On a road test, which of these conditions shows a slipping clutch most clearly?

Full throttle in high gear at low rpm

Coasting downhill in low gear, off the throttle

Light throttle at a steady top-gear cruise

Gentle acceleration from a stop in first

A rear-wheel-drive pickup's manual transmission jumps out of fourth gear, its direct-drive gear, when the driver lifts off the throttle. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:

a clutch disc with oil-soaked facings.

clutching teeth on the input shaft gear and the sleeve worn to a taper.

a weak or broken detent spring on the 3-4 shift rail.

a bell housing bore out of alignment with the crankshaft.

With a blocking ring pressed squarely onto its gear's cone, a feeler gauge reads 0.016 in. between the ring and the gear's clutching teeth. The manufacturer lists 0.045 to 0.059 in. for a new ring and a 0.030 in. service minimum. A new ring tried on the same cone reads 0.052 in. What does this show?

The old ring is worn and is replaced

The gear's cone is worn and the gear is replaced

The old ring is above the minimum and is reused

The synchronizer hub and sleeve are worn and replaced

Since a curb strike, a car's manual transaxle has been losing fluid. After the case is cleaned and the car driven, fresh fluid shows first along a thin, wavy line running across a cast mounting boss, away from any seal, plug or case seam. The mount and its bolts are tight. What should be done?

Repair or replace the cracked case

Reseal the case halves at their seam

Seal the casting's porosity with epoxy

Torque the mount bolts to specification

Many five-speed manual transaxles put fifth and reverse in the same plane of the shift pattern, and their shift mechanism includes a reverse inhibitor. What does it do?

Blocks a shift from fifth right into reverse

Holds the forks not selected in neutral

Holds the chosen gear against jumping out

Stops the reverse gears spinning before mesh

A single U-joint connects two shafts at a 3° working angle, and its input yoke turns at a steady speed. How does its output yoke turn?

Speeding up and slowing down twice a turn

At the same steady speed as the input

Speeding up and slowing down once a turn

At a steady speed a little below the input

A rear-wheel-drive car with a 3.73:1 axle ratio has a single knock from the rear axle that repeats at a steady rate when accelerating and coasting, driving straight. Counted at a slow, steady speed, the knock comes once per rear wheel revolution, not once per drive shaft revolution. Which of these could be the cause?

A chipped tooth on the ring gear

A chipped tooth on the drive pinion

A worn universal joint on the drive shaft

Before a rear axle's differential case is removed, its two side bearing caps are marked so each goes back on the same side and the same way around. Why does this matter?

Each cap was machined in place with the housing

Each cap is a different thickness to set preload

The marks record the original backlash setting

The caps hold the pinion depth shims in place

A part-time 4WD pickup has manual locking hubs, both set to LOCK. A whine appears when the transfer case is shifted to 4H on a gravel road and stops in 2H, where the front driveline still turns at the same speed but carries no torque. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:

a worn pinion bearing in the rear axle.

a stretched transfer case drive chain.

worn front ring and pinion gear teeth.

a worn bearing on the front output shaft.

Many 4WD front drive shafts have their slip spline in the middle of the shaft, covered by a rubber boot. What does the boot do?

Keeps water and grit out of its grease

Holds the two halves of the shaft in phase

Damps the shaft's vibration at highway speed

Limits how far the spline can slide apart

10 Free ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles Practice Questions

Ten ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles questions in the ASE format: four options, one best answer. They are free to use, print and share, and there is nothing to sign up for on this page.

01How to use these

The questions come from the ToolboxPrep A3 bank and are spread across the test's content areas in the proportion the ASE test specification gives them: A (Clutch Diagnosis and Repair), B (Transmission Diagnosis and Repair), C (Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair), D (Drive Shaft/Half-Shaft and Universal Joint/Constant Velocity (CV) Joint Diagnosis and Repair (Front and Rear Wheel Drive)), E (Drive Axle Diagnosis and Repair), F (Four-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive Component Diagnosis and Repair). Answer each one before opening the explanation. Every explanation covers all four options, because knowing why the wrong answers are wrong is most of the skill.

Pace. The A3 test gives you 60 minutes for 50 questions (40 scored, 10 unscored), about 1 min 12 s a question. Try these at that pace.
Print. The printed version shows the questions and the answer key without the explanations, so it works as a handout.

