2014 AUDI S8 check engine light

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. .,.

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>

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.

~ 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. •
•

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

298 Index
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Setup ..... ................ ..... .. 82
Automatic climate control system
synchron izing .......... .. .. .. .. .. .. 81
Automatic transmission . .. .. .. .. .. .. . 116
Automatic transmission (tiptronic) Emergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Kick -down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Manual shifting .......... .. .. .. .. . 119
Parking lock emergency release . .. .. . 121
Selector lever positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Automatic wipers .................. .. S3
Auto Safety Hotline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Average consumption ........... .. .. .. 25
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Avoid damaging the vehicle ...... .. .. . 209
B
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Charging . .. ................ ... .. . 245
I mportant warnings .......... .. .. . 243
L ocat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
low ... .. .. .. . .......... .. .. .. .. . 204
Replacing the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
State of charge ............ ... .... . 204
Winter operation .......... ... .... . 243
Working on the battery .... .. .. .. .. . 243
Before driving ........... .. .. .. .. .. . 135
Blended gasoline . ...... ... .... .. .. . 222
Blower (automatic climate control) . ... .. 81
Booster seats .............. ... .. ... 185
Brake fluid Changing the brake fluid ... .. .. .. .. . 242
Check ing the brake fluid level ... .. .. . 242
What is the correct brake fluid level? .. 242
What should I do if the brake fluid warn-
ing light comes on? ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 242
Brake system Anti-lock braking system ... .. .. .. .. . . 19
Brake assist system ......... .. .. ... 199
Brake booster . .. ...... .... ... .. .. . 203
Brake fluid .............. .... ..... 242
Brake fluid spec ificat ions for refill and re­
p la cement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Brake light defective ....... ... .... . . 22
Brake pads ............... ... .... . 207
Electromechanica l parking brake .. .. . . 86 Fluid
reservoir ... ................ . 242
How does moisture or road salt affect the
brakes? .......................... 201
Warning/indicator lights ........ .... . 14
Worn brake pads symbol . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
braking guard Messages ..... .. ............. .... 101
Braking guard . .. .. ... .......... .. .. . 94
Settings .. .... ............... .... 101
Break-in period .. .. ... .......... .. .. 207
Brake pads .. .. .. .......... ... .. .. 207
Tires ...... ... .. .. ........ ... .. .. 207
Bul bs .. .... .... ................... 282
C
California Proposition 65 Warning ..... 232
Battery specific . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24S
Capacities .. .. .. . .............. .. .. 290
Engine oil ..... .. ... .......... .. .. 234
Carbon parts Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218,219
Car carrier Transporting your vehicle ....... .... 287
Care ... .... .... ............... .... 216
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment . .. .. .. 141
Catalytic converter . ................. 208
Center armrest
Cockpit ........................... 61
Rear ............................. 68
Central locking .. .. ... ........... ... . 33
Emergency locking .. ........... .... . 37
Certification .. .. .. ............. .. .. 29S
Changing a wheel .. ............. .... 272
Chang ing engine oil ....... ...... .. .. 238
Checking Engine coolant level . ........... .. .. 240
Tire pressure .................... .. 254
Child restraints Danger of using child restraints in the
front seat . ................... .... 15S
Where can I get additional information
about child restraints and their use? .. 196
Child restraint system anchors ..... ... 190