MIKE'S ULTIMATE ELEVATOR
MECHANICS ACTUAL EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. A contractor wants to raise the car speed from 100fpm to 125fpm, it currently has a 12"
sheave. What sheave is required? - ANS 100fpm / 125fpm = 12" / X= 15"
2. A MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) burns out. You replace it, but cannot read voltage or
resistance. What should you do? - ANS Replace it with a larger MOV 630
3. On a Ward-Leonard circuit the break is set, but the motor is trying to slip through the break.
What is the issue? - ANS Suicide Circuit 425
4. You have an old DC motor and are adding an SCR drive, what do you do to the interpoles? -
ANS Leave the interpoles alone. When adding a SCR drive to the generator, the series loop is
removed, as are the 3 resistors. Everything else remains the same.
5. A hydro runs up with no load, but will not run with a full load. What is the issue? - ANS The
relief valve is set too low 815
6. Runby for a 1:1 hits the CWT buffer 4" below the top landing. CWT runby should be set at
18". How much should the ropes be shortened? - ANS 22" 235
7. You need to work on a freight door retiring cam, you LOTO the main line but there is still
power on the cam. What circuit is still hot? - ANS Door Operator Disconnect/ Main Line
Disconnect 535
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,8. The contractor requests that the vertical center of a Rack and Pinion hoist be moved. How do
you do this? - ANS Adjust Tie Downs and Wall Ties 850
9. Working pressure on a Hydro is 400psi. What is the maximum relief valve setting? -
ANS 400psi x 150%= 600psi 815
10. What must be installed on a false car before operation? - ANS Spring Loaded Safeties 110
11. There is slight arcing between the brush and commutator. What action must be taken? -
ANS None
Note: Heavy arcing=Light brush pressure, Heavy bush pressure=mechanical wear 430
12. If rigging gear is roped 3:1 and a BEAM CLAMP is used to lift a 6,000lb load. What is the
beam capacity requirement? - ANS 18,000lbs.
Note: Beam capacity is cut in half with use of clamp, when rigging all blocks, rope, and clamps
will be Equal to the lowest load rating 210
13. How much resistance is measured over a normally closed switch? - ANS 1.2ohms. should
be zero, but will never be that low
14. A car traveling in the hoistway always stops at the same spot and blows a fuse. What causes
this - ANS Traveling cable has a cut/exposed wire or a short 515
15. How is a class 1 yearly buffer test preformed? - ANS Car at bottom landing and on
inspection, jump out direction and final limits.
With pit clear, run down to compress buffers, buffers should fully extend within 90 seconds.
Note: 5yr: Full load Full speed CWT: Full speed Empty 555 (may be 60 on test)
2 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
,16. How many strain supports are required on a 350ft raceway? - ANS 4. 1 every 100ft 505-
510
17) How is stainless steel drilled out? - ANS Slow speed and constant pressure 205
18. What is the required amount of retainer clips for wedge shackles and what is the spacing? -
ANS At least 2. First clip being maximum 4 times the diameter of the rope from the top of
the shackle, and the second clip is maximum 8 times the diameter of the rope above the first
clip. 245
19. A 300ohm resistor burns out, but you don't have another one. How can you make one? -
ANS 2-600ohm resistors in parallel is 300ohms. Resistance is half of highest resistor in
parallel circuit. 3-225ohm resistors in parallel is 75ohms. 345
20. When cutting laminated panels, which direction should the finish side face? - ANS Finish
side facing the cutting edge of the tool. Blade will burr the backside 255
21. How do you cut a finished floor? - ANS Cutting blade away from finished side 255
22. A 480vac stepdown 240vac transformer is connected to a 3 phase rectifier, what is the
output voltage? - ANS 320vac 3 phase full wave = 1.33x output voltage. 715
23) Car is loaded with 125% and sinks. Why? - ANS Slipping through the break
24. If you find a broken or missing barricade what should you do? - ANS Write up a formal
inspection request
25. What are the consequences of misaligned joints on a Rack and Pinion? - ANS Broken Gear
teeth. CWT derailment. Excessive wear/ crease the surface of the tube 850
3 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
, 26. A dumbwaiter is 9sqft in area, 4ft high, and capacity is 13.9lb/ft3. What is total capacity? -
ANS 9 x 4 x 13.9= 500lbs Max capacity
27. You must enter a pit with a toxic atmosphere, how do you proceed? - ANS Following
proper OSHA procedure with proper training and PPE 133
28. When changing a 1:1 car rated at 600fpm and 2,000lb capacity to a 2:1, what are the new
ratings? - ANS 300fpm 4,000lbs capacity Half the speed, Double the capacity
29. A vertical platform lift has a clearance of 1 inch. How much will it have to move to meet
code? - ANS Move in ¼ inch. Code is ¾ inch
30. A car weighs 2500lbs with a capacity of 2500lbs, the CWT is weighted at 40%, how much is
the motor lifting when the car is fully loaded? - ANS 2500(car) + 1000(40%) 3500. 5000-
3500=1500lbs lifted by the machine 240
31. How must Oxygen and Acetylene tanks be stored? - ANS Vertically, 12 feet apart, or on a
cart with a ½ hour fire barrier between them 205
32. What is code for sill to sill distance? - ANS Minimum ½ inch Maximum 1 ½ inches 525
33.When drilling a jack hole in sandy conditions what type of drill rig is required? -
ANS Rotary or Auger bit.
Note: Rotary=Soft Percussion=Rocky Combo=Solid 810
34. A customer does not want an escape hatch on a residential elevator, under what condition
is this legal? - ANS Manual operation must be provided 840
35. Your helper wired the down direction and final limit switches, now the car will only travel
up, what is the issue? - ANS The down direction limit was wired incorrectly.
