2014 AUDI A8 check engine

~ Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 240, fig . 204 and car efull y
twist the cap counter-clockwise ¢ ,A.
~ Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 239, Coolant.
~ Tw ist the cap on again tightly .
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications ¢
page 239, Coolant .
We recommend using on ly coolant additive
G12 ++, G 13 or in an emergency G12 +. Do
not
use a different additive. In an emergency use
pla in water until you can get the correct addi­
tive 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 co ld antifree ze
and cold water only when the eng ine is co ld.
A lways use
new engine coolant when ref illing.
D o not fill coolan t above the "M AX " mar k. Ex­
cess coolan t will be forced ou t th rough the
p ress ure re li ef va lve in the cap when the en ­
gine becomes hot .
&_ WARNING
- The coo ling system is under press ure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
sca ld ing from hot coolant by f ollowing
these steps .
-Tu rn off the engine and a llow i tto cool
down.
- P rotec t your f ace, hands an d ar ms from
escaping f lu id and ste am by cover ing
the cap with a large, thick rag.
- Tu rn the ca p slowly and very ca re fully
in a counte r-clockwise d irect ion while
app ly ing light, downwa rd p ress ure on
the top of the cap.
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill 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 catc h fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store an­
t ifreeze in its or iginal container and well
o ut of the reac h of children .
Checkin g and fillin g 241
-If you dra in the coo lant, it m ust be
caught and safely stored in a pr oper con ­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
([) Note
-Coo lant poll utes the environment and
co uld cause an engine fi re . Excess cool ­
ant will be forced out th ro ugh the pres­
sure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot .
- If, in an eme rgency, only wate r can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 239 must be re­
stored as soon as poss ible .
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coola nt should not be reused. A l­
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ­
i ng all env iro nmental regula tions .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The rad iator fan is dr iven by the engine via the
V-belt. The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan acco rding to the temperature of the
coolant .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* sw itches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle operat ing cond it io ns.
After you switch the engine off, the aux iliary
fan can continue running for up to 10 m inutes
- even w ith the ignition off . It can even switch
o n aga in later by itself¢
A, if
- the temperature of the engine coo lant rises
due to the heat build- up from the engine in
the engi ne compa rtment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
&_ WARNING
- To reduce the risk of perso nal inj ury nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
II>-
•
•

242 Checking and filling
-The auxiliary e lectric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not runn ing.
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant
reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coolant temper­
ature drops .
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brake fluid level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fig . 205 E ng ine co mpartment: cove r on the brake fluid
r eservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS 9 &_ in Working in the engine compart­
m ent on page 231.
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir
9 fig . 205, q page 233. The
brake fluid leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fl uid reservoir can be
seen in the engine compartment illustrat ion
9 page233.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be­
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/ind i­
cator light
1111 (U.S. models)/ . (Canadian
models) will come on
q page 14. Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle . T he complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied fac ility and the cause corrected.
If th e
brake flu id level is too low, the brake wa rning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by on experi­
enced technician.
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
a fter 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 flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4" .
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficu lt to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author ­
ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fluid and the know-how
to do this for you .
.&, WARNING
-Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stor­
ed only in the closed origina l container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can result from old or inap­
propriate brake fluid. Observe these pre­
cautions:
- Use only brake fluid that meets SAE
spec ification
J 1703 and conforms to
Federa l Motor Vehicle Standard 116.
Always check with your authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure you are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of
brake fluid is also indicated on the
brake fluid reservoir .
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is Left in the system too
lllJ.

