Five free practice questions on electrical systems: content area F of the ASE G1 Auto Maintenance & Light Repair test, 8 of its 55 scored questions (14.5%). 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 battery is being checked with an electronic conductance tester. Technician A says the cold cranking amps (CCA) rating entered into the tester does not affect its pass or fail result. Technician B says a 'charge and retest' result means the battery has failed and should be replaced. Who is right?
- A only
- B only
- Both A and B
- Neither A nor B
Show the answer
D. Correct. Neither is right: the tester judges the battery against the rating entered, so Technician A is wrong, and a wrong rating gives a wrong verdict. Technician B is wrong too, because 'charge and retest' means the battery was too discharged for a valid reading; it is charged fully and tested again.
Why not the others
A. Technician A is wrong: the tester compares the cranking ability it measures with the rating entered, so entering too low a rating can pass a weak battery. Technician B is also wrong, because 'charge and retest' means the battery was too discharged to judge, not that it failed.
B. Technician B is wrong: 'charge and retest' means the battery's state of charge was too low for a valid result, so it is charged and tested again before any decision. Technician A is also wrong, since the result is judged against the rating entered.
C. Neither technician is right. The result depends on the rating entered, which Technician A denies, and 'charge and retest' calls for charging the battery and testing again, not replacing it as Technician B says.
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A flooded battery rated 70 amp-hours (Ah) tests at 50 percent state of charge. The charger maker says to put back the amp-hours that were removed plus 20 percent for charging losses. At a steady 10 amps, about how long will the charge take?
- 3.5 hours
- 4.2 hours
- 7.0 hours
- 8.4 hours
Show the answer
B. Correct. Half of 70 Ah is 35 Ah removed; adding 20 percent for losses gives 35 x 1.2 = 42 Ah, and 42 Ah / 10 A = 4.2 hours. Some charging current goes to heat and gassing rather than into the plates, which is why the maker adds the extra.
Why not the others
A. This puts back only the 35 Ah removed (70 x 0.50 = 35 Ah; 35 / 10 = 3.5 hours) and leaves out the 20 percent the charger maker adds for charging losses.
C. This charges for the battery's full 70 Ah rating (70 / 10 = 7.0 hours) instead of the 35 Ah actually removed, and it also leaves out the 20 percent for losses.
D. This adds the 20 percent to the full 70 Ah rating (70 x 1.2 = 84 Ah; 84 / 10 = 8.4 hours), but the battery is only half discharged, so only 35 Ah is replaced before the losses are added.
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A pickup cranks slowly. During the manufacturer's starter draw test, the starter draws 175 amps while the voltage at the battery posts falls to 8.6 volts. The manufacturer specifies 150 to 200 amps and at least 9.6 volts at the posts while cranking. What do these readings show?
- Cable resistance is limiting starter current
- The starter is dragging and drawing too much
- The battery is weak or discharged
- The starter drive is slipping on the ring gear
Show the answer
C. Correct. The 175-amp draw is inside the 150- to 200-amp specification, so the starter and engine are asking for a normal current, yet the posts fall to 8.6 volts, 1.0 volt below the 9.6-volt minimum (9.6 - 8.6 = 1.0). A battery that sags that far under a normal load is charged and load-tested before anything else is condemned.
Why not the others
A. Resistance in a cable lowers the current but does not pull the battery's own post voltage down; here the current is normal and the posts sag. The battery is what cannot hold voltage.
B. A dragging starter or tight engine pulls current above the specification; this one draws 175 amps, inside 150 to 200 amps. The low voltage with a normal draw points to the battery.
D. A slipping drive lets the starter spin without turning the engine, with a whir and a low draw, instead of a slow crank at normal current. The normal draw with sagging post voltage points to the battery.
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Since a halogen low-beam bulb was replaced, oncoming drivers flash their lights at the customer. On the aiming screen that lamp's beam is scattered with no sharp cutoff, while the other low beam's pattern is normal. The new bulb is the correct type and lights at full brightness. What should be checked first?
- The low-beam relay's output voltage
- The headlamp's vertical aim adjuster
- The bulb's seating in the housing
- The headlamp ground's voltage drop
Show the answer
C. Correct. A halogen bulb's filament must sit at an exact point in the reflector to form a sharp cutoff; a bulb not fully seated and locked, or turned in its mount, throws light everywhere and glares. Seating it correctly, then checking the aim, restores the pattern.
Why not the others
A. Supply voltage changes brightness, not the shape of the beam, and this bulb lights at full brightness. A scattered beam with no cutoff comes from a bulb out of position.
B. Aim moves the whole pattern up, down or sideways, but it cannot give a scattered beam a sharp cutoff. The pattern changed right after the bulb was replaced, so the bulb's seating is checked first.
D. A high-resistance ground dims the lamp; it does not scatter the beam, and this bulb lights at full brightness. The lost cutoff points to the bulb not sitting correctly in the reflector.
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On this engine the oil pressure warning lamp is lit by a switch that closes to ground when oil pressure is below its rating. With the ignition on and the engine off, the lamp does not light. With the switch's wire unplugged and touched to engine ground, the lamp lights. Which of these is the cause?
- An open in the switch's signal wire
- A burned-out warning lamp bulb
- An oil pressure switch stuck open
- A blown fuse feeding the cluster
Show the answer
C. Correct. With the engine off there is no oil pressure, so the switch should be closed and the lamp lit. Grounding the wire lights the lamp, which proves the lamp, its feed and the wire, so the switch is not closing and is replaced; the lamp is then checked to go out once the engine runs.
Why not the others
A. The wire was grounded at the switch end and the lamp lit, so the wire from the cluster to the switch is intact. The switch is the open part.
B. Grounding the switch wire lit the lamp, so the bulb or LED works. The circuit is good up to the switch, which is not closing.
D. A blown fuse would keep the lamp dark even with the wire grounded, but the lamp lit. The feed is good, and the switch is not closing.
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | D |
| Q2 | B |
| Q3 | C |
| Q4 | C |
| Q5 | C |
03What area F covers
This content area covers electrical maintenance and light repair: disarming and re-enabling air bags, voltage, voltage drop, current and resistance checks, battery testing, charging, cleaning and replacement, keeping module memory, jump-starting, starter draw and starter replacement, charging output and alternator service, headlamp aiming, bulbs, lenses and sockets, gauges and warning lamps, horns, wipers and washers.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Electrical”. It carries 8 of the 55 scored questions, 14.5% of the test.
- Disarm and re-enable air bags, then verify the lamp
- Check voltage, voltage drop, current and resistance
- Test, charge, clean and replace batteries
- Keep electronic memory during battery work
- Test starter draw and replace starters
- Test charging output and replace alternators and belts
- Aim headlamps and repair bulbs, sockets and lenses
- Check gauges, warning lamps, horns, wipers and washers
04What the questions turn on
Dead after sitting
When a charged battery passes a load test and the charging system regulates and delivers its output, a battery that goes dead after a few days parked is losing energy while the vehicle sits. A key-off draw test, made after the modules sleep, shows it.
Ammeters go in series
An ammeter has almost no resistance, so it is connected in series, for example across the terminals of a pulled fuse, and never across the battery. The circuit's current must also stay within the meter's rated and fused input.
Proving a switch or gauge
Voltage at a switch input but not at its output, with the switch operated, means the switch is open. A cluster self-test that sweeps a gauge needle proves the gauge can work, which moves the search to its sender, circuit or data.
Why slow charging is better
A slow charge at a low rate gives the sulfate deep inside the plates time to convert, so the battery takes a fuller charge with little heat and gassing. A high rate charges the plate surfaces first and starts gassing sooner.
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.