Level 1
What causes a brake pad to be spongy after new brake pads and rotors are installed?
Air in the brake lines. Even a tiny bubble of air can drastically reduce braking power, because air compresses, but brake fluid doesn’t. Bleeding brakes became common practice as hydraulic systems improved in the 1920s.
Which pedal does a driver push to change the gear in a manual transmission?
The clutch pedal. Manual transmissions once dominated the road. Today, fewer than three percent of new U.S. cars are stick-shifts.
What does the acronym RWD stand for?
Rear wheel drive. RWD offers better weight balance and superior acceleration, especially when the car’s weight shifts backward under throttle. This makes it ideal for muscle cars, sports cars, and race cars.
What car manufacturer introduced the first electric starter in 1912?
Cadillac. Before electric starters, cars required hand-cranking, which could break an arm if the engine kicked back.
If a car collector finds a classic car with “matching numbers,” what have they found?
A car that has the original engine, transmission, and rear end that it left the factory with. Matching numbers can increase a car’s value by tens of thousands because collectors want factory originality.
What decade was the first Ford Mustang introduced?
The 1960s. Ford expected to sell 100,000 Mustangs in its first year. It sold 400,000 instead, creating the entire “pony car” category.
What does it mean when an engine is “running rich”?
There is too much fuel and not enough air in the mixture. Drag racers often run rich intentionally to keep engines cool and prevent detonation.
What company advertises “We Are Professional Grade”?
GMC. GMC originally focused on commercial trucks, which inspired the “Professional Grade” branding.
What shop tool is used to help mechanics slide under a vehicle?
Creeper. Early mechanics used old wooden boards with roller-skate wheels before modern creepers existed.
Which American manufacturer built the Avanti, a futuristic fiberglass-bodied car, in the early 1960s?
Studebaker. The 1962 Avanti set 29 speed records and was advertised as “America’s only four-passenger high-performance personal car.”
The Chevrolet Corvette’s body was first constructed with what material?
Fiberglass. In 1953, steel shortages pushed GM to use fiberglass, accidentally giving the Corvette its iconic lightweight identity.
Which car part is responsible for sparking the combustion of fuel in the cylinder?
The spark plugs. The first reliable spark plug was patented in 1902 by Bosch and became essential for modern engines.
What is the largest number of cylinders commonly found in regular production cars?
12 cylinders (V12). Packard introduced the first production V12 car engine, known as the Twin Six, launching the V12 into the luxury car market. There are rare V16 cars, including Cadillac V16 (1930s), Marmon V16, and Cizeta V16T (1991, extremely rare).
Dinah Shore performed the jingle for which car company?
Chevrolet. Her 1950s TV jingle “See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” became one of the most iconic advertising songs in American history.
What is the purpose of the timing belt or timing chain?
To synchronize the crankshaft and camshaft rotation within the engine. If a timing belt breaks in an interference engine, it can destroy the valves instantly.
What causes the engine to hydrolock?
Water enters the engine, preventing the engine cylinder from moving and locking up the engine. Since water can’t compress, even a small amount can bend connecting rods. Hydrolock is one of the fastest ways to destroy an engine.
Which company created the rotary engine featured in its RX-7?
Mazda. The rotary (Wankel) engine revs incredibly smoothly because it has no pistons, just one spinning triangular rotor.
Which car was the first mass-produced automobile in the United States?
The Ford Model T. Henry Ford’s assembly line cut production time from 12 hours to 90 minutes, revolutionizing manufacturing.
If you turn a key and hear a click but the car won’t start, what part is commonly the problem?
The starter. A failing starter may work intermittently, especially when hot, a common mechanic’s diagnostic clue.
When a car has a blown head gasket, it allows which two fluids to mix?
Coolant and oil. Milky oil (“milkshake oil”) is the classic visual sign of this failure.
What unusual ’70s car tried to combine sports-car looks with economy-car performance in the U.S.?
The Pacer (AMC). The Pacer was often called “The Flying Fishbowl” because nearly 40 percent of its body surface was glass.
Before the use of the fuel injection system, what engine component was responsible for mixing fuel and oxygen into the chamber?
The carburetor. The carburetor was invented in the 19th century and used for more than 100 years, until EFI (electronic fuel injection) became standard in the 1980s–90s.
Automotive mechanics strive to achieve an ASE certification. What does the acronym ASE mean?
Automotive service excellence. ASE certifications began in 1972 to combat the rise of unqualified mechanics.
What brand is known for its “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan?
BMW. BMW introduced this slogan in 1975, and it’s still one of the longest-running car taglines.
What shop tool is used to safely lift a part of a car?
Floor jack. Early jacks were screw-operated; hydraulic jacks became popular in the 1920s and made lifting cars far easier.