2014 AUDI Q7 engine overheat

Catalytic converter
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
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 c::> page 249,
Gasoline .
... Never run the tank down all the way to emp­
ty .
... Never put too much motor oil in your engine
c::> page 263, Adding engine oil 't=r..
.,. Never try to push-or tow-start your veh icle.
The catalytic converter is an eff icient "clean­
up" device built into the exhaust system of
the vehicle. The catalytic converter burns
many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas be­
fore they are released into the atmosphere.
The exclus ive use of unleaded fuel is cr it ically
i mportant for the life of the cata lytic convert­
e r and proper functioning of the engine.
& WARNING ,~
T he temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result
in burns.
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can
cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
manifold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic con­
verter or heat shields . During driving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
overheat and cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank f illing with
leaded fuel will already seriously de-
grade the performance of the catalytic
conve rter.
Dri vin g and en vironm ent 233
-Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
c::> page 263.
- Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty. The engine cou ld mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into
the exhaust system and this cou ld cause
the catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ignition while the ve­
hicle is mov ing.
- Do not continue to operate your veh icle
under these conditions, as otherwise fuel
can reach the catalyt ic converter. Th is
cou ld result in overheating of the con­
verter, requir ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have you r vehicle main tained properly
and in accordance w ith the se rv ice rec­
ommendations in your Warranty & Maintenance book let.
- Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of t he vehicle will impair
the function of the emission contro l
system and could lead to damage.
@) For the sa ke of the env ironment
Even when the Emission Control System is
operating properly, the exhaust gas can have a sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under
some operat ing states. This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fuel may help,
or filling the tank with lead-free s uper
g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to vehicles: wit h diese l eng ine
The diesel part iculate filter filters nearly all of
the soot pa rticles out of the exhaust . T he fil­
te r clea ns itself automat ica lly under no rma l
driv ing cond itions. If the filter cannot clean it ­
self (for example, because you are on ly driving
short distances), the fi lter becomes clogged
with soot and the
Ill symbo l for the diesel
particulate filter i lluminates
c::> page 36. ..,_
•
•

24 2 Trailer towing
chains, make sure they wi ll not drag on the
road when you are driving .
The cha ins shou ld cross under the tra ile r
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
0 Note
If you are going to tow a tra ile r, you must
activa te the trailer operation mode
~ page 159, Towing a trailer.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
cor e and consid eration.
To obta in the best poss ible handling of vehicle
and tra ile r, p le ase no te the following:
.. Do not tow a loaded tra iler when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especia lly careful when pass ing othe r
vehicles .
.. Observe speed limits.
.. Do not driv e at the maximum p ermissible
speed.
.. Always apply brakes early.
.. Monitor the temperature gauge.
Weight di stributio n
Towing a loaded trai ler with an empty ca r re­
sults in a high ly unstable distribution of
weight . If this cannot be avoided, drive at very
l ow speeds only to avoid the risk of los ing
steering control.
A "balanced" rig is eas ier to operate and con ­
trol. This means that the tow vehicle should
be loaded to the extent possible and permiss i­
ble, while keeping the trailer as light as possi­
b le under the circumstances. Whenever possi­
b le, transfer some cargo to the luggage com­
pa rtment of the tow veh icle wh ile observing
tongue load requirements and vehicle loading
considerations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the more difficult it be­
comes for the driver to control the rig . Do not
drive at the maximum permiss ible speed . Re- duce your speed even more i
f load, weather or
wind conditions are unfavorable - particularly
when going downhill.
Red uce veh icle speed
immediately if the trail­
er shows the slightest s ign of sway ing.
Do not
t ry to stop the swa ying by acceleratin g.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds
f or vehicles tow ing tra ile rs are lower than for
r egular vehicles.
Always apply brakes early. When driving down hill, shift into a lowe r gear to use the en­
gine braking effect to s low the vehicle . U se o f
the brakes alone can cause them to overheat
and fail.
Coolant temperature
T he coo lant tempe ratu re gauge ~ page 10
must be observed caref ully. If the need le
moves close to the upper end of the scale, re­
duce speed immediately and/or turn off the
air conditioner.
If the coolant temperature warn ing light in
the instr ume nt cluster starts flashing., pull
off the road , stop and let the engine
idle for
about two min utes to prevent heat build -up .
A WARNING "--
Anyone not proper ly restrained in a mov-
ing vehicle is at a much greater risk in an
accident. Never let anyone ride in your car
who is not properly wearing the restraints
p rov ided by A udi .
Trailer towing tips
Important to know
Your vehicle handles d ifferently when towing
-
a trai ler because of the additional weight and
different weight distr ibut ion. Safety, perform­
ance and economy will great ly depend on how
ca refully you load your tra iler and operate
yo ur rig .
Before you act ua lly tow your tra iler, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area
away from traffic. Keep pract ic ing unt il you

