Five free practice questions on road test checks: content area E of the ASE T8 Preventive Maintenance Inspection (PMI) test, 3 of its 50 scored questions (6%). 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 tractor's automated manual transmission has a hill start aid feature, which the manufacturer limits to 3 seconds. On the road test, the tractor-trailer is stopped on an uphill grade in a starting gear. With the feature working, what happens when the driver lifts off the brake pedal?
- The spring brakes apply until the control is reset
- The truck rolls back until the clutch takes up
- The brakes hold briefly, then release as it moves
- The brakes stay applied until the pedal is pressed
Show the answer
C. Correct. When the driver moves from the brake pedal to the accelerator on a grade, hill start aid keeps the service brakes applied for a moment so the combination does not roll back, then releases them as the engine and clutch take up the load or when the 3-second limit runs out. A truck that rolls back, or brakes that stay on, are written up.
Why not the others
A. Hill start aid works through the service brakes and lets go on its own; it does not apply the spring (parking) brakes, which would need the parking control pushed in again to release.
B. Rolling back until the clutch takes up is what happens without the feature or when it has failed; hill start aid holds the service brakes during that gap so the truck does not roll.
D. The hold is brief and releases by itself as the truck pulls away or when the time limit runs out; brakes that stayed on until the pedal was pressed again would drag against the engine and would be a fault.
ID T8-E-005 · Task T8-E-4 (ASE task list)
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A truck's automatic transmission has an integral hydraulic output retarder that works with the transmission's own fluid. On the road test, the driver holds the retarder on down a long grade. Where does the retarder send the energy it takes from the moving truck?
- Into the drums through the foundation brakes
- Into its fluid and on to the engine coolant
- Out the exhaust as compressed cylinder air
- Into the air from rotors in a magnetic field
Show the answer
B. Correct. The retarder's rotor churns transmission fluid against a stator, turning the truck's motion into heat in the fluid, and the transmission cooler passes that heat to the engine coolant. That is why the transmission and coolant temperature gauges are watched during long retarder use.
Why not the others
A. The retarder slows the driveline by itself, so the service brakes stay cool and ready; heat in the drums comes from the foundation brakes, which the retarder is there to spare. This retarder heats the transmission fluid instead.
C. Releasing compressed air through the exhaust valves near top dead center is how a compression-release engine brake works. The hydraulic output retarder works in the transmission and heats its fluid instead.
D. Rotors spinning in a magnetic field describe an electric (eddy-current) driveline retarder, which sheds its heat to the air. This hydraulic retarder heats the transmission fluid, and the cooler passes the heat to the engine coolant.
ID T8-E-009 · Task T8-E-9 (ASE task list)
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On a road test with a loaded trailer, a tractor's engine speed climbs while road speed barely rises on a long grade in top gear, and the shift lever stays in gear. Afterward, free pedal travel measures within the manufacturer's specification, and engine oil is dripping from the drain hole at the bottom of the flywheel housing. Which of these could be the cause?
- A leaking crankshaft rear main seal
- Free travel closed up by facing wear
- A worn release bearing in the clutch housing
- Top gear jumping out of mesh under load
Show the answer
A. Correct. Engine oil from a leaking rear main seal runs into the flywheel housing and soaks the disc facings, cutting their grip so the clutch slips at the highest torque even though free travel is in specification; the oil at the housing's drain hole is the evidence. Both go on the report, and the clutch is inspected along with the seal repair, since oil-soaked facings keep slipping after the leak is fixed.
Why not the others
B. Facing wear does close up free travel on a manually adjusted pull-type clutch, and with none left the clutch is held partly released and slips. Here free travel measures within specification, so adjustment is not the cause; the engine oil at the flywheel housing drain points to oil-soaked facings from the rear main seal.
C. A worn release bearing makes noise when the pedal is pressed and the bearing turns under load; it does not reduce the clamping force on the disc. The slip comes from oil on the facings, shown by the engine oil at the flywheel housing drain.
D. A gear jumping out of mesh drops the transmission into neutral and moves the lever, so drive is lost completely. Here the lever stays in gear and the truck still pulls weakly, which is clutch slip from oil on the facings.
ID T8-E-001 · Task T8-E-1 (ASE task list)
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A fleet limits its tractors to 65 mph in every mode. The service tool shows this tractor's ECM programmed with a maximum accelerator vehicle speed of 65 mph, which caps pedal operation, and a maximum vehicle speed of 68 mph, the ceiling cruise control can reach. On the road test, a GPS agrees with the speedometer, and the tractor holds 65 mph with the pedal floored but 68 mph on cruise. What should be done?
