ASE A4 Steering and Suspension Exam : 100% Verified
Questions & Answers
Which of the following is the proper way to adjust the rack yoke bearing?
A. Tighten to 75 ft lbs.
B. Tighten to 5 inch lbs.
C. Tighten and then back off the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) specifications.
D. Tighten to 0.002" end-play. - ANSWER:Tighten and then back off the originial equipment
manufacturer's (OEM) specifications. Many OEMs will recommend that the technician tighten to a
specification then back off a certain number of degrees.
A customer says that the steering wheel turns more turns to the left than the right. Which of the
following is the LEAST LIKELY cause?
A. Incorrectly timed steering gear
B. Bent pitman arm
C. Faulty power steering pump
D. Bent tie rod - ANSWER:Faulty power steering pump. A faulty power steering pump would not change
the relationship between the steering wheel and the steering stops.
A vehicle is hard to steer in one direction only. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Tight joint in the steering shaft
B. Loose joint in the steering shaft
C. Faulty power steering pump
D. Fault power steering gear - ANSWER:Faulty power steering gear. A leaking seal in a power steering
gear could affect steering in both directions.
The rear tires have a diagonal wear pattern. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
A. Rear toe
B. Rear camber
C. Front camber
D. Front caster - ANSWER:Rear toe. Incorrect rear toe causes a diagonal swipe wear pattern on rear tires.
A customer says their car makes more noise on asphalt than on concrete road surfaces. Which of the
following could be the cause?
,A. Front wheel bearing wear
B. Rear wheel bearing wear
C. Aggrresive tire tread patterns
D. Incorrect alignment angles - ANSWER:Aggressive tire tread patterns. Tires with very aggressive tread
patterns are noisy. This noise will vary with different types of finish on the road surface.
There is a loud roaring noise while driving. The noise gets louder when vehicle speed increases. Which of
the following could be the cause?
A. Worn power steering pump
B. Worn wheel bearing
C. Worn ball joint
D. Worn power steering gear - ANSWER:Worn wheel bearing. This is a typical wheel bearing diagnosis.
A setback condition is found during an alignment. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Worn spring shackle
B. Worn spring eye bushing
C. Worn tie rod end
D. Worn pitman arm - ANSWER:Worn spring eye bushing. A worn spring eye bushing could allow the rear
axle to shift and setback to occur.
There is a whining noise heard only when turning. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Leaking internal seals in the steering gear
B. Worn ball joint
C. Worn power steering gear
D. Worn power steering pump - ANSWER:Worn power steering pump. A worn power steering pump can
cause noise while turning.
The front leaf springs have been replaced on a vehicle. Which of the following operations must also be
performed.
A. Vehicle alignment
B. Tire rotation
C. Tire balance
D. Rear spring replacement - ANSWER:Vehicle alignment. After the springs are replaced, the vehicle
alignment will be changed. Therefore, the vehicle must be aligned.
A vehicle has worn jounce bumpers. Which of the following could be the cause?
,A. Leaking shocks
B. Leaking power steering pump
C. Leaking power steering gear
D. Worn strut bearings - ANSWER:Leaking shocks. Leaking shocks can allow the vehicle to bottom out on
rough road surfaces.
A worn idler arm would affect which alignment angle?
A. Camber
B. Caster
C. Toe
D. SAI - ANSWER:Toe. Toe is directly affected by the idler arm. A worn idler arm would allow toe to
change while traveling down the road.
A shifted front cradle could affect any of these EXCEPT:
A. Front camber.
B. Front caster.
C. Thrust line.
D. Thrust angle. - ANSWER:Thrust line. The thrust line is the direction the rear wheels are pointing; this
would not be affected by a shifted front cradle.
There is a pull on acceleration and deceleration. Technician A says spring eye bushings could be the
cause. Technician B says worn strut rod bushings could be the cause. Who is right? - ANSWER:Both
Technicians are correct. Spring eye bushings and worn strut rod bushings can both allow the control arm
to move when the vehicle is driven.
