2014 AUDI Q7 check engine

Checking and fillin g 259
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 2 41 Typ ical layout for conta iners, e ngin e oi l dipst ick and engine oi l fille r cap
(D Windshield/headlight washer
t .
(~) con ainer ,.,., ....... ... .. .. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
®
@
®
®
(f)
Eng ine oi l filler cap ("1:::r.) ..... •
Engine oi l dipstick .. .... .... .
Brake fluid reservo ir
(0)) ..... .
Power stee ring reservoir ... .. .
Jump start connector(+) under 272
265
263
262
267
228
a cover, (-) with hex head screw 270, 307
The pos ition of the engine o il filling hole and
the eng ine oil dipstick¢
fig. 241 (position @
and @) can
vary according to the type of en­
g ine.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
compartment on page 257.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine in your Audi needs the right kind
of oil.
The engine in your Audi is a sophisticated
powerplant that was built to exacting spec ifi­
cations . Th is eng ine needs the right k ind of
engine oil that meets specifications regardi ng
quality and viscosity so that it can run
smooth ly and reliab ly. Choosing the right o il
and changing oil within the time and mileage
intervals printed in your vehicle's Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet matters a lot more to­
day than it did years ago . Audi has deve loped
a spec ia l quality standard for engine oil that
will help assure that your vehicle's engine w ill
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
IIJ>,

260 Check ing and filling
oils available today provide better engine lu ­
brication that can outlast tradit ional petrole­
um-based o ils, making them a smart choice
for use throughout the life of your Audi.
Whether you use synthetic or petroleum ­
based engine oil, the oil that yo u use must
conform to Audi's oil q uality standard
VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) to
he lp keep you r vehicle's eng ine running
smoothly and help preve nt the formation of
h a rmful depos its , somet imes ca lled "sludge,"
that ove r time can lead to expensive repairs.
At the time of pri nting, engine oi ls available in
the U .S . and Canada that meet the exacti ng
specifications of A udi oi l standard VW 502 00
(vehicles wi th gasol ine engine) or VW 507 00
(vehicles wi th diesel engine) are synthetic en­
g ine oi ls . T his does not mean, however, that
eve ry synthetic engine oil will meet Aud i oil
standard VW 502 00 (vehicles with gaso line
engine) or VW 507 00 (veh icles w ith diese l
engine). So always be sure that you use an ap­
proved oil.
To help preve nt the fo rmation of harmful de ­
posits use only oi l w ith the fo llow ing spec ifi­
cations printed on the oil container :
-Audi oil standard VW 502 00 (ga soline en­
gine )
- Audi oil standard VW 507 00 (die sel en-
gine )
Oil conta iner labe ls may ca rry t he specifi ca­
tion s ingly or in combinat ion wi th o ther des ig­
nations and oil q ua lity standards.
Visco sity
Eng ine oils are graded acco rding to their v is­
cosity . T he proper v iscosity grade o il for your
engine d epends on cl imactic or seasonal con­
d it ions where you dr ive. You can use oi l w ith a
v iscosi ty g rade of SAE SW40 a cross all te m­
pe ra tu re ranges for normal d riving conditions.
H owever, if eng ine o il viscos ity grade SAE
SW40 is not avai lab le, you ca n also use viscos­
ity grade SA E SW-3 0 or SA E OW -40 a s long as
it meets A udi o il quality stan dard VW 5 02 00 (veh
icles w ith gasoline engine) o r VW 50 7 00
(ve hicles w ith diese l engine) specifications .
B ecau se eng ine o il that mee ts the Audi o il
sta ndard may not be availab le everywhere
when you need it, we strong ly recommend
t h at you a lways carry with you an extra quart
( li ter) of oil that express ly con forms to the
VW 502 00 (veh icles with gasoline engine) or
VW 507 00 (vehicles with d iese l eng ine) spec­
ification , in case you have to top off t he oi l
wh ile on the road.
Applies to vehicles with gasoline engine on ­
ly:
Only if the level of the o il is at or below the
min imum ma rk o n the o il dipstick -and no oi l
that expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 502 00 spec ificat ions is available - may
yo u t op off with a high quali ty e ngine o il, pr ef­
er ab ly synthe tic-based, tha t mee ts AC EA A3
o r API SM spec ificat ions, bu t even then, only
in viscosi ty g rades SAE SW -40, SAE SW -30, o r
SAE OW -40 . However, during t he ent ire time
between oil change intervals, never top off
with more than a total of 0.5 qt/liter engine
o il that does not conform to Audi o il specifica­
t ion VW 502 00 .
Applies to vehicles with diesel engine only:
Only if the level of the oil is at or be low the
min imum mark on the o il dipstick - and no oi l
that expressly conforms to Audi o il standard
VW 507 00 spec ificat ions is ava ilable - may
you top off with a h igh quality engine o il, that
mee ts AC EA C3 o r AP I CF spe cifica tions, bu t
even then, on ly in vis cosity gr ades SA E
SW -40, SA E SW -30, or SAE OW- 40. However,
during the entire time between oi l change in­
terva ls , never top off with more than a tota l
of 0 .5 qt/liter engine oil that does not con­
form to Audi oil specification VW 507 00.
F or more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r or
Audi C ustomer Re lations at 1 (800) 822-2834
or v is it our web si te at www.audiusa.com or
www .aud icanada .ca. Here you w ill also find a
c ur rent list of oi ls (manufacturers, bra nd
names etc.) that conform to Aud i oil standa rd .,.

