2011 AUDI TT ROADSTER engine overheat

158 Driving and en vi ro nm ent
Avoid damaging the
vehicle
When you are driving on poor roads, or over
curbs, steep ramps, etc ., make certain that
low-lying parts such as spoilers and exhaust
system parts do not bottom out and get dam­
aged.
This is especially true for vehicles with low­
slung chassis (sports chassis) and fully loaded
vehicles .
Driving through water
on roads
Note the following to avoid vehicle damage
when driving through water, for example on
flooded roads:
- T he water must not be any highe r tha n the
bottom of the vehicle body.
- Do not d rive faster than wa lking speed.
_& WARNING
After d riving through wate r, m ud, slush,
etc., the brakes may be slow to take effect
because o f wet brake rotors and pads . Dry
the brakes first by braking carefully to re­
store the full braking effect.
(]) Note
Vehicle components such as the engine,
transmiss ion, suspension or electrical sys ­
tem can be severely damaged by driving
through water.
- Check the depth of the water before driv ­
ing through it.
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse
or switch the engine
off when driving
through water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may create waves that raise the water
level and make it too deep for your vehi­
cle to drive through safely.
- Avoid driving thro ugh salt water because
it can ca use corrosion.
-
Catalytic converter
It is very important that your emission con­
trol system (catalytic converter) is function­
ing properly to ensure that your vehicle is run­
ning in an environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 17 4,
Fuel supply .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty.
.. Never put too much motor o il in your eng ine
r::;> page 183, Adding engine oil~-
.. Never try to p ush- or tow-sta rt your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean­
up" dev ice built into the exhaust system of
t h e vehicle. The cata lytic conve rter bu rns
many of the pollutants in the exha ust gas be ­
f ore they are re leased into the atmosphere.
T he exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically
impor tant for the life of the catalyt ic convert­
er and prope r funct ion ing of the engine.
A WARNING
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exha ust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fue l spill or other material wh ich can
cause a fire.
- Do not app ly additiona l undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust pipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat sh ields. Dur ing driv ing, the
substance used fo r undercoating could
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already ser iously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
converter .
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 183.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis-
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into ..,.

the exhaust system and this could cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve ­
hicle is moving .
- Do not con tinue to operate yo ur vehicle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reac h the cata lytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the con­
verter, requ iring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in acco rdance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- La ck of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir
t he funct ion of the emission control
system and cou ld lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Contro l System is
operating p roperly, t he exhaus t gas can
have a s ulfu r- like exhaust gas smell under
some operating states. This depends on
the s ulfur content o f the fue l being used.
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank w ith lead-free super
grade gasoline .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your personal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle, as well as ex­
haust and noise levels .
Fuel economy, environmental impact, and
wear on your engine, brakes and t ires largely
depend on three factors :
- your persona l driving style
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
I f you anticipate w hat you need to do nex t and
d rive economically, you can eas ily cut your
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 159
fuel consumption by 10 -15 percent. This sec ­
tion w ill give yo u some tips on how you can
help the env ironment and your pocketbook .
(D Tips
The cons umption estimates as publishe d
by ENVIRONME NTAL PROTEC TION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the road, which will vary depending upon vehi­
cle load and speed, road and weather con­
dit ions, trip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout
ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
celerating.
Avoid unnecessary accelerat ing and braking .
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are ac­
ce lerat ing . If you anticipate what is going to
happe n next, you will need to brake less and,
th us, accele rate less . Let the vehicle coast
whenever possible -for examp le when you see
that the next t raff ic light is red.
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and
improves your mileage.
"' Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed.
Acce lerat ing gently reduces fue l consump­
tion, eng ine wear, and does not disturb the
environment.
Fuel consumpt ion, exhaust emiss ions and en­
gine noise increase disproportionately at high
speeds. If you drive at app roximately three
quarte rs of top speed, fuel consumption w ill
be reduced by one half. Nev er drive faster
t h an the posted speed limit and weathe r con­
ditions perm it.
•
•

wooded areas, into open streams or
down sewage drains.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station.
Engine cooling system
Coolant
T he engine coolan t performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro ­
tects the engine from freezing in the winter .
The cooling system is sealed and generally re­
quires little attention .
T he cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not
need to be changed . The coolan t consis ts of a
mixture of water and the manufacturer 's gly ­
col-basedcoolant additive G12 ++ antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA
models; 60% for Canad ian models). This mix­
ture both assures the necessary frost protec­
tion and protects metal components in the
engine 's cooling system from corrosion and
scaling. It also raises th e boiling point of the
c oolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50% but not more than 60%
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy . If the coolant frost protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, an tifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31 ° F ( - 3 5 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
You can mix the G12 ++ coolant addit ive with
other additives (G12+ or G12) . Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
-
Checkin g and fillin g 185
WARNINGS c:::> .& in Working in the engine
compartment on page 178.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­
mate conditions. This is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold . If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember :
- We recommend using only coo lant ad­
ditive G12++ (check the labe l) for your
vehicle . This coolant additive is avai la­
ble at authorized Audi dealers. Other
types of ant ifreeze can significantly re­
duce corrosion protection . The result­
ing corrosion can cause a loss of cool ­
ant and ser ious eng ine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal ­
ant to yo ur vehicle's engine coolant .
Add ing radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt 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 glance.
Fig. 141 E ng ine compart men t: coo lant ex pansion t ank Ill>

186 Checking and filling
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys r ea d and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine
comportment on page 178.
• Switch the ignition off .
• Read the coo lant level at the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 141 . With a co ld engine, it
must be above the "min" mark. W ith a hot
engine, it can be a little above the indicated
range.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration .
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an e lectric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning light in the Auto- Check System ¢
page 31 will
blink until you add coo lant and the level has
been restored to no rma l. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sen sor, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant leve l from
time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system . In the event of coolant loss, the cool­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
@ Note
Do not add any type of ra diator leak seal­
ant to yo ur vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add ­
ing radiator repair f luid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 178 .
•Turnoff the engine.
• Let the eng ine cool down.
• Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 185, fig . 141 and carefully
tw ist the cap counter-clockwise ¢&_ .
• Add coolant.
• Twis t the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
¢ page 185, Coolant.
E ven in a n emerge ncy, if coo lant addi -
t ive G1 2++, G12+ or G12 is not ava ilable , do
not use a d ifferen t addit ive. Use plain water
instead unti l you can get the cor rect additive
and can restore the correct ratio . This sho uld
be done as soon as possible .
If you have los t a considerab le amo unt o f
coolant , then you sho uld add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld wate r on ly w hen the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo la nt whe n refilling .
Do not fill coola nt above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coo la nt wi ll be fo rced o ut through the
pressure relief valve in t he cap w hen the en­
gine becomes hot.
,&. WARNING ~ -
- T he cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by followi ng
these steps.
- T urn
off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and a rms from
esca ping fluid and steam by covering
the cap w ith a large, t hick rag.
- T urn the cap slowly a nd ve ry carefully
in a counter-clo ckwise direction while
applying light, downward pres sure on
the top o f the cap.