ASE A4 Steering Suspension Practice Test

31. A vehicle has an SLA suspension system. The coil spring is located between the frame and the lower control arm. Technician A says to place a jack under the lower control arm and raise the tire off the ground to unload the load-carrying ball joint. Technician B says to place the jack under the frame and raise the tire off the ground to unload the load-carrying ball joint. Who is correct?

  • A. Technician A
  • B. Technician B
  • C. Both A and B
  • D. Neither A or B

31.

Answer A is correct. If the coil spring is seated between the frame and the lower control arm, place the jack under the lower control arm. Raise the vehicle enough to move the tire up and down and in and out.

Answer B is wrong. Place the jack under the frame if the coil spring is seated between the frame and the upper control arm.

Answer C is wrong. Movement can be seen or measured with a dial gauge and compared to specifications.

Answer D is wrong. Technician A is correct.

32. The front tires change pitch as the vehicle travels over different road surfaces. Which of the following is causing this condition?

  • A. Cupped tires.
  • B. Bad wheel bearing.
  • C. Excessive positive caster.
  • D. Excessive negative caster.

32.

Answer A is correct. A cupped or scalloped tire changes pitch from one surface to another. All tire treads make noise, but it is much more pronounced with a cupped tire.

Answer B is wrong. A worn wheel bearing will also cause a growling sound. There is a difference. A worn wheel bearing does not contact the road, so its pitch does not change on different road surfaces. It makes a growling or whining noise that increases with vehicle speed and while turning.

Answer C is wrong. Answer A is correct. Worn struts and shocks typically result in cupped tires.

Answer D is wrong. Answer A is correct.

33. The steering wheel grabs and binds only at specific points around the steering wheel’s rotation. Technician A says the steering shaft universal joint is binding. Technician B says the intermediate shaft is binding. Which technician is correct?

  • A. Technician A
  • B. Technician B
  • C. Both A and B
  • D. Neither A or B

33.

Answer A is wrong. Both technicians are correct. Due to its design, the steering shaft coupling can bind, but only at certain points along a steering wheel’s rotation.

Answer B is wrong. Intermediate shafts also contain universal couplings.

Answer C is correct. Both Technicians are correct.

Answer D is wrong. Both Technicians are correct.

Inside tire wear.

34. The inside tread of the tire in the illustration shows excessive wear. Which of these could be the cause?

  • A. There's too much positive camber.
  • B. There's too much positive caster.
  • C. There's too much negative camber.
  • D. There's too much negative caster.

34.

Answer A is wrong. Too much positive camber causes the outside of a tire’s tread to wear prematurely.

Answer B is wrong. Too much positive caster causes wheel shimmy.

Answer C is correct. Too much negative camber causes the inside of the tire to wear prematurely.

Answer D is wrong. Negative caster is typically reserved for heavy-duty vehicles hauling heavy loads.

35. Technician A says parallelogram steering systems contain an idler arm. Technician B says a loose or worn idler arm will affect the vehicle's toe angle. Who is correct?

  • A. Technician A
  • B. Technician B
  • C. Both A and B
  • D. Neither A or B

35.

Answer A is wrong. A loose or worn idler arm will affect a vehicle's toe angle.

Answer B is wrong. The idler arm, pitman arm, and center link are found on parallelogram linkage systems.

Answer C is correct. Loose steering linkage results in a shimmy or vibration that increases with vehicle speed.

Answer D is wrong. Both technicians are correct.