4 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
MECHANICS ACTUAL EXAM 2025
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. A contractor wants to raise the car speed from 100fpm to 125fpm, it currently has a 12"
sheave. What sheave is required? - ANS 100fpm / 125fpm = 12" / X= 15"
2. A MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) burns out. You replace it, but cannot read voltage or
resistance. What should you do? - ANS Replace it with a larger MOV 630
3. On a Ward-Leonard circuit the break is set, but the motor is trying to slip through the break.
What is the issue? - ANS Suicide Circuit 425
4. You have an old DC motor and are adding an SCR drive, what do you do to the interpoles? -
ANS Leave the interpoles alone. When adding a SCR drive to the generator, the series loop is
removed, as are the 3 resistors. Everything else remains the same.
5. A hydro runs up with no load, but will not run with a full load. What is the issue? - ANS The
relief valve is set too low 815
6. Runby for a 1:1 hits the CWT buffer 4" below the top landing. CWT runby should be set at
18". How much should the ropes be shortened? - ANS 22" 235
7. You need to work on a freight door retiring cam, you LOTO the main line but there is still
power on the cam. What circuit is still hot? - ANS Door Operator Disconnect/ Main Line
Disconnect 535
1 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
,8. The contractor requests that the vertical center of a Rack and Pinion hoist be moved. How do
you do this? - ANS Adjust Tie Downs and Wall Ties 850
9. Working pressure on a Hydro is 400psi. What is the maximum relief valve setting? -
ANS 400psi x 150%= 600psi 815
10. What must be installed on a false car before operation? - ANS Spring Loaded Safeties 110
11. There is slight arcing between the brush and commutator. What action must be taken? -
ANS None
Note: Heavy arcing=Light brush pressure, Heavy bush pressure=mechanical wear 430
12. If rigging gear is roped 3:1 and a BEAM CLAMP is used to lift a 6,000lb load. What is the
beam capacity requirement? - ANS 18,000lbs.
Note: Beam capacity is cut in half with use of clamp, when rigging all blocks, rope, and clamps
will be Equal to the lowest load rating 210
13. How much resistance is measured over a normally closed switch? - ANS 1.2ohms. should
be zero, but will never be that low
14. A car traveling in the hoistway always stops at the same spot and blows a fuse. What causes
this - ANS Traveling cable has a cut/exposed wire or a short 515
15. How is a class 1 yearly buffer test preformed? - ANS Car at bottom landing and on
inspection, jump out direction and final limits.
With pit clear, run down to compress buffers, buffers should fully extend within 90 seconds.
Note: 5yr: Full load Full speed CWT: Full speed Empty 555 (may be 60 on test)
2 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
,16. How many strain supports are required on a 350ft raceway? - ANS 4. 1 every 100ft 505-
510
17) How is stainless steel drilled out? - ANS Slow speed and constant pressure 205
18. What is the required amount of retainer clips for wedge shackles and what is the spacing? -
ANS At least 2. First clip being maximum 4 times the diameter of the rope from the top of
the shackle, and the second clip is maximum 8 times the diameter of the rope above the first
clip. 245
19. A 300ohm resistor burns out, but you don't have another one. How can you make one? -
ANS 2-600ohm resistors in parallel is 300ohms. Resistance is half of highest resistor in
parallel circuit. 3-225ohm resistors in parallel is 75ohms. 345
20. When cutting laminated panels, which direction should the finish side face? - ANS Finish
side facing the cutting edge of the tool. Blade will burr the backside 255
21. How do you cut a finished floor? - ANS Cutting blade away from finished side 255
22. A 480vac stepdown 240vac transformer is connected to a 3 phase rectifier, what is the
output voltage? - ANS 320vac 3 phase full wave = 1.33x output voltage. 715
23) Car is loaded with 125% and sinks. Why? - ANS Slipping through the break
24. If you find a broken or missing barricade what should you do? - ANS Write up a formal
inspection request
25. What are the consequences of misaligned joints on a Rack and Pinion? - ANS Broken Gear
teeth. CWT derailment. Excessive wear/ crease the surface of the tube 850
3 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
, 26. A dumbwaiter is 9sqft in area, 4ft high, and capacity is 13.9lb/ft3. What is total capacity? -
ANS 9 x 4 x 13.9= 500lbs Max capacity
27. You must enter a pit with a toxic atmosphere, how do you proceed? - ANS Following
proper OSHA procedure with proper training and PPE 133
28. When changing a 1:1 car rated at 600fpm and 2,000lb capacity to a 2:1, what are the new
ratings? - ANS 300fpm 4,000lbs capacity Half the speed, Double the capacity
29. A vertical platform lift has a clearance of 1 inch. How much will it have to move to meet
code? - ANS Move in ¼ inch. Code is ¾ inch
30. A car weighs 2500lbs with a capacity of 2500lbs, the CWT is weighted at 40%, how much is
the motor lifting when the car is fully loaded? - ANS 2500(car) + 1000(40%) 3500. 5000-
3500=1500lbs lifted by the machine 240
31. How must Oxygen and Acetylene tanks be stored? - ANS Vertically, 12 feet apart, or on a
cart with a ½ hour fire barrier between them 205
32. What is code for sill to sill distance? - ANS Minimum ½ inch Maximum 1 ½ inches 525
33.When drilling a jack hole in sandy conditions what type of drill rig is required? -
ANS Rotary or Auger bit.
Note: Rotary=Soft Percussion=Rocky Combo=Solid 810
34. A customer does not want an escape hatch on a residential elevator, under what condition
is this legal? - ANS Manual operation must be provided 840
35. Your helper wired the down direction and final limit switches, now the car will only travel
up, what is the issue? - ANS The down direction limit was wired incorrectly.
4 Copyright ©BRIGHSTARS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2025
