Free ASE A4 Exam Flashcards

Disconnect the battery and wait the manufacturer-specified time (commonly at least 3 minutes) for the airbag reserve capacitor to discharge before touching column components -- skipping this risks accidental deployment.

The intermediate shaft U-joint(s) and flexible coupling. Noise or play localized to the column area points to these connectors between the column and the steering gear.

To compress and absorb impact energy in a frontal collision, reducing the forward force transmitted to the driver -- it's a designed crush zone, not a defect if it collapses during inspection.

Worm bearing preload and sector lash (pitman shaft overcenter preload) -- both must be set in the correct sequence and to spec to avoid excess play or binding.

Internal leakage inside the steering gear itself (a directional seal or valve fault), not the pump -- the pump already proved it can produce full pressure in the good direction.

The input shaft seal, where the pinion/input shaft enters the rack housing -- distinct from pump seal leaks or hose-fitting leaks found elsewhere in the system.

The steering wheel wasn't held/locked in the centered position during installation, or the tie rods weren't set to equal length side-to-side -- recenter the wheel and rebalance tie-rod length before finalizing toe.

The manufacturer's specified fluid type (ATF in some systems, a dedicated PS fluid in others) -- using the wrong fluid chemistry can swell or harden seals and cause leaks or poor assist.

Air trapped in the power steering system, causing pump cavitation. Bleed by cycling the wheel lock-to-lock with the engine running per the manufacturer's procedure until the noise clears.

It bypasses excess fluid back to the reservoir as engine/pump speed rises, keeping assist and steering effort consistent across the RPM range instead of over-assisting at high RPM.

Either the manual method (disconnect the return line, run the engine while cycling the wheel until clean fluid exits) or a fluid-exchange machine per manufacturer procedure -- both are valid as long as the correct fluid type is used.

Grasp the end of the arm and check movement in both directions -- vertical (up/down) and horizontal (side-to-side). Excess play in either direction means worn bushings/ball socket and replacement is needed.

Worn inner tie rod bushing/socket at the rack connection. Left unaddressed, toe changes as the suspension moves through its travel, causing wander and abnormal tire wear.

A failing torque sensor (feeds the assist calculation) and a poor ground connection (EPS modules are sensitive to voltage/ground integrity) -- both can produce identical intermittent-assist symptoms.

Maximum assist at low speed for easy parking/maneuvering, reduced assist at highway speed for better road feel and directional stability -- controlled via solenoids, a variable-displacement pump, or an electronic module.

Weak or worn shocks/struts -- they can no longer control the rate of spring compression and weight transfer during hard braking.

Use a pry bar between the control arm and frame with the suspension unloaded (vehicle raised) and check for movement -- visual inspection alone won't reveal internal bushing deterioration.

Under the frame -- this unloads the ball joint while keeping the wheel and tire supported. Jacking under the lower control arm compresses the joint and can mask wear.

Side-to-side (lateral) axle movement -- without it (or a Watts linkage), the axle can shift laterally during cornering or acceleration, causing unstable handling.

Clamps the individual leaves together and locates the spring on the axle housing -- if it shears, the leaves and spring can shift out of alignment on the axle.

U-bolts, shackles, bushings, and spring mounts. U-bolts especially should be replaced since they stretch and lose clamping force over time.

False -- some ball joints are designed with intentional preload, and acceptable movement limits vary by design. Replace only when movement exceeds the manufacturer's specification, not on any perceptible play.

Visual inspection can miss internal wear entirely; a proper check requires measuring movement under the correct load condition (per the suspension design) against spec, not just looking at the boot or joint exterior.

Use a spring compressor to safely transfer the spring to the new strut (or use a pre-assembled quick-strut), and replace the strut mount/bearing -- these wear parts cause noise and handling issues if reused.

Cupped (scalloped) wear -- evenly spaced high and low spots around the tread, caused by the tire bouncing slightly as it rolls because the damper can no longer control spring oscillation.

A sagging or broken coil spring on the low side. Springs should be replaced in pairs (both fronts or both rears) to keep ride height and handling even.