02The questions

Recall · Clutch Diagnosis and Repair

On a road test, which of these conditions shows a slipping clutch most clearly?
1. Full throttle in high gear at low rpm
2. Coasting downhill in low gear, off the throttle
3. Light throttle at a steady top-gear cruise
4. Gentle acceleration from a stop in first
Show the answer

A. Correct. Full throttle from low rpm in a high gear makes the clutch carry full engine torque while the vehicle gains speed slowly, so any slip shows as engine speed climbing faster than road speed. Keep the check brief so the clutch does not overheat.

Why not the others

B. Coasting off the throttle drives the engine from the wheels with little torque through the clutch, so slip seldom shows. A slip check loads the clutch with full engine torque.

C. A light-throttle cruise asks little torque of the clutch, so a worn clutch often holds there. The test needs high torque with slow vehicle acceleration.

D. Gentle throttle in first gear asks little torque of the clutch, and engine speed rises quickly anyway, which hides slip. A high gear at full throttle makes it plain.
EXCEPT · Transmission Diagnosis and Repair

A rear-wheel-drive pickup's manual transmission jumps out of fourth gear, its direct-drive gear, when the driver lifts off the throttle. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:
1. clutching teeth on the input shaft gear and the sleeve worn to a taper.
2. a weak or broken detent spring on the 3-4 shift rail.
3. a bell housing bore out of alignment with the crankshaft.
4. a clutch disc with oil-soaked facings.
Show the answer

D. Correct. Oil on the disc facings makes the clutch slip and chatter, but the clutch plays no part in holding a gear engaged once it is in, so it cannot make the transmission jump out of fourth. The usual causes are worn or tapered clutching teeth, a weak detent and misalignment between the transmission and the engine.

Why not the others

A. This could cause it. Clutching teeth worn to a taper push the sleeve back out under coast load, the classic cause of jumping out; the worn gear and sleeve are replaced.

B. This could cause it. The detent ball and spring hold the rail in the engaged position, and a weak spring lets coast thrust walk the sleeve out of fourth.

C. This could cause it. If the bell housing does not center the input shaft on the crankshaft, the input shaft runs off its true center and can work the direct-drive teeth apart; bore alignment is checked with a dial indicator.
Spec reading · Transmission Diagnosis and Repair

With a blocking ring pressed squarely onto its gear's cone, a feeler gauge reads 0.016 in. between the ring and the gear's clutching teeth. The manufacturer lists 0.045 to 0.059 in. for a new ring and a 0.030 in. service minimum. A new ring tried on the same cone reads 0.052 in. What does this show?
1. The gear's cone is worn and the gear is replaced
2. The old ring is worn and is replaced
3. The old ring is above the minimum and is reused
4. The synchronizer hub and sleeve are worn and replaced
Show the answer

B. Correct. As a ring's cone and grooves wear, it slides farther onto the gear's cone and the gap to the clutching teeth closes; 0.016 in. is below the 0.030 in. minimum. Because a new ring on the same cone reads 0.052 in., inside the 0.045 to 0.059 in. new-ring range, the gear's cone is good and only the ring is worn.

Why not the others

A. A worn cone would let even a new ring sit too far on, but the new ring reads 0.052 in., inside the new-ring range. The cone is good; the old ring is the worn part.

C. The minimum is 0.030 in., and the old ring reads 0.016 in., which is below it, not above. The old ring is worn past its limit and is replaced.

D. This measurement is between the ring and the gear and does not involve the hub or sleeve. It shows the old ring worn below its minimum while the gear's cone is good with a new ring.
Diagnosis · Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair

Since a curb strike, a car's manual transaxle has been losing fluid. After the case is cleaned and the car driven, fresh fluid shows first along a thin, wavy line running across a cast mounting boss, away from any seal, plug or case seam. The mount and its bolts are tight. What should be done?
1. Reseal the case halves at their seam
2. Repair or replace the cracked case
3. Seal the casting's porosity with epoxy
4. Torque the mount bolts to specification
Show the answer

B. Correct. A thin, wavy line of fluid across a casting, away from every seal and joint, after an impact is a crack through the metal. Resealing elsewhere cannot stop it, so the case is repaired or replaced, and the mount and its bracket are checked for damage from the same impact.

