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•
Closing the engine hood
- Pull the hood down until the pressure from the struts is
reduced .
- Let the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do not try to
push it shut;
it may fail to engage => &.
& WARNING
A hood that is not completely latched could fly up and block your
view while driving.
• When you close the engine hood, check it to make sure the
safety catch has properly engaged. The hood should be flush with
the surrounding vehicle body parts.
• If you notice while driving that the hood is not secured prop
erly, stop at once and close it. •
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the engine
compartment!
Whenever you must perform any work in the engine compartment,
for example checking and filling the different fluids, there is a risk of injury, burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury always
observe the following WARNINGS. The engine compartment of any
vehicle is a hazardous area!
~ &
& WARNING
To help avoid injury, before you check anything under the hood :
• Switch off the engine.
• Remove the ignition key.
• Apply the parking brake .
& WARNING (continued)
• Move selector lever of automatic transmission to "P" (Park);
put manual transmission in Neutral .
• Always let the engine cool down. Hot components will burn
skin on contact.
• To reduce the risk of being burned, never open the hood if you
see or hear steam or coolant escaping from the engine compart
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be seen or heard before
carefully opening the hood .
• Keep children away from the engine compartment.
• Never spill fluids on hot engine components . They can cause a
fire.
• Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary electric fan is
temperature controlled and can switch on suddenly.
• Never open the coolant reservoir cap when the engine is still
warm. The coolant system is pressurized and hot coolant could
spray out.
• Protect your face, hands and arm from steam or hot engine
coolant by placing a thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir.
• If work on the fuel system or the electrical system is necessary:
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open flames. Fluids in
the engine compartment could start a fire .
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher immediately available.
• To avoid electrical shock and personal injury while the engine
is running or being started, never touch :
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage electronic ignition
system.
• If you must perform a check or repair with the engine running: ..,
Vehicle care
I t •
_____________________________________________ C_h_ e_ c _ k_in -= g_a _ n_d _ f_il _li _n ..;::g =--____.ffllll
© Jump start points(+) under a cover, (-) bolt head ... .
© Windshield/head light washer container ( O ) .... ... .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , always
read and heed all WARNINGS
=> & in "Working in the engine
compartment" on
page 217. •
Applies to v ehic le s : w ith 3,2 1 250 -hp eng ine
3 .21 250-hp engine
280
233
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 138 Engine compartment: 3.21 250-hp engine
0
0
®
©
Coolant expansion tank (J _J
Engine oil dipstick (orange)
Engine oil filler cap
('l:::r.)
Brake fluid reservoir ( ) 225
221
222 227
© Jump start points (
+l under a cover, (-) bolt head .. . .
© Windshield/headlight washer container (Q ) ....... .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment , always
read and heed all WARNINGS
=> & in "Working in the engine
compartment" on
page 217. •
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
280
233
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the right kind of
oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated powerplant that was built
to exacting spec ifications. This engine needs the right kind of
engine oil that meets specifications regarding quality and viscosity
so that it can run smoothly and reliably. Choosing the right oil and
changing oil within the time and mileage intervals printed in your
vehicle's Warranty
& Maintenance booklet matters a lot more today
than it did years ago . Audi has developed a special quality standard
for engine oil that will help assure that your vehicle's engine will ge t
the lubrication it needs for proper operation .
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quantum leap in the last few
years . Many synthetic oils available today provide better engine
lubrication that can outlast traditional petro leum -based oils ,
making them a smart choice for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum -based engine oil, the oi l
that you use must conform to Audi's oil quality standard VW 502 00
to help keep your vehicle's engine running smoothly and help prevent the formation of harmful deposits, sometimes called
"s ludge," that over time can lead to expensive repairs.
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data
-~_C_ h_e _c _ k_ i_n ...:::g::;...._ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _in -'g:::;.._ ___________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (c o ntinued )
• Continuou s contact with used en gine oil i s harmful to your
sk in. Alway s prote ct your skin b y wa shi ng oil off thoroughly with
soap and water .