Sagging springs or incorrect ride height shift every alignment angle -- camber, caster, and toe are only correct at the suspension's designed ride height, so fix ride height first, then align.

Stabilizer bar bushings (worn bushings let the bar twist in its mounts and lose effectiveness), plus the springs and shocks -- body roll is often multi-factor, not just the sway bar hardware.

Torquing at the wrong suspension position preloads the rubber bushing incorrectly, causing it to bind and wear prematurely once the vehicle settles back to normal ride height.

A worn rear wheel bearing -- since a FWD car's rear wheels aren't driven, a noise present under both acceleration and coasting (not just one) points to the bearing rather than a driveline component.

The outside edge -- positive camber tilts the top of the tire outward, concentrating load (and wear) on the outer tread.

After caster, before toe. The sequence is caster first, then camber, then toe last -- toe doesn't affect the other two angles, but caster and camber changes can shift toe.

Steering wheel return-to-center after a turn, and steering effort -- more positive caster improves self-centering and directional stability but increases steering effort.

Toward the side with LESS positive caster (the left, here) -- that wheel has less self-centering force, so it leads the vehicle in its direction. A cross-caster split of roughly 0.5 degrees or more is enough to cause a noticeable pull.

Many strut designs include built-in camber adjustment (slotted mounts or cam bolts) but little or no factory caster adjustment, often requiring slotted holes, offset bushings, or aftermarket kits to correct.

Excessive toe-out -- the tires scrub inward as the vehicle rolls forward, wearing the tread blocks at an angle toward the inside edge.

It verifies Ackermann steering geometry -- that the inside wheel turns a sharper angle than the outside wheel during a turn. A bent steering arm can throw this off even when static toe reads perfectly in spec.

It contributes to steering self-centering and reduced steering effort, working with caster to lift the front of the vehicle slightly during turns. SAI is built into the knuckle design -- it is NOT adjustable.

Included angle equals camber plus SAI. Comparing it side-to-side helps distinguish a bent or damaged knuckle/strut from a simple camber-adjustment issue, since SAI itself never changes with adjustment.

The angle between the direction the rear wheels are actually pointing and the vehicle's true centerline -- it represents which way the rear of the vehicle is 'pushing.'

Thrust angle -- if it's non-zero, the rear axle isn't tracking square with the front, causing the vehicle to 'dog-track' and forcing the driver to hold the wheel off-center just to go straight.

Because low or uneven ride height from sagged springs changes every downstream alignment angle -- measuring camber, caster, and toe before correcting ride height produces numbers that won't hold.

Binding somewhere in the steering system -- linkage, column U-joints/flexible coupling, or the gear itself -- not a camber, caster, or toe misadjustment, since alignment angles don't cause binding.

Bump steer is unwanted toe change as the suspension moves through jounce and rebound (a linkage-geometry issue); torque steer is the vehicle pulling under acceleration, common on FWD vehicles with unequal-length halfshafts. Both fall under the wander/pull/hard-steering diagnostic task but have different root causes.

Cupped (scalloped) wear -- evenly spaced high and low spots around the tread, distinct from the edge-wear or feathering patterns caused by camber or toe problems.

The sidewall, the valve stem (core and base), and the bead-to-wheel seal area -- slow leaks often hide at the valve stem or bead, not just the tread.

A TPMS relearn/initialization procedure so the control module re-associates each sensor with its new wheel position -- otherwise a low-pressure alert can display the wrong wheel location.

Lateral (and radial) runout of the tire/wheel assembly with a dial indicator -- an out-of-round tire or bent wheel can cause vibration that balancing alone can't fix.

Static imbalance (heavy spot centered across the tire's width) is corrected with a single weight on either rim lip; dynamic imbalance (heavy spots at different points across the width) needs split weights -- one on each rim lip.

Tighten in a star/crisscross pattern to the torque specified by the manufacturer -- this seats the wheel evenly against the hub and prevents warped rotors, unlike tightening straight around in a circle or using an impact wrench for final torque.