ASE "Engine A1" 48 Page PDF Q&A Test Study Guide

[mrrsm]

We are always seeking more knowledge and understanding of the "Automotive Repair Trade-Craft" and THIS installment is meant as a Pre-Test Study Guide for ASE Students and delivers an opportunity for us to Test (and IMPROVE upon) our General Knowledge of Engine Repairs and Diagnostics. It includes 153 Multiple Choice Questions in the front of the Manual... and finishes with VERY Complete and Detailed Correct Answers in the Index.

THIS is one of those Training Documents worth having in our "Mechanic's Multi-Media Library". At 5.4 MBytes, it was Too Large to include here as a regular attachment, so if possible... perhaps one of the Admins-Mods can Download it to the GMT Nation Cloud Server against the advent of being soon deleted from THIS URL before anyone actually gets the chance ...to Download it and GRAB it while the GRABBING is GOOD:

https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/1/3/5/0135232864.pdf

Might as well throw in the Engine Bearing Failure and Correction Study that Mahle conducted and produced THIS Epic 39 Page Engine Builder's Technical Resource on Bearings as the result:

https://www.mahle-aftermarket.com/media/local-media-north-america/pdfs-&-thumbnails/catalogs-and-literature/engine-bearings/ceb-2-1114-engine-bearing-failures-brochure.pdf

 

[Schurkey]

Be aware that these "study guides" are not published by ASE, and they don't use actual ASE questions.

They're a SIMULATED ASE test. The real ASE tests have questions validated by a team of experts, and "field tested". They tend to not be ambiguous, or with limited applicability.

There's two study guide companies I'm familiar with--Delmar and Motor Age. The Delmar study guide I have (L1) is moderately terrible, so I bought only the Motor Age guides since then. The Delmar study guide has terrible questions that could have several "correct" or at least not incorrect answers depending on which vehicle you're used to working on. Or questions that do not have a correct answer. The Motor Age study guides are considerably better, but not "perfect".

Examples from the linked--and anonymous, I couldn't find any authorship on that .pdf--study guide:

Question 3; about timing chain slack. How long is the timing chain? A "normal" chain is seriously shorter than, for example, an OHC system. Chain slack for a short chain could be different for a long chain. Does the engine have a timing-chain tensioner?

Question 5; about oil getting thicker. NONE of the answers are really correct. "b", fuel dilution makes oil thinner, not thicker. Therefore "b" is wrong, and if "b" is wrong, so is "d". That leaves "a" wear metals in the oil, which contaminates oil but doesn't make it "thicker"; (they claim it does!) or "c" a clogged air filter, which might make for fuel dilution, which as already said, makes oil thinner not thicker.

A MISSING air filter might make oil thicker, due to dirt ingestion leading to sludge, but that's a reach. Oil thickening is generally due to overheating and that isn't one of the answers.

Question 9. Flat-bottom lifters and a non-spinning pushrod. Anyone who's worked on a Buick Nailhead knows that they're about the ONLY "OHV V8" engine that really has flat-bottom lifters, (most "flat tappets" are actually crowned) and the Nailhead lifters and pushrods are not deliberately designed to spin. There's nothing wrong when a Nailhead doesn't spin the pushrods.

Question 13. Refers to a "floating valve gauge needle reading". That is nonsense. What they mean is a "floating VACUUM GAUGE needle reading".

That's as far as I've gone. Thirteen questions and four of 'em are goofy. Those questions wouldn't make it past the real ASE verification/vetting process.




The "test" is free, and it IS worth a look. But don't get wrapped-up and invested in it, because it's poorly done.

 

[Mooseman]

I also found that a lot of the answers were that both techs were correct or that they're trying to trick you with a "could be" vs "is". Weird questions.

 

[mrrsm]

Any concerns anyone has or controversy about the validity of this "pre-test" not being up to ASE Standards deserves to be vectored back to the source of this PDF via this URL:

Automotive Technology: Principles, Diagnosis, and Service

www.pearson.com