replacement, the intermediate shaft is disconnected from the gear, and someone then turns the steering wheel several full turns. Which part can this damage?

   1. The intermediate shaft slip joint
   2. The upper steering column bearing
   3. The turn signal canceling cam
   4. The column's clockspring
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. The clockspring is a flat ribbon cable wound in a housing that carries the air bag and steering wheel switch circuits, and it allows only a set number of turns each way from center. With the shaft disconnected nothing limits the wheel, so turning it past that range tears the ribbon. The steering wheel is secured straight ahead before the shaft is separated.

   Why not the others

   A. The slip joint is disconnected from the gear and carries no load as the wheel turns. Extra turns harm the clockspring, which has only a limited range each way from center.

   B. Turning the wheel freely does not load the column bearing beyond normal use. The part at risk is the clockspring, whose ribbon cable allows only a limited number of turns each way from center.

   C. The canceling cam simply turns with the wheel and is not harmed by extra turns. The clockspring is the part that can be torn when the wheel turns past its limited range.

2. Recall · Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   On a rack-and-pinion gear whose two bellows boots are joined by a small breather tube running along the housing, what is the tube for?

   1. It returns fluid that leaks past the rack seals
   2. It carries fluid between the two power chambers
   3. It carries grease to the inner tie rod sockets
   4. It lets air move from one boot to the other
   Show the answer

   D. Correct. As the rack slides, one boot is squeezed while the other is stretched; the tube lets that air move across instead of ballooning or collapsing the boots. A kinked or blocked tube can draw a boot in against the tie rod and tear it.

   Why not the others

   A. Fluid that gets past a rack seal into a boot has no return path through the breather; a boot holding fluid points to a leaking internal seal. The tube only moves air between the boots.

   B. The two sides of the power piston are fed by the metal lines from the control valve, under pump pressure. The breather tube carries only air between the boots.

   C. Inner tie rod sockets are lubricated and sealed at assembly; the breather carries no grease. It lets air move between the boots as the rack moves.

3. Diagnosis · Suspension Systems Diagnosis and Repair

   A high-mileage minivan's front end keeps bouncing after each bump, dives sharply when the brakes are applied and feels floaty at highway speed. Front ride height is within the manufacturer's specification, and no joint or bushing has play. Which of these could be the cause?

   1. Worn front strut dampers
   2. Worn upper strut bearings
   3. Sagged front coil springs
   4. Worn stabilizer bar bushings
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. The damper inside each strut turns suspension motion into heat; once it wears, little stops the spring from rebounding, so the body keeps bouncing, pitches forward in stops and floats at speed. Replace the struts or cartridges on both sides of the axle so damping matches.

   Why not the others

   B. A worn or binding strut bearing shows up as noise or stiff steering when the wheel is turned; it has no effect on how the body bounces or dives. Worn dampers are the cause.

   C. Sagged springs lower the ride height, and it is within specification. Bouncing and brake dive with correct height point to worn damping.

   D. The stabilizer bar resists body roll when one side moves more than the other; worn bushings give clunks or squeaks, not continued bouncing after bumps or brake dive. Worn dampers are the cause.

4. Recall · Wheel Alignment Diagnosis, Adjustment, and Repair

   To measure caster, an alignment system has the technician steer each front wheel a set number of degrees to the left and then to the right of straight ahead. What does the system measure during this sweep to calculate caster?

   1. The change in toe between the two positions
   2. The change in camber between the two positions
   3. The steering wheel angle at each position
   4. The effort needed to steer the wheel to each position
   Show the answer

   B. Correct. With the steering axis tilted rearward, steering the wheel one way tilts its top in and the other way tilts it out, so camber changes across the sweep in proportion to caster. The system converts that camber change into a caster reading; the more positive the caster, the larger the change.

   Why not the others

   A. Comparing the two wheels' angles with the wheels turned is the toe-out-on-turns check, which shows steering arm geometry. Caster is worked out from the camber change during the sweep.

   C. The steering wheel's angle says nothing about how far the steering axis is tilted rearward. Caster is calculated from how much camber changes as the wheel is swept left and right.

   D. The alignment sensors read the wheels' angles, not how hard the steering wheel is to turn. Caster is calculated from how much camber changes as the wheel is swept left and right.

5. Diagnosis · Wheel and Tire Diagnosis and Service

   During an oil change, a technician finds both front tires on a sedan worn more at both shoulders than across the center ribs, which are still much deeper. The wear is even around each tire, and the rib edges are square, with no feathering. Which of these could be the cause?

   1. Low inflation pressure
   2. High inflation pressure
   3. Excessive front toe-in
   4. Excessive positive camber
   Show the answer

   A. Correct. With too little air the center of the tread lifts and the shoulders carry the load, so both shoulders wear faster than the center. Set the tires to the placard pressure, and look for a slow leak if a tire keeps losing air.

   Why not the others

   B. Too much pressure crowns the tread so the center ribs carry the load and wear first. Here the center is the deepest part of the tread, the opposite pattern; worn shoulders point to underinflation.

   C. Excessive toe scrubs the tread sideways and leaves feathered rib edges, sharp on one side and rounded on the other. These ribs are square with no feathering, so toe is ruled out; even wear on both shoulders points to underinflation.

   D. Positive camber tilts the top of the tire outward and wears only the outer shoulder. These tires are worn on both shoulders alike, which camber cannot do; that pattern comes from low inflation pressure.

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