2014 AUDI A8 check engine

Checking and filling 233
Engine compartment
Engine compartment overview
These are th e most important items that you can check.
Fig. 199 Typical layo ut for co nta iners a nd engine o il fill er cap
Fig. 200 Layo ut of th e reservo ir, engine o il fill ing openin g and o il dipstick for the Wl2 engine

234 Check ing and filling
(D Windshield/headlight washer
t . (
PP. ) con ainer ""' .......... ... . 247
@ Jump start point( -) with hex
head screw ............. ... . 245 , 283
@ Jump start point( +) under a cov-
er . ..... .............. ... . 245, 283
© Eng ine oil filler cap(~) . . . . . 237
® Brake fluid reservo ir ((0)) . . . . . 242
® Coolant expansion tank (-L) . . . 240
0 Power steering reservoir . . . . . . 203
@ Oil dipstick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
The engine oil filler neck (item@) may be lo­
cated in
a different area depend ing on the ver­
sion of the engine .
& WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS¢ .&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used in your Audi needs the
right kind of oil.
-
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerp lant that was built to exacting specifi­
cations . This engine needs the r ight kind of
engine o il that meets spec ificat ions regarding
qua lity and viscos ity so that it can run
smoothly and reliably . Choos ing the righ t oi l
and changing oil within the time and mileage interva ls printed in your vehicle 's Warranty
&
Maintenance book let matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago. Audi has developed
a special quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your veh icle's eng ine will
get the lubrication it needs for proper opera­
tion.
Modern engine lubrication has taken a quan­
tum leap in the last few years. Many synthetic
oils ava ilable today provide better engine lu­
brication that can outlast trad itional petrole -u
m -based oils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthet ic o r petro le um­
based eng ine oil, the oi l that you use m ust
conform to Audi's oi l quality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iese l eng ine) to
help keep your veh icle's engine running
smoothly and help prevent the format ion of
harmful deposits, sometimes called "s ludge,"
that over time can lead to expens ive repairs.
At the time of printing, engine oils ava ilab le in
the U.S. and Canada that meet the exacting
specifications of Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (ve hicles w ith gasoline eng ine) o r VW 507 00
(veh icles w ith diese l eng ine) are synthet ic en­
gine o ils . This does no t mean, howeve r, that
every synt hetic eng ine oil will meet A udi oi l
standard VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline
engine) or VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel
engine). So a lways be sure that you use an ap­
proved o il.
T o he lp preven t the formation of harmfu l de­
posits use on ly oil with the following specifi­
cations printed on the o il container:
- Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (g aso line en ­
gine )
- Audi oil standard VW 507 00 (die sel en-
gine )
Oil container labels may car ry the spec ifica­
t ion sing ly or in combination with othe r desig­
na tions and oil quality standa rds.
Viscosit y
Engine oi ls are graded according to their vis­
cosity . The proper viscos ity grade oil for your
engine depends on climactic or seasona l con­
ditions where you drive . You can use o il with a
viscosity grade of SA E 5W40 across all tem­
perature ranges for normal dr iv ing cond itions .
However, if engine oil viscosity grade SAE
5W40 is not ava ilable, you can also use v iscos ­
i ty grade SAE 5W-30 or SAE OW-40 as long as
it meets Audi oil quality standard VW 502 00
(ve hicl es w ith gasoline eng ine) o r VW 50 7 00
(ve hicles w ith diese l engine) specifica tions. .,.

Because engine oil that meets the Audi oil
standard may not be available everywhere
when you need it, we strongly recommend
that you always carry with you an extra quart (liter) of oil that expressly conforms to the
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine) spec­ ification, in case you have to top off the oil
while on the road .
Applies to vehicles with gasoline engine on­
ly:
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 specifications is available - may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, pref­ erably synthetic-based, that meets ACEA A3
or API SM specifications, but even then, only in viscosity grades SA E SW-40, SAE SW-30, or
SAE OW-40 . However, during the entire time
between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0 .5 qt/liter engine
oil that does not conform to Audi oil specifica­
tion VW 502 00 .
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or below the
minimum mark on the oil dipstick - and no oil
that expressly conforms to Audi oil standard
VW 507 00 specifications is available - may
you top off with a high quality engine oil, that
meets ACEA C3 or API CF specifications , but
even then, only in viscosity grades SAE
SW-40, SAE SW-30, or SAE OW-40. However,
during the entire time between oil change in­
tervals, never top off with more than a total
of 0.5 qt/liter engine oil that does no t con­
form to Audi oil specification VW 507 00 .
For more information about engine oil that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dealer or
Audi Customer Relations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or visit our web site at www.audiusa.com or
www.audicanada.ca. Here you will also find a
current list of oils (manufacturers , brand
names etc.) that conform to Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
Changing the engine oil
Checking and filling 235
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the mileage (kilometers) and
time intervals specified in your vehicle's War­
ranty
& Maintenance booklet. Do not exceed
these intervals -harmful deposits from old
engine oil can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the oil at the recommended inter­
vals is so very important because the lubricat­
ing properties of oil decrease gradually during
normal vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have your oil changed, ask your author­ ized Audi Service Advisor.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should even be changed more frequently. Change oil more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing point for
long periods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run­
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than recommended.
Damage or malfunctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that you change your oil at the
recommended intervals using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oil standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine). Your
Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover
damage or malfunctions due to failure to fol­
low recommended maintenance and use re­
quirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
Your dealer will have to deny warranty cover­
age unless you present to the dealer proof in
the form of Service or Repair Orders that all
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
•
•