long. This can seriously affect the effi­
ciency of the brakes as well as yo ur
safety. This could result in an acc ident.
0 Note
Brake f luid will damage the paint of your
vehicle.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of brake fl uid as we ll as the special tools
req uired and the necessa ry expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
Under normal operating conditions, the bat ­
tery in your A udi does not need any mainte ­
nance . With
high outside temperatures or
long dai ly dr ives we recommend that you have
the electro lyte level checked by a service fa­
cility. T he electrolyte level shou ld also be
checked each time the battery is charged
-:;, page 245.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service. You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than 5 years.
W ith certa in types o f airbag deployment, the
battery is d isconnected from the vehicle elec­
tr ica l system for safety reasons¢
& in Re­
pair, care and disposal of the airbags on
page 167.
Disconnect ing the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu­
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals a re d isconnected. These functions have
to be relearned after the battery terminals a re
connected again . To prevent this, the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lec trica l system whe n absolu tely ne cessa ry
f or repairs.
Checkin g and fillin g 243
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do no t drive your vehicle over a period
of seve ra l days o r weeks, e lectr ica l compo ­
nents are g radually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
ta ins starting capability over a longer period
¢
page 204. Some of the convenience func­
tions may not operate, such as the inter ior
l igh ts or the power seat adjus tment. The con­
venience functions will be ava ilab le aga in
whe n you swi tch on the ignition and sta rt the
engine.
Winter operation
During the winte r months, battery capacity
tends to dec rease as temperatures drop. This
i s because more power is a lso consumed wh ile
s ta rt ing, and the headlight s, rea r window de­
fogger, e tc., are used more ofte n.
Avoid unnecessary powe r consumpt ion, par­
ticu larly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let yo ur au thoriz ed Aud i
de aler check the cap acity of the vehicle b at­
tery before winter sets in~ page 245. A well
charged bat tery will not on ly prevent starting
problems w hen the weather is cold, but w ill
a lso last longer.
{!) Tips
If yo ur vehicle is left s tandin g for seve ral
weeks at extreme ly low tem peratures, the
vehicle battery sho uld be removed and
stored w here it w ill not freeze . T his will
prevent it from be ing damaged and having
to be replaced.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located in the luggage compart ­
ment under the floor. Before you check any­
th ing in the luggage compartment,
read and
heed all WARNINGS
¢ .&_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent injury. •
•

_& WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­ cessories contain lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer and reproduc ­
t ive p roblems. Wa sh hands afte r han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not d isconnect the ve hicle battery
when the ignition is on or when the en ­
gine is running, otherwise, you will dam­
age electron ic components in the elect ri­
cal system .
- If yo ur vehicl e is going to stand for a
l ong pe riod of time wi thout bei ng d riven,
protect the battery from "free zing", oth­
e rwise it wil l be damaged and w ill then
have to be replaced.
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
F ig. 206 Eng ine co mpartment : c o nnecto rs fo r a charg ­
er and ju mp sta rt cab les
Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS be low
¢ &. and
¢&. in Working on the ba ttery on
page 24 4.
• Switch off th e ignit ion and a ll electrica l con­
s u mers.
• M ake sure the are a is well vent ilated when
yo u charge the bat tery.
• Open the engi ne hood
¢ page 231.
• Remove the cover@ by press ing o n the ar­
row
¢ fig . 206.
Checkin g and fillin g 245
• Open the cover @on the pos itive termina l.
• Connect the charge r co nnectors accord ing to
the instruct ions to the
jump sta rt bolts.
(Bo lts under the red cover = "posit ive", Bo lts
w ith hex head= "negative") .
• On ly now plug the mains lead for the charg ­
ing equ ipment into the wall outlet and tu rn
iton ¢_& .
• Make sure the charging rate is not over
30 amps /14.8 Volt .
• W hen the bat tery is fully c harged: T urn the
charg ing equipment off and remove the
mains lead from the wa ll out let.
• Now remove the clamps for the charging
equ ipment .
• Close the red cover on the positive pole.
• Close the hood ¢
page 232.
A discharged battery can freeze at tempera­
tures of only 32 F
0 (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat­
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it ¢ ,&. . However, we recommend not
u s ing a thawed batte ry aga in because th e ba t­
te ry casing can be c racked due to i ce fo rma­
t ion an d can leak ba ttery a cid.
Battery charging (Maximum charging rate
of 30 amps/14.8 Volt )
When charg ing at low vo ltages (e.g. wi th a
trickl e charger ), the ba tte ry cables do no t
have to be dis conne cte d firs t. T he bat tery
caps should
not be opened when charg ing a
batte ry .
I t i s no t ne cessa ry to remove the battery from
t he luggage compartmen t, a nd it is a lso not
necessary to d iscon nect the cab les.
Fast charging the battery (charging rate
above 14 .8 Volts)
Fo r tec hni ca l re asons do not use a battery
c h arger that uses voltage g reater than 14.8
Volts to charge yo ur vehicle's battery.
A WARNING
Charging a battery can be dangero us.
-Always follow the operating instructions
provided by the battery charger manu­
facturer when charging your battery.

