Five free practice questions on automatic transmission service: content area B of the ASE G1 Auto Maintenance & Light Repair test, 4 of its 55 scored questions (7.3%). 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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During a tire rotation on a front-wheel-drive car, a technician finds thick, dark grease slung in a ring around the inside of the left front wheel and spattered on the brake caliper and strut. Which of these is the source?
- A torn inner CV joint boot
- A torn outer CV joint boot
- A strut leaking its damper oil
- A leaking transaxle axle seal
Show the answer
B. Correct. The outer CV joint turns just behind the wheel hub, so grease escaping through a split in its boot is flung outward onto the inside of the wheel, the caliper and the strut. The boot is replaced promptly, before dirt and water get into the joint and wear it.
Why not the others
A. The inner CV joint sits at the transaxle, so grease from a torn inner boot is slung onto the transaxle case, the subframe and the exhaust, not onto the inside of the wheel. A ring of grease at the wheel comes from the outer boot.
C. A leaking strut wets its own body with thin damper oil that runs down from its rod seal; it does not throw thick grease in a ring around the wheel. That grease comes from a torn outer CV boot.
D. A leaking axle seal lets thin transaxle fluid out where the axle enters the case, at the inboard end of the shaft. Thick grease slung around the inside of the wheel comes from the outer CV boot.
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A vehicle with a belt-and-pulley continuously variable transmission (CVT) is low on fluid. Which fluid should be added?
- Any ATF that matches the old fluid's color
- The ATF the manufacturer specifies for its stepped automatics
- The CVT fluid the manufacturer specifies
- A heavier ATF to keep the belt from slipping
Show the answer
C. Correct. A belt-and-pulley CVT passes torque through friction between its steel belt or chain and the pulley faces, and its fluid is blended for that contact. Another fluid can let the belt slip and damage the pulleys, so only the fluid the manufacturer lists for that transmission is added.
Why not the others
A. Color is only a dye and says nothing about a fluid's friction properties; very different fluids can share the same color. The fluid added to a CVT is the one the manufacturer specifies for it.
B. The fluid a manufacturer specifies for its stepped automatics is blended for clutch packs and planetary gears, not for the steel belt-to-pulley contact in a CVT, and it can let the belt slip. A CVT gets the CVT fluid the manufacturer specifies for that transmission.
D. A heavier fluid does not give the belt-to-pulley contact the friction properties it needs, and it can upset the transmission's hydraulic control. The right fluid is the CVT fluid the manufacturer specifies.
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A transaxle's dipstick has a COLD range for checking fluid at 70 to 90 °F and a HOT range, higher on the blade, for 160 to 180 °F. Following the manufacturer's check, on level ground with the engine idling in Park, fluid at 175 °F reads at the top of the COLD range, below the HOT range. What does this reading mean?
- The reading is not valid until the engine has been shut off
- The level is correct, since it reads inside a marked range
- The fluid is overfilled, since hot fluid should read below the COLD range
- The fluid is low; add fluid until it reads in the HOT range
Show the answer
D. Correct. ATF expands as it warms, so its level rises from the COLD range toward the HOT range as it reaches check temperature. Fluid at 175 °F belongs in the HOT range, so reading only at the top of the COLD range means it is low; add fluid in small amounts and recheck so it is not overfilled.
Why not the others
A. The manufacturer's check calls for the engine idling in Park, with the pump keeping the converter and cooler circuit full; with the engine off, fluid drains back to the pan and the level reads higher than it really is. The idling reading is valid, and it shows the fluid is low.
B. The COLD range applies only to fluid at 70 to 90 °F. This fluid is at 175 °F, so its level belongs in the HOT range; reading in the COLD range when hot means the fluid is low.
C. This reverses the effect of heat: ATF expands as it warms, so hot fluid reads higher on the blade than cold fluid, not lower. Hot fluid that reaches only the COLD range is low, not overfilled.
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After a road test, a technician inspects a transaxle's cooler lines from underneath. Any of these findings calls for a repair EXCEPT:
- a steel line has a shiny, thinned spot where it touches a crossmember.