236 Check ing and filling
Engine oil consumption
Th e e ngine in your vehicle depends on an ad e­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving parts.
In o rder to prov ide effec tive l ubrication and
c o oling of i nternal engi ne components, all in­
t e rnal com bustion eng ines consume a certa in
a m ount of o il. O il consumption var ies from
engine to eng ine and may change significant ly
ove r the life o f the eng ine . T ypica lly, eng ines
with a specified break -in per iod (see
<=>
page 207) cons ume more oil during the
break -in period than they consume after oil
consumption has stabilized.
Under normal conditions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity
of the oi l, the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road condit ions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil d ilution from water
condensation or fuel residue and the ox ida ­
tion level of the oil. As any engine is subject to
wear as mileage bu ilds up, the oil consump­
tion may in crease over t ime un til replacement
of worn componen ts may become necessa ry.
W ith all these var iables coming into play, no
standa rd rate of o il consumption can be es­
tablished or specified. The re is no alterna tive
to regular and frequen t checking of the oi l lev­
e l, see
Note .
If the ye llow eng ine o il level warn ing symbol
in the in strumen t cluste r
II lights up, you
should c heck t he o il level as soon as possible
<=> page 236 or ¢page 237. Top off the oi l at
your ea rliest convenience <=>
page 23 7.
.&_ WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> ..&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is like­
ly to ca use severe damage to the eng ine.
-
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warn ing display. is
not an indicator of the oil level. Do not
r ely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, pref­
erably each time you refuel , and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
cons umes excessive amounts of oil, we
recommend that you consult your Aud i
dea ler to have the cause of your con cern
prope rly d iagnosed. Keep in m ind that
t he accurate meas urement o f oil c on­
sumption requ ires great care and may
take some t ime. Your Audi dea le r has in­
struct ions about how to measu re oil con­
sumption acc urately.
Checking the engine oil level
Applies to vehicles : wit h oil level indicator
Fig . 201 Disp lay: o il leve l in dicator
.,. Par k your vehicle o n a level su rface.
.. Shu t the eng ine off w hen it is warm.
.. Switch only the ignition back on.
.. Wait approximately two minutes .
.. Select:
!CAR I function button > Car systems
contro l button > Servicing & checks > O il
level.
.. Check the oil level in the display c::> fig. 201.
Add engine o il if the bar of the oil level ind i­
cato r is nea r "min"
c::> page 23 7.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the operat ing cond it ions, o il cons umption
can be up to 1/2 quart pe r 600 miles (0 .5 liter
per 1 ,000 km) . Consumption may be highe r
within the first 3,000 m iles (5,000 km).
1111>

(D Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI Display is
only an information d isp lay. If the oil leve l
is low, a minimum oi l warning appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil
r::;, page 23 7 . If the hood has been opened,
the cu rre nt oil level is shown in the instru­
ment cluster the next time the ign ition is
sw itched on.
Checking the engine oil level
Ap plies to vehicles: with oil dipstick
Fig. 202 Oil dips tick: marking fields
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alway s read an he ed all WARN­
INGS r=;,page 231.
Determining th e oil le ve l
.. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.. Let the engine run in idle briefly while it is at
operating temperature and then shut the
engine off .
.. Wait approximately two minutes .
.. Remove the oil dips tick. W ipe off the oil dip­
stick with a clean cloth and insert it all the
way in again.
.. Remove the dipstick again and then read the
oil level
¢ fig. 202. Add engine oil if neces­
sary
r::;, page 23 7.
Oil l evel in th e (v area
.. Do no t add any oil.
Oil level in the @area
.. You may add oil. After adding oil, the level
should be in the
(v area.
Checkin g and fillin g 237
Oil le vel in the 0 a rea
.. Yo u must add oil. After add ing oi l, the level
should be in the
0 area.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope rat ing cond itions, oi l consumption
can be up to
1/2 quart pe r 600 miles (0.5 liter
per
1 ,000 km) . Consumption may be higher
within the first
3,000 miles (5,000 km). Be­
cause of this, the engine oil leve l must be
checked regularly.
It would be best to check
each time you refuel your vehicle and before
long drives .
Adding engine oil 9=:1-
0 N
N
"' :l!
Fig. 203 En gin e compart ment: cover on th e eng ine oil
filler neck
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment,
alw ay s re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS r::;, .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231 .
.. Shut the eng ine off .
.,. Unscrew the cap~ to the eng ine o il filling
hole
¢ fig. 203, r=;,page 233 .
.. Carefully top off with 0.5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropriate oil
r::;, page 234 .
.. Check the oil level aga in after two minutes
r::;, page 236, Checking the engine oil level or
r::;, page 23 7, Checking the engine oil level.
.. Top off the oil aga in, if necessary.
.. Screw the cap back on the filling hole .
A WARNING
-
-Wh ile topping off, the o il must not come
in contact with hot engine parts -fire
hazard!
II-

