How smart are you?

Whoa...I probably wouldn't pass the ASE test again...

Gerard

THAT is a good link. I did OK, missed a couple on that one, more on the other pages:

Try these too:

Well, you get the picture...

Rob

Question #26 appears to be incorrect. It sez:

An AC Delco battery with a built in hydrometer is being checked. Technician A says that a DARK GREEN eye indicates the battery is sufficiently charged for further testing. Technician B says that a CLEAR hydrometer eye means the battery must be replaced.

And the correct answer is supposed to be "B". "Correct. A clear or light yellow hydrometer eye indicates the battery is low on electrolyte and should be replaced."

However, that indictor is NOT a hydrometer, it is an electrolyte level indicator. Therefore, the answer "B" is incorrect. Indeed, the earlier Question #17 correctly defines what a hydrometer is:

"Correct, a hydrometer is used to measure the specific gravity of the electrolyte."

Anybody here old enough to remember rechargeable batteries for radios that had three different density balls floating in the electrolyte? (You could judge the state of charge by noting which balls were floating.)

Ed

3 of the answers are wrong for the second test:

1. I've measured parasitic loads of well over 100mA, and they didn't say that early 1980s cars were specifically exluded.

10, 22. They assumed that all analog meters were the low-imedance type, but they're ignoring FET-VOMs, which have input impedances of 10 megaohms, just like digital meters. I have a Triplett Micropower and a Radio Shack VOM modified with a FET amplifier, and Protek still sells an analog FET-VOM. I can't always use a digital meter because often give grossly wrong errors at even moderately high frequencies.

On the other hand I missed 6 on the first test:

1. I assumed that the normal acid concentration was 75% (really stupid since choosing the right answer for the question #1 revealed it);
2. 5 seconds seemed too short for a load test since batteries are specified for 30 seconds, and I can't believe that overheating would be a problem
3. I didn't know that 12.2V was 50% charge
4. I thought that a battery that dipped to 8.9V on load test could be recharged
5. Midtronics? I never heard of that company.
6. I didn't know the normal color of the Delco hydrometer eye since there is no eye on the Wal-mart versions, and the only one I had would be either green (OK), red (weak), or clear (dead). This was a Japanese battery, and the hydrometer could be unscrewed and placed into any other cell.

Voltage only Truly reflects "charge" if you are using a capacitive (no load) voltmeter.

It's not how low it dips, it's the recovery point that determines if a recharge is in order. The dip depends on internal resistance and the external load, if any!

What's a passing grade? I didn't get below 80% on any of the tests, and I sure don't know much about cars. Is that why so many ASE certified mechanics are bad?