ASE A7 - Heating & A/C Final Exam
with Actual Answers 2025-2026
Updated.
Technician A says that evacuating an A/C system will remove air and moisture from the system.
Technician B says that evacuating an A/C system will remove dirt particles from the system. Who
is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. Evacuating an A/C system removes air
and moisture from the system. The receiver/drier may contain a filter or strainer to catch and
trap foreign particles and dirt, but this remains in the receiver/drier and is not removed during
the evacuation procedure.
There is a growling or rumbling noise at the AC compressor when the system is off and the
engine is running. The noise stops when the system is turned on. Technician A says that a bad
compressor bearing could be the cause. Technician B says that a bad compressor clutch bearing
could be the cause. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is B. The compressor clutch bearing allows the
rotor/pulley assembly to spin independently of the compressor shafts when the A/C system is
off. When the engine is running and the A/C system is off, the compressor clutch bearing is
spinning. When the A/C system is turned on, the rotor/pulley assembly and the armature are
locked together by the magnetic action of the compressor clutch coil.
Recovering/recycling equipment must have shutoff valves located within 12-in (30cm) of the
hoses' service ends so that:
A. oil can be added to the refrigerant
B. the unit can be isolated from the refrigerant source
C. the filter can be changed without disconnecting the hoses
D. refrigerant discharge can be kept to a minimum - Answer The correct answer is D.
According to the Clean Air Act, recovery/recycling equipment must have shutoff valves located
within 12-in. (30 cm) of the hoses' service ends so that refrigerant discharge to the atmosphere
can be kept to a minimum.
,When recovering refrigerant from an a/c system, how long should the technician wait after the
recovery/ recycling unit has been turned off to see if there is any residual pressure in the
system?
A. 1 minute
B. 5 minutes
C. 10 minutes
D. 15 minutes - Answer The correct answer is B. The technician should wait five minutes and
watch the gauge to see if there is any residual pressure. If there is, repeat the process to remove
any remaining refrigerant until the A/C system holds a stable vacuum for at least five minutes.
A system with a low pressure on the low side and a heavy frost accumulation on the inlet side of
the Thermostatic Expansion Valve (TXV) indicates a:
A. TXV stuck open
B. clogged condenser
C. defective compressor
D. Clogged screen or the TXV stuck closed - Answer The correct answer is D. A low pressure
reading in the low side and a heavy frost accumulation on the inlet side of the TXV indicates a
clogged screen at the expansion valve inlet or a TXV stuck closed.
A blower motor only works on high speed. Which of the following causes is the most LIKELY?
A. defective blower relay
B. defective blower resistor
C. defective blower switch
D. blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker - Answer The correct answer is B. Answer D is
incorrect because if the blower furs was blown or circuit breaker tripped, the blower would not
work at all. Answer A is incorrect because a blower relay is generally only used for the high
blower speed and this is working. Answer C, the blower switch is a possible cause but the most
likely cause for operation on only high speed is that a portion of the resistor assembly is burned
out.
A customer complains that when accelerating his car with the A/C on, the cold air flow from the
dash outlets shifts to the floor. Technician A says that this is caused by a faulty check valve in the
vacuum reservoir. Technician B says that this condition is due to a vacuum leak. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is C. If, during hard acceleration, air routing
changes by itself, it's probably due to a leak in the system or a faulty check valve in the vacuum
reservoir. A complaint that the mode shifts from the dash to the floor at wide-open throttle is
evidence that the system isn't holding vacuum.
, When pressure testing the cooling system on a late model gasoline engine vehicle, the pressure
on the tester drops but no leaks can be found in the engine compartment. Technician A starts
the engine and, seeing the pressure on the tester gauge increase, says that there is an internal
leak, a blown head gasket. Technician B says that there cannot be an internal leak because the
engine oil looks normal, not milky like it would be if coolant were present, and there is no white
smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. If the engine is started while pressure
testing a cooling system and the pressure immediately increases, there could be a head gasket
leak, but not into the crankcase. The coolant may be going out the tailpipe, but since this is a
late model gasoline engine vehicle and equipped with a catalytic converter, there is no white
smoke from the exhaust because the converter super-heats the coolant into such a fine vapor
that it is not noticeable.
When identifying an A/C system, Technician A says that an accumulator located between the
evaporator and compressor is an indication that the system has an orifice tube. Technician B
says that when the high-side service port fitting is smaller than the one on the low side, the
system uses R134a refrigerant. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. Systems using an expansion valve have a
receiver- drier between the valve and condenser, while orifice tube systems have an
accumulator between the evaporator and compressor. Technician B is wrong because on R134a
systems, the low-side service port is the smaller one.
When troubleshooting an ATC system, the system responds when the ambient and in-vehicle
temperature sensors are heated and cooled. However, there is no response when the sunload
sensor is exposed to a light source. Technician A says that the problem is with the system's
programmer. Technician B says that the problem is with the sunload sensor. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is B. If the system reacts with a change to one
or two inputs but not the third, the problem is most likely confined to the single sensor or its
circuit. But if no reaction is observed on any of the units, or only a partial reaction is seen, the
problem is usually with the programmer.
The following are all methods of orifice tube replacement EXCEPT:
with Actual Answers 2025-2026
Updated.