0 Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil. These additives can
damage your engine and adversely affect you r Audi Limited New
Vehicle Warranty.
<£> For the sake of the environment
• Before changing your oil, first make sure you know where you
can proper ly dispose of t he used oil.
• Always dispose of used engine oil properly . Do not dump it on
garden soil, wooded areas, into open strea ms or down sewage
drains .
• Recycle used eng ine oi l by taking it to a used eng ine oi l collec
tion facility in your area, or contact a service station. •
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The e ngine coolant perfor ms tw o functions: i t kee ps the
en gine from overheatin g and i t pro tects the engi ne from
freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and general ly requires litt le attention.
The coo ling sys tem has been f illed at the factory with a permanen t
coo lant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of
a mixture of water and the ma nufacturer 's glyc ol- basedco olan t
additive
G12++ antifreeze w ith anti corrosion additives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian mode
ls) . T his mixture both assures the
n ecessary fros t pr otection a nd protects metal co mpo nents in the
engine's cooling system from corrosion and scaling. It also raises
t he boil ing point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo lant in the su mmer by
adding plain water.
The proportion of coolant additive mu st be at
lea st 50 % but not more than 60 %
to maintai n antifreeze pro tection
and cooling efficiency. If the coolant frost protection is too low, the
coo la nt co uld free ze and damage the vehic le heating and engine
coo ling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at the factory for temper
atures down to:
• - 31 °F ( -35 °C) USA
• -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the
G 12+ + coolant additive with other additives (G12+
or G12). Always check w ith your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine compartment, alway s
read and heed all WARNINGS
~ & in "Working in the engine
compartment " on
page 217.
0 Note
• Before winter sets in, have the coolant checked to see if the
coo lant additive in your vehicle is suff icient to meet the c limate
co nd itions . This is e special ly impor tant i f you live in a region where
the winter is extremely cold. If necessary, increase the proportion of coo lant additive t o 60%.
• When adding coolant additive to your cooling system,
r emem ber:
- We recommend using on ly coolant additive
G 12+ + (check the
l abel) for your veh ic le . Th is coolant additive is available at autho -
rized Audi dealers. Other types of antifreeze can significantly ._
Checking and filling -
---------------------=----"=---------
reduce corrosion protection. The resu lting corrosion can cause a
loss of coolant and serious engine damage.
• Do not add any type of radiator leak sealant to your vehicle's
engine coolant. Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse ly affect the
function and performance of your cooling system and cou ld result
in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty. •
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a quick
gla nce .
Fig . 142 Engine
co mp artm ent : coo lan t
e xpa nsion t ank
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
the engine compa rtment" on
page 217.
- Switch the ignition of f.
- Read the coo lant l eve l at the coo lant exp ansio n tank
==> fig. 142. With a col d e ngine, it must b e above the
"min" mar k. Wit h a hot engine, it can be a little above t he
indicated range.
The location of the coolant expansion tank can be seen in the
engine compartment i llustration. To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must be switched off.
The expansion tank in your vehic
le is equipped with an e lectric
coolant level sensor.
When the coolant leve l is too low, the warning light in the Auto
Check System =>
page 34 will blink un til you add coolant and the
level has been restored to normal. Even though there is an e lectric
coo la n t level sensor, we still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time .
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling system . In the event
of coo lant loss, the co oling sys tem shou ld be i nspected immedi
ate ly by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not enough merely to add
coo lant .
In a
sealed system , losses can occur only if the boiling point of the
coolant is exceeded as a result of overheating .
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea lant to your vehicle's engine
coolant. Adding rad iator repair fluid may adversely affect the func
tion and performance of your coo ling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Vehic le Limited Warra nty. •
Adding coo lant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS==> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 217 .
-Turn off the engin e.
- Let the engine cool down.