A composite leaf spring is being installed in a vehicle. Which of the following is correct?
A. The spring can be installed using a pry bar.
B. The spring can be compressed with vise grips.
C. The spring should be painted after installation.
D. The spring should not be scratched during installation. - ANSWER:The spring should not be scratched
during installation. The spring needs to be handled with care. If the spring is dented or scratched, it will
be weakened and break.
Which of the following alignment specification would most likely need a steering damper.
A. 6 degrees caster.
B. 2 degrees camber
C. 2 degrees caster
, D. 6 degres camber - ANSWER:6 degrees caster. Vehicles with high caster settings are most likely to use a
steering damper to help control front-wheel shimmy.
A customer complains of a popping noise while turning the steering wheel. Which of the following is the
most likely cause?
A. Rear shock mounts
B. Rear toe adjusters
C. Front shock mounts
D. Front tie rods - ANSWER:Front tie rods. Worn front tie roads can make a popping noise when the
steering wheel is rocked back and forth.
A power steering pump hose is leaking on a vehicle. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
A. Separated motor mounts
B. Loose drive belt
C. Air in the fluid
D. Broken pump mounts - ANSWER:Separated motor mounts. It is possible that separated motor mounts
could cause the hoses to be stretched and leak.
Which angle has the greatest affect on steering wheel return?
A. Camber
B. SAI
C. Toe
D. Caster - ANSWER:Caster. Caster greatly affects steering wheel return.
There is a vibration which can be felt in the steering wheel at speeds above 30 mph. Which of the
following could be the cause?
A. Front wheels out of balance
B. Rear wheels out of balance
C. Caster
D. Camber - ANSWER:Front wheels out of balance. A vibration felt in the steering wheel is most likely
caused by the front wheels being out of balance.
The hole in the steering knuckle into which the ball joint stud goes is out of round. Which of the
following is the best method of repair.
A. Measure the wear and check against manufacturer's specifications.
B. Replace the steering knuckle
Questions & Answers
Which of the following is the proper way to adjust the rack yoke bearing?
A. Tighten to 75 ft lbs.
B. Tighten to 5 inch lbs.
C. Tighten and then back off the original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) specifications.
D. Tighten to 0.002" end-play. - ANSWER:Tighten and then back off the originial equipment
manufacturer's (OEM) specifications. Many OEMs will recommend that the technician tighten to a
specification then back off a certain number of degrees.
A customer says that the steering wheel turns more turns to the left than the right. Which of the
following is the LEAST LIKELY cause?
A. Incorrectly timed steering gear
B. Bent pitman arm
C. Faulty power steering pump
D. Bent tie rod - ANSWER:Faulty power steering pump. A faulty power steering pump would not change
the relationship between the steering wheel and the steering stops.
A vehicle is hard to steer in one direction only. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Tight joint in the steering shaft
B. Loose joint in the steering shaft
C. Faulty power steering pump
D. Fault power steering gear - ANSWER:Faulty power steering gear. A leaking seal in a power steering
gear could affect steering in both directions.
The rear tires have a diagonal wear pattern. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
A. Rear toe
B. Rear camber
C. Front camber
D. Front caster - ANSWER:Rear toe. Incorrect rear toe causes a diagonal swipe wear pattern on rear tires.
A customer says their car makes more noise on asphalt than on concrete road surfaces. Which of the
following could be the cause?
,A. Front wheel bearing wear
B. Rear wheel bearing wear
C. Aggrresive tire tread patterns
D. Incorrect alignment angles - ANSWER:Aggressive tire tread patterns. Tires with very aggressive tread
patterns are noisy. This noise will vary with different types of finish on the road surface.
There is a loud roaring noise while driving. The noise gets louder when vehicle speed increases. Which of
the following could be the cause?
