Five free practice questions on brakes: content area E of the ASE G1 Auto Maintenance & Light Repair test, 11 of its 55 scored questions (20%). 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 vehicle's brake system has a high-pressure accumulator charged by an electric pump. Before the reservoir level is read against its MAX mark, the manufacturer's procedure says to switch the ignition off and press the pedal a stated number of times to discharge the accumulator. Why?
- Discharging the accumulator resets the level switch
- Pressing the pedal purges air from the accumulator
- The pump would pressurize the reservoir with the cap off
- A charged accumulator holds reservoir fluid
Show the answer
D. Correct. When the pump charges the accumulator it moves fluid out of the reservoir into it, so a reading taken while it is charged shows a level lower than the true one. Filling to MAX then would overfill the reservoir, and it would overflow once the accumulator discharged.
Why not the others
A. A level switch simply follows the fluid level and needs no reset. Discharging the accumulator returns its fluid to the reservoir so the reading against the MAX mark is true.
B. Pedal applications with the ignition off use up stored pressure; they do not remove air, which leaves the system only through a bleed. The step is there because a charged accumulator holds fluid out of the reservoir.
C. The reservoir is vented and is never pressurized; the pump draws fluid from it. The procedure discharges the accumulator because a charged one holds fluid that belongs in the reservoir when the level is read.
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A technician is flushing the old fluid out of a brake system by manual bleeding at each wheel. Technician A says fluid that comes out of a bleeder clean and bubble-free can be poured back into the reservoir. Technician B says each wheel is bled until fluid first appears in the bleeder hose. Who is right?
- A only
- B only
- Both A and B
- Neither A nor B
Show the answer
D. Correct. Technician A is wrong because fluid that has come out of a bleeder has picked up air and moisture and is never put back in the system. Technician B is wrong because the first fluid out is old fluid; each wheel is bled until clean new fluid runs free of bubbles.
Why not the others
A. Technician A is wrong: fluid pushed out of a bleeder has been exposed to air and may carry moisture, dirt and fine bubbles, so it is discarded, not reused. Technician B is wrong too, because each wheel is bled until clean new fluid runs with no bubbles.
B. Technician B is wrong: the first fluid at a bleeder is old fluid, often with air ahead of it, so bleeding goes on until new fluid runs clean with no bubbles. Technician A is also wrong, since fluid that has come out of a bleeder is discarded.
C. Neither statement holds. Technician A's bled fluid has been exposed to air and moisture and is discarded, and Technician B stops too soon, since a wheel is bled until clean new fluid runs with no bubbles.
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A brake drum with an integral hub that carries tapered roller bearings is going on a brake lathe. How is it centered on the lathe arbor?
- On a spring-loaded cone in its pilot hole
- On tapered cones in its bearing races
- On an adapter bolted to its lug studs
- By clamping its outer rim in a chuck
Show the answer
B. Correct. A hubbed drum turns on its bearings in service, so the lathe locates it on cones that fit its bearing races, and the cut runs true to the axis the drum actually turns on. A hubless drum is centered on its center hole instead.
Why not the others
A. A cone in the center pilot hole is how a hubless drum is centered. A drum with an integral hub is centered on its bearing races, the surfaces it turns on in service.
C. An adapter on the lug studs locates the drum by its stud pattern, not by the bearing races it turns on in service, so the cut would not be true to its turning axis. A hubbed drum is centered on its bearing races with tapered cones.
D. The outside of the drum is not machined true to the bearing axis, so a cut centered on it would not run true. The drum is centered on its bearing races.
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Some disc brake pads have a small spring-steel tab attached to the backing plate. What is the tab's job?
- It damps pad vibration to prevent squeal
- It holds the pad snug in the caliper bracket
- It rubs the rotor to warn of a thin lining
- It grounds a circuit to light a wear lamp
Show the answer
C. Correct. The tab is a mechanical wear indicator: once the lining has worn down to it, the tab rubs the rotor and makes a high-pitched squeal that tells the driver the pads are due. Pads that have reached the tab are replaced before the backing plate scores the rotor.
Why not the others
A. Vibration is damped by shims and damping layers on the backing plate. This tab does the opposite: it is meant to make noise against the rotor when the lining is worn.
B. Pads are held in the bracket by abutment clips and springs, not by this tab. The tab is a wear indicator that contacts the rotor once the lining is worn thin.
D. An electrical wear sensor uses a wire loop or contact in a separate sensor with its own wiring. A plain spring-steel tab is a mechanical indicator that warns by noise against the rotor.
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A pickup's hydro-boost brake booster gives weak assist, and the pedal is hard at every engine speed. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:
- a low power steering fluid level.
- a leaking engine vacuum hose.
- a power steering pump with low output.
- a restricted hose from the pump to the booster.
Show the answer
B. Correct. A hydro-boost unit is powered by hydraulic pressure from the power steering pump and uses no engine vacuum, so a vacuum leak cannot weaken its assist. On a hydro-boost truck the pump, its drive, the fluid and the lines to the booster are checked.
Why not the others
A. This could cause it: hydro-boost runs on power steering fluid, so a low level lets the pump draw air and lose pressure, weakening the assist.
C. This could cause it: the booster's assist comes from the pump's pressure and flow, so a weak pump gives weak assist.
D. This could cause it: a restriction in the line feeding the booster cuts the flow and pressure it receives, so the assist drops.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | D |
| Q2 | D |
| Q3 | B |
| Q4 | C |
| Q5 | B |
03What area E covers
This content area covers brake inspection and service: pedal and stopping complaints, fluid level, type and handling, lines, hoses and warning lamps, bleeding and flushing, drum brake shoes, hardware, wheel cylinders and drums, disc pads, calipers and rotors, parking brakes, lug nut torque and pad break-in, and the vacuum, hydro-boost and electro-hydraulic units that assist the pedal.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Brakes”. It carries 11 of the 55 scored questions, 20% of the test.
- Check for pulls, drag, noise and pedal complaints
- Inspect fluid, lines, hoses and warning lamps
- Bleed, flush and choose the correct brake fluid
- Service drums, shoes, hardware and wheel cylinders
- Service pads, calipers and rotors
- Adjust and repair parking brakes
- Torque wheels, road test and burnish new pads
- Check vacuum, hydro-boost and electro-hydraulic assist
04What the questions turn on
Uneven pad wear tells a story
On a floating caliper, an inboard pad worn much thinner than the outboard points to binding slide pins. On a fixed caliper each pad has its own piston, so one pad left nearly full points to its piston being stuck.
Spongy pedal after a repair
Air compresses where fluid does not, so a pedal that is spongy, firms up with quick pumps and softens again points to air. A hose job that opened the system calls for bleeding until each bleeder runs free of bubbles.
Bleeding without letting air back
During a two-person bleed, the bleeder is closed while the helper still holds the pedal down. If it is open as the pedal returns, the pistons can draw air back in. The cycle repeats until the fluid runs free of bubbles.
Hydro-boost runs on steering fluid
A hydro-boost unit runs on power steering fluid. A leak at its input rod seal runs along the pushrod into the cab, so the power steering level drops and the carpet under the pedal gets wet while the brake fluid stays full.
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.