238 Check ing and filling
- The oil filler cap must be properly se­
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running - fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact w ith the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-Check the oil level. If the message
Pl ea se r educe oil le vel appears, contact
your authorized Audi dea ler or other
qualified workshop to have excess o il ex­
tracted if necessary .
-Aud i do es not recommend the use of o il
addit ive s. They ma y damag e the engin e
and ad versely affect yo ur New Vehicle
Warrant y.
@, For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact w it h the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow lega l regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station .
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment,
al ways read and h eed all WARN ­
INGS c::> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the intervals spec ified in your Warra nty
&
Maintenance book let . This is very important
because the lubricating prope rties of oil di­
minish gradua lly dur ing normal veh icle use .
Under some c ircumstances the eng ine o il
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive most ly short dis­
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con­
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera -tu res remain below freezing for extended pe­
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
o il look dar k after the engine has been run­
ning for a sho rt time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more oft en than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the specia l tools and necessary ex­
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Aud i deale r or a qualified service station.
If yo u choo se to chan ge your o il yours elf ,
please note the fo llowing important informa ­
t ion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil dra in p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
n ing down you r arm.
- Dra in the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amount of o il in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous . Keep it well out
of the rea ch of children.
- Continuous contact with used eng ine o il
is harmful to your sk in . Always protect
your skin by washing oil
off tho roughly
wit h soap and wate r.
(D Note
Neve r mix oil additives with you r engine
oi l. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Veh icle War ranty.

@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood­
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- 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
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro­ tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re­
q uir es lit tle atten tion .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac ­
tory with a pe rmanent coo lant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ial ly conditioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-based cool ant ad di-
tiv e G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi ­
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and p rotect s metal com ­
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil­
i ng point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mor e than 60 %
to main­
tain antifreeze protection and coo ling efficien­
cy .
If the coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coolant cou ld free ze and dam age the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for tempera tures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
Checkin g and fillin g 239
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa ­
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 231.
Q) Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate condi tions. This is especi ally impor­
tan t if you live i n a region wher e th e win­
ter is ex treme ly co ld. If necessary, i n­
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n ad ding coolant additive t o yo ur
c ooling sys tem, reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad­
d itive G12++ or Gl3 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au­
thor ized Audi dealers . O ther types of
a ntifreeze can s ignifica ntly reduc e cor­
rosion prote ction. The result ing cor ro­
sion can cau se a loss o f coolan t and se­
rio us engine d amage .
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal­
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine c oolant .
A dd ing radia tor repair fl uid may adverse ­
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of
your cooling system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty.
-
•
•

24 0 Ch eck ing and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
Fig . 204 Eng ine compartment: cover on the coolant
expa nsion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lwa ys re ad and h eed a ll WA RN­
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231 .
Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• Switch
off the ignition .
• Read the engine coolant leve l from the cool­
ant expansion tank
o fig. 204, o page 233.
With a cold engine, the coolant level should
be betwee n the "min" and "max" markings.
When the engine is warm, the level may be slightly above the "max" marking .
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus ­
tration
o page 233.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your 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
o page 16 wi ll
illuminate unti l you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time.
Coolant l oss
Coolant loss may indicate a le ak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool- ing system shou
ld be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dea ler . It is not
enough mere ly to add coo lant .
In a
sea le d system, losses can occur on ly if
the boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
A WARNING
-The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Red uce the risk of scald­
i ng from hot coolant by fo llow ing these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping flu id and steam by covering the
cap with a large, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise d irect ion while ap­
plying 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 glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your veh icle's engine coolant . Add­
i ng radiator repa ir fluid may adverse ly af­
fect the funct io n 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 eng ine com­
partment,
alw ay s re ad and h eed all WARN­
IN GS o .A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 231.
• Tu rnoff the engi ne.
• Let the eng ine cool down.