Vehic le care I I irechnical data
-~_C_ h_e _c _ k_ i_n ...:::g::;...._ a_n_ d_ f_ i_ll _in -'g:::;.._ ___________________________________________ _
-Pla ce a t hick ra g o ver the coola nt e xpansion tank
=>
page 225, fi g. 142 an d carefully tw ist the c ap counter
cl ockw ise=> &.
- Add coo lan t.
- Twist the cap on again
tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to exact specifications
=>
page 224, "C oolant" . Even in an emerge ncy, if coo lant add it ive
G 12+ +, G 12+ or G12 is not availab le, do
not use a different additive.
Use p lain water instead until you ca n get the c orrec t addit ive and
can restore the correct ratio. This should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount o f coo lant, then you should
add co ld antifreeze and cold water only when the engine is cold.
A lways use
new e ngine c oolan t when refil ling .
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Excess coolant will be
forced ou t through the pressure relief va lve in the cap when the
engine becomes hot.
& WARNING
• The cooling sy stem is under pre ssure and can get very hot .
Reduce the risk of scalding from hot coolant by following these
s teps.
- Turn off the engine and allo w it to cool down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from esc aping fluid and
steam by covering the cap with a large , thick rag .
- Turn the cap slo wly and very carefully in a counter -clockwise
dire ction while applying light , downward pressure on the top
of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill antifreeze or coolant on
the e xhaust system or hot engine parts . Under certain condi
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine coolant can catch fire .
& WARNING (continued )
• Antifreeze is poi sonous. Always store antifreeze in its original
container and well out of the re ach of children .
• If you drain the coolant , it must be caught and safely stored in
a proper container clearly marked "poison ".
0 Note
• Coo lant po llutes the environment and could cause an engine
fire. Excess coolant will be forced out through the pressure re lief
va lve in the cap when the engine becomes hot.
• If , in an eme rgency, o nly wa te r can be added, the correct rat io
between water and antifreeze=>
page 224 must be restored as soon
as possib le .
ffi For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always dispose of used
coo lant whi le observ ing all environmen tal regulat io n s. •
Radiator fan
The radi ator f an s witches on au tomati cally by itself.
T he e lectric radiator fan is control led bythe rmoswitches that switch
on and off depending on coolant and engine compartment temper
atures.
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on and off depending on
coo la nt tempe rature a nd other veh ic le operati on cond itio ns.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary fan can continue
running for up to 10 m inutes -even with the ignition off. It can even
sw itch o n again later by itself=> & , if
• the temperature of the engine coo lant rises due to the heat
b ui ld-up fro m the eng ine in the eng ine co m partment, or
_____________________________________________ C_h_ e_ c _ k_in --= g'-a _ n_d _ f_il _li _n -=g =-- ____.•
• the engine compartment heats up because the vehicle is parked
in intense sunlight.
& WARNING
• To reduce the risk of personal injury never touch the radiator
fan.
• The auxiliary electric fan is temperature controlled and can
switch on suddenly even when the engine is not running .
• The auxiliary radiator fan switches on automatically when the
engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to
run until the coolant temperature drops. •
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a quick glance.
Fig. 143 Engine
compartment: brake
fluid reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS=> & in "Working in
the engine compartment" on
page 217.
-Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid reservoir
=> fig. 143. The brake fluid level must be between the
"MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The brake fluid reservoir is located behind the rear partition of the
engine compartment on the left side~ page 218.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some time due to the auto
matic adjustment of the brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls considerably below the "MIN" mark, the
brake warning/indicator light (U.S. models:
BRAKE, Canadian models:
(Cf))) will come on~ page 19 and~ page 33. Do not continue to
operate the vehicle. The complete brake system should be thor
oughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified
facility and the cause corrected. If the brake fluid level is too low, the
brake warning/indicator light will illuminate. Contact an authorized
Audi dealer
immediately. •
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experienced techni
cian.