A. Worn power steering pump
B. Worn wheel bearing
C. Worn ball joint
D. Worn power steering gear - ANSWER:Worn wheel bearing. This is a typical wheel bearing diagnosis.
A setback condition is found during an alignment. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Worn spring shackle
B. Worn spring eye bushing
C. Worn tie rod end
D. Worn pitman arm - ANSWER:Worn spring eye bushing. A worn spring eye bushing could allow the rear
axle to shift and setback to occur.
There is a whining noise heard only when turning. Which of the following could be the cause?
A. Leaking internal seals in the steering gear
B. Worn ball joint
C. Worn power steering gear
D. Worn power steering pump - ANSWER:Worn power steering pump. A worn power steering pump can
cause noise while turning.
The front leaf springs have been replaced on a vehicle. Which of the following operations must also be
performed.
A. Vehicle alignment
B. Tire rotation
C. Tire balance
D. Rear spring replacement - ANSWER:Vehicle alignment. After the springs are replaced, the vehicle
alignment will be changed. Therefore, the vehicle must be aligned.
A vehicle has worn jounce bumpers. Which of the following could be the cause?
,A. Leaking shocks
B. Leaking power steering pump
C. Leaking power steering gear
D. Worn strut bearings - ANSWER:Leaking shocks. Leaking shocks can allow the vehicle to bottom out on
rough road surfaces.
A worn idler arm would affect which alignment angle?
A. Camber
B. Caster
C. Toe
D. SAI - ANSWER:Toe. Toe is directly affected by the idler arm. A worn idler arm would allow toe to
change while traveling down the road.
A shifted front cradle could affect any of these EXCEPT:
A. Front camber.
B. Front caster.
C. Thrust line.
D. Thrust angle. - ANSWER:Thrust line. The thrust line is the direction the rear wheels are pointing; this
would not be affected by a shifted front cradle.
There is a pull on acceleration and deceleration. Technician A says spring eye bushings could be the
cause. Technician B says worn strut rod bushings could be the cause. Who is right? - ANSWER:Both
Technicians are correct. Spring eye bushings and worn strut rod bushings can both allow the control arm
to move when the vehicle is driven.
A composite leaf spring is being installed in a vehicle. Which of the following is correct?
A. The spring can be installed using a pry bar.
B. The spring can be compressed with vise grips.
C. The spring should be painted after installation.
D. The spring should not be scratched during installation. - ANSWER:The spring should not be scratched
during installation. The spring needs to be handled with care. If the spring is dented or scratched, it will
be weakened and break.
Which of the following alignment specification would most likely need a steering damper.
A. 6 degrees caster.
B. 2 degrees camber
C. 2 degrees caster
, D. 6 degres camber - ANSWER:6 degrees caster. Vehicles with high caster settings are most likely to use a
steering damper to help control front-wheel shimmy.
A customer complains of a popping noise while turning the steering wheel. Which of the following is the
most likely cause?
A. Rear shock mounts
B. Rear toe adjusters
C. Front shock mounts
D. Front tie rods - ANSWER:Front tie rods. Worn front tie roads can make a popping noise when the
steering wheel is rocked back and forth.
A power steering pump hose is leaking on a vehicle. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
A. Separated motor mounts
B. Loose drive belt
C. Air in the fluid
D. Broken pump mounts - ANSWER:Separated motor mounts. It is possible that separated motor mounts
could cause the hoses to be stretched and leak.
Which angle has the greatest affect on steering wheel return?
A. Camber
B. SAI
C. Toe
D. Caster - ANSWER:Caster. Caster greatly affects steering wheel return.
There is a vibration which can be felt in the steering wheel at speeds above 30 mph. Which of the
following could be the cause?
A. Front wheels out of balance
B. Rear wheels out of balance
C. Caster
D. Camber - ANSWER:Front wheels out of balance. A vibration felt in the steering wheel is most likely
caused by the front wheels being out of balance.
The hole in the steering knuckle into which the ball joint stud goes is out of round. Which of the
following is the best method of repair.
A. Measure the wear and check against manufacturer's specifications.
B. Replace the steering knuckle