- a feed line to the cooler is hotter than its return line.
- a quick-connect fitting at the case is missing its retaining clip.
- a tube-nut fitting at the radiator tank is wet and crusted with dirt.
Show the answer
B. Correct. Fluid leaves the transaxle hot, gives up heat in the cooler and comes back cooler, so the line feeding the cooler should be the hotter of the two. This finding is normal; the other three are a rubbing line, a fitting that can let go and a leak.
Why not the others
A. This calls for a repair. A line rubbing a crossmember wears thinner with every mile until it leaks, so the worn section is repaired or the line replaced, and the line is secured in its clips clear of the crossmember.
C. This calls for a repair. The clip locks the line into a quick-connect fitting; without it the line can push out under pressure and dump the fluid. A new clip of the manufacturer's type is fitted and the line checked for full engagement.
D. This calls for a repair. Road dirt builds up on a fitting that is seeping fluid, so a wet, crusted fitting is leaking; it is cleaned, its seat or O-ring inspected, and the fitting tightened to specification or repaired.
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During a routine fluid check, the ATF on a transmission dipstick is dark brown and smells burnt. What does this condition indicate?
- Foaming caused by an overfilled transmission
- Normal aging that calls only for a top-off
- Engine oil added to the transmission by mistake
- Overheating that has broken down the fluid
Show the answer
D. Correct. Heat oxidizes ATF, turning it dark brown and giving it a burnt smell, and slipping clutches or bands are a common source of that heat. The fluid is replaced, the pan checked for friction debris, and the cause of the heat found before the vehicle goes back in service.
Why not the others
A. Overfilled fluid is churned into a light, bubbly foam and may spill from the vent; it does not turn dark brown or smell burnt. Dark, burnt-smelling fluid has been overheated.
B. ATF does darken gradually with age, but a burnt smell means the fluid has been overheated and broken down. A top-off leaves the damaged fluid in service; it is replaced and the source of the heat found.
C. Engine oil mixed into ATF is a contamination problem, but it does not give the fluid a burnt smell. That odor, with a dark brown color, comes from fluid that has been overheated and broken down.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | B |
| Q2 | C |
| Q3 | D |
| Q4 | B |
| Q5 | D |
03What area B covers
This content area covers the automatic transmission and transaxle work done in maintenance and light repair: road testing and reading DTCs, choosing the right fluid and checking its level and condition, finding and fixing external leaks, fluid and filter changes, cooler lines and fittings, powertrain mounts, and CV boots, axles, drive shafts and U-joints.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Automatic Transmission/Transaxle”. It carries 4 of the 55 scored questions, 7.3% of the test.
- Road test and retrieve DTCs
- Identify fluid type and check level and condition
- Find leaks and replace external seals and gaskets
- Inspect CV boots, axles, drive shafts and U-joints
- Inspect transmission cooler lines and fittings
- Inspect and replace powertrain mounts
- Replace transmission fluid and filters
04What the questions turn on
What the fluid and magnet show
Milky pink fluid that stays milky, with the engine coolant level dropping, points to a cooler leaking inside the radiator tank. A thin, even coat of fine gray paste on the pan magnet, with no other debris, is normal wear from steel parts.
Seals face the fluid
A lip seal's sealing lip, the side with the garter spring, faces the fluid so case pressure presses it onto the shaft. Axle splines are guided straight through a new seal so they cannot cut the lip, which gets a light film of lubricant.
Locking a half-shaft in place
A half-shaft held in the side gear by a circlip is pushed in until the clip snaps into its groove. It is checked by pulling on the inner joint housing, because pulling hard on the shaft can draw the plunging joint apart.
Mounts can mimic engine problems
A fluid-filled mount that has ruptured passes engine vibration straight to the body. The shake shows most in Drive at a stop with the brakes held, where the engine loads against its mounts, and is smooth in Park with no misfires.
05The other content areas
The G1 test has seven content areas. Each has its own page of free questions:
The ASE G1 Auto Maintenance & Light Repair 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.