Why not the others

A. The fluid shows first on a line across the boss, away from the case seam, so the seam is not leaking. A wavy line through the metal after an impact is a crack, and the case is repaired or replaced.

C. Porosity weeps through the metal as a damp patch, not along a thin wavy line, and it would not start with a curb strike. This is a crack, so the case is repaired or replaced.

D. The mount and its bolts are already tight, and a loose bolt does not let fluid out. The line of fresh fluid across the boss is a crack in the case, which is repaired or replaced.
Recall · Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair

Many five-speed manual transaxles put fifth and reverse in the same plane of the shift pattern, and their shift mechanism includes a reverse inhibitor. What does it do?
1. Holds the forks not selected in neutral
2. Holds the chosen gear against jumping out
3. Stops the reverse gears spinning before mesh
4. Blocks a shift from fifth right into reverse
Show the answer

D. Correct. Because fifth and reverse sit at opposite ends of one plane, a driver could pull the lever from fifth straight back into reverse while the car is rolling; the inhibitor blocks that path until the lever has gone back through neutral. Its exact design varies with the transaxle.

Why not the others

A. Holding the unselected forks in neutral is the interlock's job, so two gears cannot engage at once. The reverse inhibitor blocks a shift from fifth straight into reverse.

B. Holding the engaged gear is the job of the detents and the back-tapered engagement teeth. The reverse inhibitor blocks a shift from fifth straight into reverse.

C. Bringing the gears to a stop before reverse meshes is the job of a reverse brake, found on some transaxles. The inhibitor instead blocks a shift from fifth straight into reverse without passing through neutral.
Recall · Drive Shaft/Half-Shaft and Universal Joint/Constant Velocity (CV) Joint Diagnosis and Repair (Front and Rear Wheel Drive)

A single U-joint connects two shafts at a 3° working angle, and its input yoke turns at a steady speed. How does its output yoke turn?
1. At the same steady speed as the input
2. Speeding up and slowing down once a turn
3. Speeding up and slowing down twice a turn
4. At a steady speed a little below the input
Show the answer

C. Correct. Because the cross sits at an angle, the output yoke gains on and falls behind the input twice each revolution, more as the angle grows, though its average speed equals the input's. A drive shaft pairs two joints at equal angles, with the yokes in phase, so the second joint cancels the first.

Why not the others

A. That is what a constant velocity joint does. A single U-joint at any working angle above zero makes its output speed up and slow down within each turn, which is why drive shafts pair two joints so their variations cancel.

B. The variation comes twice per turn, not once: the output gains on the input and falls behind it twice each revolution as the cross turns through its positions. A once-per-turn shake is the signature of imbalance or runout.

D. Over a full turn the output makes exactly one revolution for each input revolution, so its average speed matches the input's and there is no steady loss. What changes is the speed within each turn, which rises and falls twice.
Diagnosis · Drive Axle Diagnosis and Repair

A rear-wheel-drive car with a 3.73:1 axle ratio has a single knock from the rear axle that repeats at a steady rate when accelerating and coasting, driving straight. Counted at a slow, steady speed, the knock comes once per rear wheel revolution, not once per drive shaft revolution. Which of these could be the cause?
1. A damaged front pinion bearing
2. A chipped tooth on the drive pinion
3. A worn universal joint on the drive shaft
4. A chipped tooth on the ring gear
Show the answer

D. Correct. Driving straight, the ring gear turns once per wheel revolution, so one damaged ring gear tooth meets the pinion once per wheel turn. The pinion, its bearings and the drive shaft turn 3.73 times per wheel revolution, so faults there repeat almost four times as often.

Why not the others

A. The pinion bearings turn at drive shaft speed and usually make a rumble or whine rather than a single knock; any repeat would be at drive shaft speed. The once-per-wheel rate points to a ring gear tooth.

B. The pinion turns with the drive shaft, 3.73 times per wheel revolution at this ratio, so a chipped pinion tooth knocks once per drive shaft turn. A knock once per wheel revolution comes from the ring gear.