VW 502 00 (vehicles with gasoline engine) or
VW
507 00 (vehicles with diesel engine).
C han gin g the en gin e o il
The engine oil and oil filter must be changed
according to the m ileage (ki lomete rs) and
time inte rva ls specified in your vehicle 's War­
r anty
& M aintenance booklet. Do not ex ceed
t hese intervals -harmf ul depos its from old
engine oi l can reduce engine performance and
can lead to expensive engine repairs.
Changing the o il at the recommended inte r­
va ls is so very important because the lub ric at­
ing p roperties o f oi l decrease grad ually during
norma l vehicle use . If you are not sure when
you have yo ur oi l changed, ask your a uthor­
ized A udi Service Advisor.
Unde r some ci rc u mstances the engine o il
should even be changed more frequently.
Change o il more often if you drive mostly
short distances, operate the vehicle in dusty
areas or mostly under stop-and-go traffic con­
d itions, or when you use your vehicle where
temperatures stay below freezing po int for
l ong periods .
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh
oil look dark after the eng ine has been run­
ni ng fo r a short time . This is no rmal and is not
a reason to change the o il mo re often than
r ec om mended.
Damage or malfun ctions due to lack of
maintenance
It is essential that yo u change your oil at the
recommended interva ls using only engine oil
that complies with Audi oi l standard
VW
502 00 (vehicles with gasoli ne engine) or
VW
507 00 (veh icles with diesel engine) . You r
Lim ited New Vehicle Wa rra nty does not cove r
damage or m alfu nct ions due to f ailure to fol­
l ow recommended maintenance and use re­
q uir ements as set forth in the A udi Owner's
M anual and Warranty
& M aintenance book let.
Your dea ler will have to deny warranty cover­
age un less you present to the dea ler proof in
the form of Service or Repa ir Orders that all
Checkin g and fillin g 261
scheduled maintenance was performed in a
timely manner.
· Engine oil consumption
To provide effective l ubr ication and cooling for
interna l eng ine parts, all interna l combustion
engines use some oi l. Oi l consumption varies
from eng ine to engine and may change over
the life of the engine . Engines tend to use
more o il du ring the b reak-in period tha n they
do afterward, when o il cons umption has sta­
bilized. Depend ing on the way the vehicle is
driven and the operating conditions, oil con­
s u mption can be up to
1 quart per 1,200
miles (l liter per 2,000 km) . Consumption
may be higher within the first
3,000 m iles
(5,000 km) .
U nder normal conditions , the rate of oi l con ­
s u mption depends on oi l quality as well as vis­
cosity, engine speed (rpm), outs ide tempera ­
ture, road conditions, the amount of oil dilu­
tion caused by condensed water or fue l resi­
due, and ox idat ion of the o il. Oi l consumption
may increas e with eng ine wear over time, un­
t il rep lacement of worn engine pa rts may be­
come ne cessa ry.
Because of all these var iables, there is no
standard o r "n orma l" rate of o il cons umption .
We urge you to check the engine oil level at
regular interval s, preferably every time y ou
fill the fuel t ank, and always before a long
trip .
The oil pres sure warning light. i s not an
indicator of low engine oil level. If the warn ­
ing light does not go out after starting, or
flashes while dr iving (above 1500 rpm), a
buzzer will sound. It indicate s that the oil
pressure is too low . Stop the engine immedi ­
ately , check the engine oil level and add oil if
necessa ry. If the engine oil level is normal,
but the l ight continues to fla sh, do not keep
driving or let the engine idle, as damage may
occur .
IIJ,
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•

