The A5 is the brakes test. It covers the hydraulic system, disc and drum brakes, power assist, parking brakes, and ABS, traction control, and stability control.
Brakes seem simple until you get a question about a pedal that's low, spongy, or hard and have to figure out why. Think about where in the system each symptom could start.
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Question 1 of 15
New rear shoes are installed. Before the drums go on, how are the shoes preadjusted?
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Answer: D. Set them with a drum and shoe gauge
A drum and shoe gauge is set to the drum's inside diameter, then turned around to set the shoes just under that size. The drum then slides on with slight drag, and the self-adjusters handle the rest.
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Question 2 of 15
A wheel speed sensor's twisted-pair wires are chafed through under the car. Service information allows splicing. How is the repair made?
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Answer: D. Solder, heat-shrink, keep twist
Wheel speed signals are small and easily disturbed, and the wiring lives in water and salt. The splice is soldered or made with sealed crimp connectors, covered with adhesive-lined heat-shrink, and the twist restored, as service information allows. Some manufacturers require a new sensor or pigtail instead.
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Question 3 of 15
After a leak in one circuit was repaired and the system bled, the red brake warning lamp stays on. The fluid is full, the parking brake is fully released, and its switch opens when released. On this system, the pressure differential valve doesn't recenter itself. What should be done?
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Answer: D. Recenter the differential valve
When one circuit lost pressure, the pressure differential valve's piston moved toward that side and closed the warning switch. On this design it stays there until recentered, by the procedure in service information, often by applying light, balanced pressure or by bleeding the opposite circuit.
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Question 4 of 15
This vehicle has a motor-driven electric brake booster. Its pedal travel sensor was replaced. Now the brake warning lamp is on and assist is reduced. Service information calls for a learn procedure after the sensor is replaced. What should be done?
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Answer: C. Run the pedal travel sensor learn
An electric booster uses the pedal travel sensor to decide how much assist to give. A new sensor's output isn't learned yet, so the module limits assist and sets a fault. The learn procedure in service information is run with a scan tool.
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Question 5 of 15
Front disc brakes squeal on light stops after a pad replacement. All of these could cause it **EXCEPT**:
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Answer: D. Pumping the pedal before the first stop
Squeal is high-frequency vibration between the pad, caliper and rotor, so it comes from missing shims, unlubricated contact points or pads that haven't been bedded in. Pumping the pedal before driving is a required step that brings the pistons out against the new pads; it doesn't cause noise.
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Question 6 of 15
New rear shoes are being installed. Which parts get a thin coat of high-temperature brake lubricant?
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Answer: C. Shoe contact pads and adjuster
High-temperature brake lubricant goes where metal slides on metal: the backing plate's shoe contact pads, the adjuster's threads and pivot points, and the parking brake lever pivot. It's applied sparingly and kept off the linings and drum.
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Question 7 of 15
The ABS/stability control module was replaced. Now the ABS and ESC lamps are on with a 'module not configured' DTC. What should be done?
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Answer: C. Configure and calibrate it
A new module must be programmed or configured with vehicle data (such as VIN, options and tire size), and sensors like steering angle and yaw rate calibrated, as service information directs. Until then, it disables ABS and ESC.
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Question 8 of 15
Brake fluid is running down the front of the vacuum booster, below the joint where the master cylinder bolts on. The reservoir and its grommets are dry, and the brake line fittings at the master cylinder are dry. What should be done?
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Answer: A. Replace the master cylinder
Fluid at the joint between the master cylinder and booster, with the reservoir and fittings dry, comes from the master cylinder's rear seal. It's replaced, and the booster checked for fluid that may have been drawn inside and damaged its diaphragm.
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Question 9 of 15
Technician A says brake pedal free play is checked with the engine off after the booster's vacuum reserve has been used up. Technician B says having no pedal free play can make the brakes drag. Who is correct?
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Answer: C. Both A and B
With the booster's reserve depleted, the booster doesn't mask the pedal's mechanical free play, so it can be measured. Technician A is right. With no free play, the pushrod can keep slight pressure on the master cylinder piston, partly closing its ports so the brakes don't fully release and drag. Technician B is right too.
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Question 10 of 15
The left front brake drags and the rotor runs hot. Opening the caliper's bleeder doesn't release the drag. The piston's dust boot is torn, the exposed piston is corroded, and it's very hard to push back. What is the most likely cause?
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Answer: B. A seized caliper piston
Opening the bleeder relieves hydraulic pressure, so a hose holding pressure would release; this drag doesn't. A torn boot let moisture corrode the piston, which now sticks and keeps the pad against the rotor. The caliper is rebuilt or replaced, the pads and rotor checked, and the system bled.
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Question 11 of 15
This car has duo-servo rear drum brakes with star-wheel self-adjusters. The shoes have linings of different lengths. How are they installed?
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Answer: B. Shorter lining toward the front
In a duo-servo brake, the primary shoe, with the shorter lining, faces the front, and the secondary shoe, with the longer lining, faces the rear. The primary shoe's drag helps apply the secondary shoe, which does most of the braking going forward.
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Question 12 of 15
Technician A says active wheel speed sensors are tested by measuring their resistance, like passive sensors. Technician B says active sensors produce a digital square-wave signal even at very low speeds. Who is correct?
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Answer: B. B only
Active (Hall-effect or magnetoresistive) sensors contain electronics, so a resistance reading doesn't show whether they work; their supply and output are checked as service information directs. Technician A is wrong. They produce a square-wave signal with a steady amplitude, even near zero speed. Technician B is right.
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Question 13 of 15
Technician A says DOT 5 silicone fluid isn't mixed with DOT 3 or DOT 4. Technician B says DOT 3 and DOT 4 are both glycol-based and compatible, though the specified fluid is used. Who is correct?
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Answer: C. Both A and B
DOT 5 is silicone-based and doesn't mix with glycol fluids. Technician A is right. DOT 3, DOT 4 and DOT 5.1 are glycol-based and compatible with each other, but the fluid service information specifies is still used. Technician B is right too.
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Question 14 of 15
On a mechanical integral parking brake caliper, the piston was turned back in for new pads. Now the parking brake lever travels farther than normal. Service information says this caliper self-adjusts. What is done?
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Answer: D. Apply the brakes repeatedly
After the piston is retracted, the caliper's internal adjuster takes up clearance as the brakes are applied. Service information typically calls for repeated pedal applications, or parking brake cycling, to bring the piston out before the cable is checked.
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Question 15 of 15
A caliper being serviced has a piston with pits and scoring on its sealing surface. What should be done?
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Answer: A. Replace the piston or the caliper
The piston's surface must be smooth for the seal to hold pressure and retract the piston. Pits and scoring cause leaks and sticking, so the piston is replaced with new seals, or the caliper replaced, as service information allows.
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Pedal feel questions are the big ones. Low, spongy, hard, and pulsing pedals each point to different problems, so learn what causes each.
For ABS questions, figure out whether it's a base brake problem or an ABS problem first. A lot of answer choices fall apart once you do.
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