2014 AUDI A7 radiator cap

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 17
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Switch off engine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears, the coo lant temperature is too
high or the coo lant level is too low.
.. Pull
off the road.
.. Stop the vehicle .
.. Turn
off the engine.
.. Check coolant level
c> page 235.
.,. Add coolant if necessary c> page 235 .
.. Continue driving only after the eng ine cool­
ant warn ing/ indicator light goes out .
.. Contact your authorized Audi dealer for as-
sistance if necessary .
If the engine coolant level is correct, then the
radiator fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion .
• Coolant temperature too high! Please let
engine run with vehicle stationary
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears in trailer mode*, let the engine
run at idle for a few m inutes to cool down.
A WARNING
- If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 45, Emergency
flasher.
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the en­
gine compartment -you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longer see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping .
- The engine compartment of any vehicle
is a dangerous area. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
turn of the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 227.
@ Note
Do not continue driving if the . symbol
ill uminates . There is a malfunction in the
engine cooling system -you could damage
your engine.
D Battery
This warning/indicator light detects a mal­
function in the generator or in the vehicle 's
electrical system .
The .warn ing/ indicator light illuminates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started .
• Alternato r fault : Battery is not being
charged
If t he indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
generator or vehicle electrical system .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop immed iate ly. Because the vehi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec ­
essary e lectrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•) Low battery: battery will be charged
while driving
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited starting
ability .
If this message turns off after a little while,
the battery charged enough while driving.
If the message does not turn
off, have your
authorized Aud i dea ler or qualified workshop
correct the malfunction.
4t Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The . warn ing/ indicator light illum inates
when the ignition is switched on to remind
the driver and any front passenge r to put on ..,.

Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig. 196 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys read and hee d all W ARN­
ING S ¢.&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 22
7 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Switch off the ignit ion.
.,. Read the engine coolant level from the cool­
ant expansion tank¢
fig. 196, ¢ page 229 ,
fig. 193 .
With a cold engine, the coolant
level should be between the "min" and
"max" mar kings. When the engine is warm,
the leve l may be slightly above the "max"
marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration¢
page 229 .
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be switched off.
The expans ion tank in you r vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto -Check System ¢
page 17 will
illum inate u ntil you add coolant a nd the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolan t leve l
from time to time.
Coolant loss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cool ing
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool-
Checkin g and fillin g 235
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer . It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
In a
s ea led system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
A WARNING
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by follow ing these
steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing f lu id and steam by cover ing the
cap with a la rge, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plyi ng light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certa in cond i­
tions, the ethylene gly col in engine coo l­
a nt can catch fire.
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak sea L­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant . Add­
i ng radiato r repa ir flui d may adverse ly af­
fect the funct io n and performa nce o f your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
War ranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you che ck anyth ing in the eng ine com­
partmen t,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢.&_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
227 .
.,. Tur n off the engi ne.
.,. Let the engine cool down.

236 Check ing and filling
• Place a thick rag ov er the coolant expansion
tank ¢
page 235, fig . 196 and care fully
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢ &_.
• Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 234, Coolant.
• Twist the cap on again tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 234, Coolant .
We recommend using on ly coo lant addi-
tive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2 +. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water unt il you can get the correct
addit ive and can restore the correct ratio . This
should be done as soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold antifree ze
and cold water only when the eng ine is co ld.
A lways use
new engine coolant when refi lling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced out t hrough the
press ure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gin e becom es hot.
A WARNING
- The coo ling system is under p ress ure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps .
- Tu rn o ff the eng ine a nd a llow i t to cool
down.
- Pr otect your f ace, hands and arms from
escaping f luid and steam by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the cap slowly and very ca re fully
in a counte r-clockwise direct ion while
applying light, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spi ll an ­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en­
g ine coolant can catch f ire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its original container and well
out of the reach of children. -
If you drain the coo lant, it m ust be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coo lant poll utes the environment and
cou ld cause an engine fire . Excess cool­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 234 must be re­
stored as soon as possible .
® For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ ­
i ng all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolan t temperature
and othe r vehicle operat ing condit ions.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w it h the ignition off. It can even switc h
o n aga in later by itself¢
A, if
- the temper ature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
A WARNING
- To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch t he rad iator fan .
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperat ure
controlled and can sw itch on suddenly
even when the engine is not ru nning .
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on a u­
tomatically when the engine coo la nt
reaches a certai n temperature and wi ll ..,.