ASE A4 Steering Suspension Practice Test

31. Two technicians are discussing a vehicle with independent suspension. Technician A says a faulty strut tower will make excessive noise when going over bumps in the road. Technician B says always replace the coil springs when replacing the front struts on a vehicle. Who is correct?

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

31.

Answer A is correct. A faulty strut tower makes a thumping or clunking noise when going over bumps in the road.

Answer B is wrong. Typically when replacing struts, if the coil spring is good, it is reused, and the shock absorber/spring seat portion is replaced. A special tool is required to compress the spring.

Answer C is wrong. Technician A is correct.

Answer D is wrong. Perform a bounce test on the vehicle to see if a shock absorber or strut requires replacement.

32. The front tires change pitch as the vehicle travels over different types of 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. This is true with all tires, but much more pronounced with a cupped or scalloped tire.

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

Answer C is wrong. Answer A is correct.

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 that haul heavy loads.

35. Technician A says idler arms are found on parallelogram steering systems. Technician B says a loose or worn idler arm results in a shimmy that increases with vehicle speed. 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 bad idler arm will affect toe settings.

Answer B is wrong. The idler 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.