C. A universal joint turns with the drive shaft, so its knock repeats at drive shaft speed, 3.73 times per wheel revolution here. Once per wheel revolution matches the ring gear, which turns with the axle.
Recall · Drive Axle Diagnosis and Repair

Before a rear axle's differential case is removed, its two side bearing caps are marked so each goes back on the same side and the same way around. Why does this matter?
1. Each cap was machined in place with the housing
2. Each cap is a different thickness to set preload
3. The marks record the original backlash setting
4. The caps hold the pinion depth shims in place
Show the answer

A. Correct. The bearing bores are machined with the caps bolted on, so each cap matches its own side and direction. A cap swapped or turned around leaves an out-of-round bore that pinches the bearing cup and upsets preload and backlash.

Why not the others

B. Side bearing preload is set by shims or threaded adjusters, not by the caps' thickness. The caps are marked because each was machined in place with the housing and fits only its own side and direction.

C. Backlash is measured with a dial indicator and set with shims or adjusters; cap marks do not record it. Each cap must return to its own side because it was machined with the housing.

D. Pinion depth shims sit at the pinion, at its head or behind a bearing cup, not under the side bearing caps. The caps are marked because each was machined in place with the housing.
EXCEPT · Four-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive Component Diagnosis and Repair

A part-time 4WD pickup has manual locking hubs, both set to LOCK. A whine appears when the transfer case is shifted to 4H on a gravel road and stops in 2H, where the front driveline still turns at the same speed but carries no torque. Any of these could be the cause EXCEPT:
1. a stretched transfer case drive chain.
2. worn front ring and pinion gear teeth.
3. a worn bearing on the front output shaft.
4. a worn pinion bearing in the rear axle.
Show the answer

D. Correct. The rear axle drives the truck in 2H and carries at least as much load there as in 4H, so a worn rear pinion bearing would be heard in 2H too. A noise that appears only when the front driveline takes torque comes from the front drive parts or the transfer case's front drive.

Why not the others

A. In 4H the chain carries the front axle's share of torque; in 2H it is only back-driven with no load. A stretched chain that whines under load could make a noise in 4H that stops in 2H.

B. Gear whine depends on load. With the hubs locked, the front ring and pinion turn in 2H as well but carry torque only in 4H, so worn teeth could whine in 4H and go quiet in 2H.

C. In 4H, chain pull loads the front output shaft's bearing; in 2H the chain carries no load. A worn front output bearing could make a noise only when that load is applied.
Recall · Four-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive Component Diagnosis and Repair

Many 4WD front drive shafts have their slip spline in the middle of the shaft, covered by a rubber boot. What does the boot do?
1. Holds the two halves of the shaft in phase
2. Keeps water and grit out of its grease
3. Damps the shaft's vibration at highway speed
4. Limits how far the spline can slide apart
Show the answer

B. Correct. The spline slides in and out as the front axle moves and needs grease to slide freely. A torn boot lets water and grit in, and the dry, rusting spline then binds or wears loose, which shows up as a clunk or vibration; the boot is replaced and the spline cleaned and regreased.

Why not the others

A. Phasing comes from how the spline is assembled, with the halves lined up to their marks or a master spline. The boot only seals the spline's grease from water and grit.

C. A vibration damper is a weighted ring clamped to a shaft. A rubber boot over a spline is a seal that keeps water and grit out of the spline's grease.

D. The boot is a flexible seal and does not stop the spline from separating; it keeps water and grit out of the spline's grease.

03Answer key

Question	Answer	Content area
Q1	A	Clutch Diagnosis and Repair
Q2	D	Transmission Diagnosis and Repair
Q3	B	Transmission Diagnosis and Repair
Q4	B	Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair
Q5	D	Transaxle Diagnosis and Repair
Q6	C	Drive Shaft/Half-Shaft and Universal Joint/Constant Velocity (CV) Joint Diagnosis and Repair (Front and Rear Wheel Drive)
Q7	D	Drive Axle Diagnosis and Repair
Q8	A	Drive Axle Diagnosis and Repair
Q9	D	Four-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive Component Diagnosis and Repair
Q10	B	Four-Wheel Drive/All-Wheel Drive Component Diagnosis and Repair

04Questions by content area

Working on one part of the A3 test? Each content area has its own page with five more free questions.

05More free questions

The A3 study guide covers each content area and how to study for it, and the ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles practice test page describes the full A3 question bank. The same free format is available for the other eight tests.

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.