- Disable the accel position of the cruise switch
- Lower the maximum accelerator speed to 62 mph
- Correct the tire revolutions per mile setting
- Lower the maximum vehicle speed to 65 mph
Show the answer
D. Correct. The road test shows the pedal limit works and the speed reading is accurate, so the only setting letting the tractor pass 65 mph is the 68 mph maximum vehicle speed that caps cruise. Setting it equal to the 65 mph accelerator limit holds the tractor to 65 mph in both modes; the change is confirmed on cruise afterward.
Why not the others
A. Without the accel switch, the driver could still set cruise at 68 mph after coasting up to it on a downgrade, because the 68 mph maximum vehicle speed allows it. Lowering that setting to 65 mph closes the gap in every case.
B. The pedal limit already holds the tractor at a true 65 mph, so lowering it to 62 mph would slow pedal driving below the fleet's figure while cruise could still reach 68 mph under the 68 mph maximum vehicle speed. That is the setting to lower.
C. The GPS agrees with the speedometer, so the tire size setting is right; changing it would make the speed reading wrong. The extra speed on cruise comes from the 68 mph maximum vehicle speed.
ID T8-E-006 · Task T8-E-5 (ASE task list)
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A box truck's dash monitor switches to the rear camera when its trigger input gets voltage from the backup lamp circuit, and the rear camera can also be selected by hand. On the operational check in reverse, the backup lamps light and the alarm sounds, but the monitor stays on its normal screen. Selecting the rear camera by hand shows a clear rear image. Which of these is the cause?
- A reverse switch that does not close
- A failed rear camera or its camera cable
- An open in the monitor's trigger wire
- An open fuse in the monitor's feed
Show the answer
C. Correct. The lit backup lamps prove the reverse switch powers the backup lamp circuit, and the clear image selected by hand proves the camera, its cable and the monitor work, so what is missing is the reverse signal reaching the monitor's trigger input. Voltage at the monitor's trigger terminal is checked with reverse selected to find the open.
Why not the others
A. If the reverse switch did not close, the backup lamps it feeds would not light either. They do, so voltage is reaching the backup lamp circuit, and the break is in the trigger wire to the monitor.
B. A failed camera or cable would leave the screen blank even with the rear camera selected by hand. The hand-selected image is clear, so the camera side works and the reverse trigger is not reaching the monitor.
D. An open fuse in the monitor's feed would leave the monitor dark in every mode, but it shows its normal screen and the hand-selected camera image. The fault is the missing trigger signal from the backup lamp circuit.
ID T8-E-010 · Task T8-E-10 (ASE task list)
02Answer key
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Q1 | C |
| Q2 | B |
| Q3 | A |
| Q4 | D |
| Q5 | C |
03What area E covers
The road test finishes the inspection by checking, under load and at speed, what a parked truck cannot show. It covers the clutch and gear shift, automatic and automated manual transmissions, gauges, lights and the speedometer, steering play and centering, the road speed limiter and cruise control, exhaust leaks and smoke, parking and service brakes, the engine brake or retarder, backup cameras and alarms, and driver assistance systems.
The ASE test specification calls this content area “Road/Operational Test”. It carries 3 of the 50 scored questions, 6% of the test.
- Check clutch, shifting and transmission operation on the road
- Confirm gauges, lights and speedometer accuracy
- Check steering wheel play, binding and centering
- Verify road speed limiter and cruise control settings
- Watch for exhaust leaks, noise and smoke
- Test parking and service brakes, engine brake and retarder
- Check backup cameras, alarms and driver assistance systems
04What the questions turn on
Timing a measured mile
Speedometer accuracy can be checked over a measured mile at a steady indicated speed. True speed in mph is 3,600 divided by the seconds the mile took; its gap from the indicated speed is compared with the allowance, and an error outside it is recorded.
Separate limits for pedal and cruise
An ECM can hold one speed ceiling for pedal driving and another for cruise. When the pedal limit holds but cruise runs faster and the speedometer is accurate, the maximum vehicle speed setting, which caps cruise, is lowered to the fleet limit.
Center the gear, not the wheel
Lengthening or shortening an adjustable drag link turns the steering gear back to center while the wheels stay straight, which centers the steering wheel. Re-indexing the wheel on its splines would leave the gear off center, with unequal travel to each lock.
Testing the trailer's spring brakes alone
To load only the trailer's spring brakes, the trailer air supply control is pulled out to apply them, while the parking control stays in so the tractor's spring brakes remain released. A gentle pull in a low gear then shows whether the trailer's brakes hold.
05The other content areas
The T8 test has five content areas. Each has its own page of free questions:
The ASE T8 Preventive Maintenance Inspection (PMI) 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.
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