262 Checking and filling
If you believe your engine uses too much oil,
we recommend that you consult your author­
ized Audi dealer so that the cause of your con ­
cern can be properly diagnosed. Keep in m ind
that accurate measurement of oil consump­
tion requires great care and may take some
time. Your Audi dealer has inst ruct ions for
how to measure oil consumption accurately .
_& WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
pa rtment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
9 .&. in Working in the engine com­
partment on page 257.
The engine com ­
partme nt of any motor veh icle is a poten ­
tially dangerous area and can cause ser i­
ous personal injury.
(D Note
- The eng ine depends on oi l to Lubricate
and cool a ll of its moving parts . The en­
gine oil must be checked reg ularly and
kept at the required level.
- Make it a habit to have the engine oil Lev­
el checked every time you fill the fuel
tank.
- Too little engine oi l may ca use severe en­
gine damage.
Checking the engine oil level
The dipstick indicates the engine oil level.
F ig. 2 42 Illustrat ion of p rincip le 1: Ma rkers o n oil dip·
st ick
Fig. 243 Illust ratio n of p rinciple 2: Ma rke rs on oil d ip ·
s ti ck
Befo re you check a nyth ing in the engine com ­
partment,
alway s read and heed all WARN­
INGS 9 A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 257 .
Determining oil level
.,. Park your vehicle so tha t it is horizontally
Level.
.,. Whi le at operating state temperature, br ief­
ly let the engine run at idle and then shut it
off.
.,. Wait approx. two minutes .
.,. Pull out the oil d ipst ick . W ipe off the oil dip­
st ick w ith a clean cloth, and slide it back in
as far as it wi ll go.
.,. Pull it back out and read off the o il Level
r=.> fig. 242 or 9 fig. 243. Top off the eng ine
oil, if applicable
9 page 263 .
Oil level within range@
.,. Do not add oil.
Oil le vel within r ange @
.,. You can add oil. Afterwards, the oil leve l
should be within range
G) .
Oil lev el within rang e 0
.,. Yo u must add oil. Afterwards, the oil leve l
should be within range
G) .
The oil leve l needs to be checked at regular in­
terva ls. The best times to do this are whenev-
er you refuel and prior to Long trips .
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the opera ting cond it ions, oi l cons umption
can be up to 1 quart per 1,200 mi les (1 liter ..,.

per 2,000 km). Consumption may be higher
within the first 3 ,000 mi les (S,000 km).
Adding engine oil "1:::1:
0 N ~ N
" "' "'
F ig . 2 44 Eng in e c omp art m ent: co ver on the eng ine o il
fi ller nec k
Befo re you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
al way s read and heed all WARN ·
INGS ¢&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 257 .
... Sh ut the engine off.
.,. Unscrew the cap~ to the engine oil fill ing
hole ¢
fig. 244, ¢ page 259 , fig . 241.
... Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0 .5 lite rs)
of the appropriate o il ¢ page 259.
.,. Check the oil leve l aga in afte r two minutes
¢ page 262, Checking the engine oil level.
.,. Top off the oil again, if necessary.
... Screw the cap back on the filling hole and
sli de the oil dipst ick in as far as it will go.
A WARNING
Stop! Before work ing in the engine com ­
partment, always 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 pe rsonal injury.
.&, WARNING
Spilled o il is a fi re ha zard.
- The oil filler cap must be prope rly se­
cur ed to preve nt oil from being sprayed
on the ho t engine and exhaust sys tem
when the eng ine is r unning .
-
Checkin g and fillin g 263
@ Note
-The oil leve l m ust not be above range (v
- danger of converter or engine damage!
Contact an authori zed dealership to draw
off oil, if necessary.
- Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adverse ly affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
® For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulat ions
when dispos ing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
E ngine oil mus t be changed a t in tervals lis ted
in the Warranty
& Maintenance bookle t.
The engin e oi l and oil f ilter m ust be changed
acco rd ing to the mileage and time intervals
specified in yo ur vehicle's Warranty & Mainte·
nance booklet . Do not exceed these intervals -
harmful s ludge and deposits from old engine
o il can reduce engi ne pe rformance and can
l ead to expens ive engine repa irs .
Chang ing oil at regular interval s is so very im­
po rtant because the lubricat ing p roperties of
o il decrease gradually du ring normal veh icle
use. If you are no t su re when to have t he oi l
c h anged, ask your a uthori zed Audi Serv ice Ad­
visor .
U nder some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be cha nged more often than
spec ified for normal use. Ch ange o il more of­
ten if you often drive short distances , operate
the ve hicle in dusty areas or mostly under
stop -and -go t raffic conditions, or when you
u se you r veh icle where temperatures stay be­
low free zing point for long periods .
Dete rgent additives in the oil will make fres h
oi l look dark afte r the engine has been run-
ning for a short time . Th is is normal and is not
Ill>
•
•

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. ..,.

For year-round driv ing, antifreeze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- - 31 °F (- 35 °C) USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada .
If you mus t add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant
additive with distilled water is recommended .
A WARNING
-
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢
A in Working in the engine
compartment on page 257.
(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 extremely cold.
If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant additive
to 60%.
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­
ditive Gl2++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coolant additive is available at au­
thorized Audi dealers. Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection . The resulting corro­
sion can cause a loss of coolant and se­
rious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Adding radiator repair fluid may adverse­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Checking and filling 265
Checking the engine coolant level
T he engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
Fig. 245 En gin e compar tment: Coolant expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 257 .
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface.
.,. Turn
off the ignition .
.,. Let the engine cool down.
.,. Place a thick rag over the coolant expans ion
tank ¢
fig. 245, c> page 259, fig. 241 and
carefully twist the cap counter-clockwise
¢,&. .
.,. Read the engine coolant level in the open
coolant expansion tank. With a cold engine,
the coolant level should be between the
"min " and "max" markings. When the en­
gine is warm, the level may be slightly
above
the "max" marking.
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus­
tration
¢ page 259 .
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion tank in your 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 32 will
blink until you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coolant level sensor, we still rec­ ommend you check the coolant level from
time to time .

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 .