246 Checking and filling
-Never charge a frozen battery. It may ex­
plode because of gas trapped in the ice.
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries which were fro­
zen. The battery housing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
froze .
- Charge the battery in a well ventilated
area . Keep away from open flame or elec­
trical spark. Do not smoke. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explosive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never connect or disconnect charger cables
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a battery is dangerous and
should only be attempted by a compe­
tent technician with the proper equip­ ment.
- Battery acid that may spill during charg­
ing should be washed
off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu­
tralize the acid.
(D Note
Never use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This will seriously dam­
age sensitive electronic components, such
as control units, relays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligent energy management in your vehi­
cle is responsible for distributing the electri­
cal energy throughout your vehicle
¢ page 204. The intelligent energy manage­
ment system will keep the engine battery
charged better than vehicles without this sys­
tem. To make sure the additional elec trical en­
ergy is available once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi- cations are listed on the battery housing. Your
authorized dealer must code the battery in
the energy management system to enable you
to use the energy management functions cor­
rectly after replacing the battery.
The new battery must have the same capacity,
voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction and plug sealing .
When installing the battery, make sure the ig­ nition and all electrical consumers are switch­
ed
off.
(D Note
- Make sure the ventilation hose on the
side of the battery is connected, other­
wise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Vehicles with the Start-Stop-System* are
equipped with a special cycle-proof AGM
battery. Installing a different type of
battery can cause problems in the vehi­
cle electrical system . When replacing the
vehicle battery, always install one with the same specifications as the original
battery.
- Battery mounts and clamps must always
be secured correctly.
- Read and follow the warnings under
¢ page 243, Working on the battery be­
fore performing any work on the battery .
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposal
of a battery, we recommend your author­
ized Audi dealer change the battery for
you. Batteries contain sulfuric acid and lead and must always be disposed of prop­
erly in compliance with all environmental
regulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment .

Windshield/headlight washer container
Fig . 207 Eng ine co mpartmen t: cove r on the win dshield
w ash er flui d reservo ir
The washer flu id container is marked with the
symbol ~ on its cap
c> fig. 207, c> page 233 .
.. Before you check anyth ing in the engine
compartment ,
always read and heed all
WARNINGS c> A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 231 .
.. Lift the filler cap tongue to add washer flu­
id . You can fill the container to the top .
.. Press the cap back onto the filler neck after
filling the containe r.
You can find the reservoir
capacity in the tab le
in
c> page 290 .
Clean water should be used when fill ing up. If
possible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
washer jets . Always add a glass cleaner solu­
tion (with frost protection in the winter).
(D Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze or
any other additives to fill up the wind­
shield washer reservoir.
Checking and filling 247