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If the water content in the
brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the brake fluid will also
decrease considerably and decrease braking performance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
every two years. Always
use new brake fluid which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle Stan
dard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult to reach, therefore, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid changed by your autho
rized
Audi dealer. Your dealer has the correct tools, the right brake
fluid and the know-how to do this for you.
~
Vehic le care I I irechnical data
Checking and filling -
------------- --------=----" =---------
& WARNING !continued )
• To reduce the danger of explosio n, never connect or di sconnect
c h arger cable s whi le the charger i s operating .
• Fast charging a battery i s dang erou s and should only be
atte mpt ed by a competent techni cian with the proper equipment .
• Battery acid that may spill during charging should be washed
off with a solut ion of w arm wat er and bak ing soda to ne utrali ze
the acid .
0 Note
Never use a fast charger as a boos ter to start the engine . This wil l
seriously damage sensitive electronic components, such as control
units, re lays, radio, etc ., as well as the battery charger .
[ i ] Tips
The vehicle battery must not be charged with a standard small
charger that plugs into the cigarette lighter or out let .•
Windshield /headlight washer
conta iner
Fi g. 14 7 Fend er, left:
Wind shi eld washer
flui d re ser voir
T h e w asher fluid container is mark ed wit h the symbol O on
its cap.
Before you c heck anything in the e ngine compartment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS~ & in "Workin g
in t he engi ne compartment" on
page 217.
Lift the fi ller cap to ngue to add washe r fluid . You can fill
t h e container to the top.
Press the cap bac k on to the fi ller neck after fi lling the
container .
You can find the reservoir ca pac ity in the tab le in => page 291.
To prevent lime residue fr om bui lding up on the spray jets, use
dis tilled water when refilling . Always add a g lass cleaner solut ion
(with frost pro tection in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix eng ine coolant antifreeze or any other additives to fil l up
the windshield washer reservo ir. •
Vehic le care I I Technical data
__________________________________________________ C_o_ n _ s_u_ m_ e ___ r_l_ n _f_ o_ r _m...:....:.. a:.;..:. ti .... o:.. n ........ _lllll
& WARNING (continued)
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle is a potentially
hazardous area. Never reach into the area around or touch the
radiator fan. It is temperature controlled and can switch on
suddenly -even when the engine is off and the ignition key has
been removed. The radiator fan switches on automatically when
the coolant reaches a certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops .
• Always remove the ignition key before anyone gets under the
vehicle.
• Always support your vehicle with safety stands if it is neces
sary to work underneath the vehicle. The jack supplied with the
vehicle is not adequate for this purpose and could collapse
causing serious personal injury.
• If you must work underneath the vehicle with the wheels on
the ground, always make sure the vehicle is on level ground, that
the wheels are always securely blocked and that the engine
cannot be started .
• Always make sure the transmission selector lever (automatic
transmission) is in "P" (Park position) (automatic transmission) or
Neutral (manual transmission) and the hand brake is firmly
applied.
<£> For the sake of the environment
• Changing the engine settings will adversely affect emission
levels. This is detrimental to the environment and increases fuel
consumption .
• Always observe environmental regulations when disposing of
old engine oil, used brake fluid, dirty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
• Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classi
fied as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety belts
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regula
tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform this service for you. •
Additional accessories,
modifications and parts replacement
Additional accessories and parts
replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design features ensuring
a high standard of active and passive safety.
This safety could be compromised by non -approved changes to the
vehicle. For this reason, if parts have to be replaced, please observe
the following points when installing additional accessories:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available
from authorized Audi dealers .
These dealers also have the necessary facilities, tools and trained specialists to install the parts and accessories properly .
& WARNING
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-approved accessories
can cause serious personal injury.
• Use only accessories expressly approved by Audi and genuine
Audi spare parts
• These parts and accessories have been specially designed to
be used on your vehicle.
• Never install accessories such as telephone cradles or
beverage holders on airbag covers or within the airbag deploy-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Tec hn ica l da ta