264 Check ing and filling
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
A WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
partment, a lways read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c> .&. in Working in the engine com­
partment on page 257. The engine com­
partment of any motor veh icle is a poten­
tially dangerous a rea and can cause ser i­
ous personal injury.
A WARNING
If you must change the engine oil in your
vehicle:
- Always wea r eye p rotection.
- T o reduce the r isk of burns from hot en-
gine oil let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drai n plug with
yo ur finge rs, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forea rm pa ra ll el t o the
ground to he lp prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Dr ain the o il into a container designed
for this p urpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
yo ur engine .
- T o reduce the r is k of po ison ing, never use
empty food or beverage containers that
might mis lead someone into drinking
from them.
- Engine oil is poisono us. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Cont inuo us contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin . Always protect
yo ur sk in by washing thoro ughly with
soap and water.
@ Note
Never mix oil ad ditives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
(® For the sake of the environment
- Before changing the oil, first make sure
you know where you can prope rly dispose
of the old o il.
- Always dispose of used oil p roperly. Nev­
er dump it on garden soil, in wooded
areas, into streams or down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used o il by tak ing it to a used en­
gine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a se rvice station.
- We strongly recommend that yo u have
your oil cha nged by an authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop with the
special tools a nd expert ise required, and
prope r m eans of disposal.
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.
T he cooling sys tem is sealed and genera lly re­
quires little attention.
T he coo lin g sys tem has been fi lled a t the fac­
tory with a permanent coolan t which does not
need to be changed . The coo lant cons ists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacture r's g lycol-basedcoo lant add i-
t ive
Gl3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi­
t ives (SO% for USA models; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sa ry frost protection and protects metal com ­
ponents in the eng ine's cooling system from
corros io n and scaling.
It also ra ises the bo il­
i ng po in t of the coolan t.
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool ­
ant in the summer by addi ng p lain water .
The
proportion of coolant additiv e must be at
lea st 50 % but not more than 60°/o
to main ­
t ai n ant ifree ze pro te ct io n and cooling eff ic ien­
cy .
If the coo lant fros t protec tion is too low '
t h e coo lant co uld freeze and damage the vehi-
cle heating and engine cooling system. ..,.

26 6 Ch eck ing and filling
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a l ea k in t he cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool ­
ing system should be inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant.
I n a
se ale d system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant 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 following these
steps .
- Turn off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter -clockwise direction wh ile ap ­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap .
- To avoid being burned, do not spill ant i­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot eng ine parts. Under certain condi­
t ions, the ethy lene g lycol in engine cool­
an t can ca tch f ire.
0 Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's eng ine coolant. Add­
ing radiato r repair fluid may adve rsely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could res ult in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty .
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything i n the engine com­
pa rtmen t,
a lwa ys rea d and h eed all WARN ­
INGS c:::> A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 257.
.. Tu rn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank
c> page 265 , fig. 245 and car efully
twist the cap counter-clockwise c> ,&. .
.. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
c:::> page 264, Coolant.
.. Twist the cap on again tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c> page 264, Coolant.
We recommend using only coo lant additive
G12 ++, G13 or in an emergency G12 +. Do
not
use a different add itive. In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the correct addi­
t ive and can restore the correct ratio . This
shou ld be done as soon as poss ib le.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant, then you should add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld water only when the eng ine is cold .
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fi ll coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forc ed out through the
pressure relief valve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of
scalding from hot coolant by following
these steps.
- Turn off the engine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering
the cap with a large, th ick rag.
- Turn the cap s low ly and very carefully
in a counter-clockwise direction while
applying light, downward pressure on
the top of the cap.
- To avoid being burned, do not spill an­
tifreeze or coolant on the exhaust sys­
tem or hot engine parts. Under certain
cond it ions, the ethylene g lycol in en ­
gine coolant can catch fire .