272 What do I do now ?
Spare wheel
App lies to vehicles: with spare wheel
The spare wheel is stored in the wheel well
underneath the floor panel in the luggage
compartment.
Fig. 220 L uggage compartment: spare wheel
Taking out the spare wheel
.,. Lift the cargo floor by the plastic handle
¢fig. 220.
.. Hook the hand le into the luggage compart­
ment weather strip .
.. Turn the large screw¢
fig. 220 counter­
clockwise.
.. Take out the spare tire.
.. Always store the vehicle tool kit, the jack*
and the replaced tire in the luggage com­
partment ¢
page 141.
.,. Unhook the cargo floor before closing the
rear lid.
&_ WARNING
-
Loose items in the passenger compart ­
ment can cause serious personal injury
during hard braking or in an accident.
- Never store the spare wheel or jack and
tools in the passenger compartment.
(D Tips
Check the inflat ion pressure of the spare
tire periodically to keep the tire ready for
use.
Changing a wheel
Before changing a wheel
Observe the following precautions for your
own and your passenger's safety when chang­
ing a wheel.
.. After you experience a tire failure, pull the
car well away from moving traffic and try to
reach
level ground before you stop ¢ .&_ .
.. All passengers should leave the car and
move to a safe location (for instance, behind
the guardra il)¢ .&_ .
.. Engage the
parking brake to prevent your
vehicle from rolling unintentionally¢ .&_.
.. Move
selector lever to position P ¢ A .
.. If you are towing a trailer, unhitch the trailer
from your vehicle .
.,. Take the
jack and the spare tire out of the
luggage compartment¢
page 270,
¢page 271.
&_ WARNING
You or you r passengers could be injured
while changing a wheel if you do not fol­
l ow these safety precautions:
-If you have a flat tire, move a safe dis­
tance off the road. Turn off the engine,
turn the emergency flashers on and use
other warning devices to alert other mo­
torists .
- Make sure that passengers wait in a safe
p lace away from the vehicle and well
away from the road and traffic.
- To help prevent the vehicle from moving
suddenly and possib ly slipping off the
jack, always fully set the parking brake
and block the wheel d iagonally opposite
the wheel be ing changed. When one
front wheel is lifted off the ground, plac­ ing the Automatic Transmission in "P"
(Par k) will
not prevent the vehicle from
mov ing.
- Before you change a wheel, be sure the
g rou nd is level and firm. If necessary,
use a sturdy board under the jack.
-

-When connecting jumper cables, make
sure that they cannot get caught in any
moving parts in the eng ine compart­
ment .
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ page 231.
(D Note
Improper hook-up of jumper cables can r u­
in the generator.
- Always connect POSITIVE( +) to POSI­
TIVE(+), and NEGATIVE(-) to NEGATIVE
( - ) gro und post of the battery manager
control unit .
- Check that all screw plugs on the battery
cells a re screwed in firmly . If not, tighten
pl ugs p rior to connecting clamp on nega ­
tive battery term inal.
- Please note that the procedure f or con­
nect ing a jump er cable as desc ribed
above appl ies spec ifically to the case of
you r vehi cle be ing jump started. When
you are giv ing a jump star t to an othe r ve­
hi cle, do
not connec t the negat ive (-) ca­
ble to the negat ive (-) terminal on the
discharged battery @¢
fig. 234. In ­
stead, securely connect the negative( -)
cable to e ithe r a solid metal component
that is firmly bolted to the engine block
or to the e ng ine block itse lf. If the bat­
te ry tha t is being charged does not vent
to the outside, escaping batte ry gas
could igni te and exp lode!
Emergency towing
with commercial tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for tow ­
tng.
The follow ing information is to be used by
commercia l tow tr uck operators who know
h ow to ope rate thei r equipme nt safe ly.
Emergenc y situ ation s 285
-Ne ver tow your Audi. Towing will cause
damage to the engine and tran smission.
- Never wrap the safety chain s or w inch ca­
ble s around the brake lines.
- To prevent unnece ssary damage , your Audi
must be transported with a flat bed tru ck.
- To load the vehicle on to the fl at bed , use
the towing loop found in the vehicle tools
a nd attach to the front or rear anchora ge
¢ page 285 and ¢ page 286 .
_& WARNING
A vehicle being towed is not safe for pas ­
sengers. Never allow anyo ne to ride in a
vehicle be ing towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Only install the front towing loop when it is
needed.
Fig. 23 5 Front bu mpe r: cove r
Fig. 236 Fr ont bu mpe r: sc rew ing in t he tow ing loop
-
The towing loop f its into the threaded hole lo ­
cated on the right s ide of the front bumpe r
and cove red by a sma ll cove r when not in use .
.. Remove the tow ing loop from the vehicle
too l kit .