Technician A says that evacuating an A/C system will remove air and moisture from the system.
Technician B says that evacuating an A/C system will remove dirt particles from the system. Who
is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. Evacuating an A/C system removes air
and moisture from the system. The receiver/drier may contain a filter or strainer to catch and
trap foreign particles and dirt, but this remains in the receiver/drier and is not removed during
the evacuation procedure.
There is a growling or rumbling noise at the AC compressor when the system is off and the
engine is running. The noise stops when the system is turned on. Technician A says that a bad
compressor bearing could be the cause. Technician B says that a bad compressor clutch bearing
could be the cause. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is B. The compressor clutch bearing allows the
rotor/pulley assembly to spin independently of the compressor shafts when the A/C system is
off. When the engine is running and the A/C system is off, the compressor clutch bearing is
spinning. When the A/C system is turned on, the rotor/pulley assembly and the armature are
locked together by the magnetic action of the compressor clutch coil.
Recovering/recycling equipment must have shutoff valves located within 12-in (30cm) of the
hoses' service ends so that:
A. oil can be added to the refrigerant
B. the unit can be isolated from the refrigerant source
C. the filter can be changed without disconnecting the hoses
D. refrigerant discharge can be kept to a minimum - Answer The correct answer is D.
According to the Clean Air Act, recovery/recycling equipment must have shutoff valves located
within 12-in. (30 cm) of the hoses' service ends so that refrigerant discharge to the atmosphere
can be kept to a minimum.
,When recovering refrigerant from an a/c system, how long should the technician wait after the
recovery/ recycling unit has been turned off to see if there is any residual pressure in the
system?
A. 1 minute
B. 5 minutes
C. 10 minutes
D. 15 minutes - Answer The correct answer is B. The technician should wait five minutes and
watch the gauge to see if there is any residual pressure. If there is, repeat the process to remove
any remaining refrigerant until the A/C system holds a stable vacuum for at least five minutes.
A system with a low pressure on the low side and a heavy frost accumulation on the inlet side of
the Thermostatic Expansion Valve (TXV) indicates a:
A. TXV stuck open
B. clogged condenser
C. defective compressor
D. Clogged screen or the TXV stuck closed - Answer The correct answer is D. A low pressure
reading in the low side and a heavy frost accumulation on the inlet side of the TXV indicates a
clogged screen at the expansion valve inlet or a TXV stuck closed.
A blower motor only works on high speed. Which of the following causes is the most LIKELY?
A. defective blower relay
B. defective blower resistor
C. defective blower switch
D. blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker - Answer The correct answer is B. Answer D is
incorrect because if the blower furs was blown or circuit breaker tripped, the blower would not
work at all. Answer A is incorrect because a blower relay is generally only used for the high
blower speed and this is working. Answer C, the blower switch is a possible cause but the most
likely cause for operation on only high speed is that a portion of the resistor assembly is burned
out.
A customer complains that when accelerating his car with the A/C on, the cold air flow from the
dash outlets shifts to the floor. Technician A says that this is caused by a faulty check valve in the
vacuum reservoir. Technician B says that this condition is due to a vacuum leak. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is C. If, during hard acceleration, air routing
changes by itself, it's probably due to a leak in the system or a faulty check valve in the vacuum
reservoir. A complaint that the mode shifts from the dash to the floor at wide-open throttle is
evidence that the system isn't holding vacuum.
, When pressure testing the cooling system on a late model gasoline engine vehicle, the pressure
on the tester drops but no leaks can be found in the engine compartment. Technician A starts
the engine and, seeing the pressure on the tester gauge increase, says that there is an internal
leak, a blown head gasket. Technician B says that there cannot be an internal leak because the
engine oil looks normal, not milky like it would be if coolant were present, and there is no white
smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. If the engine is started while pressure
testing a cooling system and the pressure immediately increases, there could be a head gasket
leak, but not into the crankcase. The coolant may be going out the tailpipe, but since this is a
late model gasoline engine vehicle and equipped with a catalytic converter, there is no white
smoke from the exhaust because the converter super-heats the coolant into such a fine vapor
that it is not noticeable.
When identifying an A/C system, Technician A says that an accumulator located between the
evaporator and compressor is an indication that the system has an orifice tube. Technician B
says that when the high-side service port fitting is smaller than the one on the low side, the
system uses R134a refrigerant. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is A. Systems using an expansion valve have a
receiver- drier between the valve and condenser, while orifice tube systems have an
accumulator between the evaporator and compressor. Technician B is wrong because on R134a
systems, the low-side service port is the smaller one.
When troubleshooting an ATC system, the system responds when the ambient and in-vehicle
temperature sensors are heated and cooled. However, there is no response when the sunload
sensor is exposed to a light source. Technician A says that the problem is with the system's
programmer. Technician B says that the problem is with the sunload sensor. Who is right?
A. Technician A only
B. Technician B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A or B - Answer The correct answer is B. If the system reacts with a change to one
or two inputs but not the third, the problem is most likely confined to the single sensor or its
circuit. But if no reaction is observed on any of the units, or only a partial reaction is seen, the
problem is usually with the programmer.
The following are all methods of orifice tube replacement EXCEPT:
