Safety, Tools, and Workshop Practice
Safety, Tools, and Workshop Practice
This domain tests safe workshop conduct, correct tool selection, lifting and support, torque control, measurement, chemical handling, and housekeeping. Marks are lost when a candidate knows the repair but ignores the safety sequence.
Core rules
- Wear eye protection, gloves, and hearing protection for grinding, compressed air, and hammering; never wear loose clothing near rotating parts.
- Support a lifted vehicle on stands under the manufacturer’s reinforced points; chock the wheels and lower the jack slowly.
- Use the right tool: flare-nut wrench on brake lines, six-point socket on damaged nuts, torque wrench for critical fasteners, and a calibrated multimeter for electrical tests.
- Disconnect the battery negative before work near fuel, airbags, or major electrical connectors; follow lockout/tagout for shop equipment.
- Store oils, coolant, brake fluid, and solvents in labeled containers; never mix waste streams.
Worked example
A wheel nut is specified at 110 N·m and the torque wrench has ±4% accuracy. The acceptable indicated range is 105.6–114.4 N·m (110 × 0.96 and 110 × 1.04). Tighten in a star pattern in stages, then verify with the wrench set to the lower end of the range. Do not use an impact gun for final tightening; impact torque is not a controlled final torque.
Traps
Using a jack alone as support, placing stands under floor pans, using an open-end wrench on a brake line, and torquing a wet or lubricated fastener to a dry specification without checking the OEM note. Also common: measuring voltage with the meter on current range.