2015 AUDI A5 check engine

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Checking and Filling Hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the vehi­
cle.
Fig. 159 Driver's side footwell: e ng in e hood release lever
Fig. 160 Releas e lev er un der t he e ngin e hood
Before opening the engine hood, make sure that
the windshield wipers are flat against the wind­
shield . Otherwise, they could damage the paint
on the hood.
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever un­
der the instrument panel in the direction of the
arrow
c::> fig . 159.
.. Ra ise the hood slightly c::> &.
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
c::> fig . 160. This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coolant can burn you.
- To reduce the r isk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compa rt­
ment. Wait until no steam or coolant can be
Checking and Filling
seen or heard before carefully opening the
hood .
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from the
struts is reduced.
"' Let the hood
drop down and latch in place. Do
not try to push it shut;
it may fa il to engage
c::> &. -
A WARNING
A hood that is not comp letely latched could
fly up and block your view while driving.
- When you close the engine hood, check it to
make sure the safety catch has properly en­
gaged . The hood should be flush with the
surrounding vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood is
not secured properly, stop at once and close
it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in the
engine compartment.
-
Whenever you must perform any work in the
engine compartment, for example checking and
filling different fluids , there i s a risk of injury ,
burns and accidents. To prevent personal injury
always observe the following WARNINGS . The
engine compartment of any vehicle is a hazard­
ous area
c:> .&. .
A WARNING
-
To help avoid injury, before you check any-
thing under the hood:
- Turn off the engine.
- Remove the ignition key .
- Apply the parking brake.
- Move selector lever of automatic transmis-
sion to "P" (Park); put manua l transmission
in Neutral.
-Always let the engine cool down. Hot com­
ponents wi ll burn skin on contact .
191

Checking and Filling
-To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam or
coolant escaping from the engine compart­
ment . Wait until no steam or coolant can be
seen or heard before carefully opening the hood.
- Keep children away from the engine com ­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on hot engine compo­
nents. They can cause a fire.
- Never touch the radiator fan. The auxiliary
electric fan is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly .
- Never open the coolant reservoir cap when
the engine is still warm. The coolant system
is pressurized and hot coolant could spray
out.
- Protect your face, hands and arm from
steam or hot engine coolant by placing a
thick rag over the cap when you open the
coolant reservoir .
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances. This increases the risk of
burns.
- If work on the fuel system or the electrical
system is necessary :
- Always disconnect the battery.
- Never smoke or work near heaters or open
flames. Fluids in the engine compartment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher imme­
diately available .
- To avoid electrical shock and personal injury
while the engine is running or being started,
never touch:
- Ignition cables
- Other components of the high voltage electronic ignition system.
- If you must perform a check or repair with
the engine running:
- First, fully apply the parking brake, move
selector lever of automatic transmission
192
to "P" (Park); put manual transmission in
Neutral.
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hair from getting
caught in the radiator fan, V-belts or other
moving parts, or from contacting hot
parts . Tie back hair before starting, and do
not wear clothing that will hang or droop
into the engine.
- Minimize exposure to emission and chemi­ cal hazards
~ ,& .
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents, and certain vehicle components contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of Cali­
fornia to cause cancer and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In addition, certain flu­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands after handling .
(D Note
When adding fluids, always make sure that
they are poured into the proper container or
filler opening, otherwise serious damage to
vehicle systems will occur.
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect leaks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regularly. If you
see spots from oil or other vehicle fluids, have
your vehicle inspected by an authorized Audi
dealer.

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Checking and Filling
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check.
Fig. 161 Typical layout for containers and eng ine oil filler cap
(D Eng ine o il filler cap ( @ Jump start point(+) under a cover
@ Brake fluid reservoir((();) .... .. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (- L) .. .. .
® Jump start point(-) with hex head
195
202,237
199
198
screw ... .. ............... .. . 202, 237
@ Windshield/headlight* washer con-
tainer
(Q) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
The position of the engine oil filling hole
c:> fig. 161 (item@) can differ depending on the
engine design .
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
c:> &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 191.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
T he service interval disp lay in the instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change . W e recommend that you
have your oil changed by an authorized A udi Serv ­
ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
use the Audi oil qua lity standard specified in the
table .
Audi oil quality standard
Ga soline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
193

Checking and F ill in g
Using the proper engine o il is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-fi lled w ith a high-quality o il
which can usually be used throughout the ent ire
year.
@) Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended ma intenance and use
requ irements as set forth in the Audi Ow ne r's
Manual and Wa rranty
& Ma intenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil t hat ex-
pressly comp lies w ith the Audi o il quality
standard specified for your vehicle's e ngine .
Using a ny other oil can cause se rious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r othe r addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so can cause en ­
g ine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi o il quality standard
y o ur eng ine requires, you m ay add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/li ter o f a h igh-quali ty
"synthet ic"oil that meets the fo llowing speci ­
fications .
- V ehicles wi th gasoline engine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W- 30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE SW-40 .
- Fo r more informa tion abo ut engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either you r a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or Audi Customer Relations at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit o ur web site at
www .aud iusa.com or www .aud icanada .ca .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubrication and cool­
i n g of internal engine components, all interna l
combustion engines consume a certai n amount
of oil. O il consumption var ies from engine to en­
g ine and may change significant ly ove r the life of
194
the engine. Typically, eng ines with a specif ied
break-in period (see
¢ page 177) consume mo re
o il dur ing the b reak -in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed.
U nder normal cond itions , the rate of oi l con ­
s u mption depends on t he qu ality and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem ­
perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of o il di lution from water condensa ­
tion or fuel residue and the ox idat ion level of the
o il. As any engine is s ubject to wear as mileage
builds up, t he oil consump tion may inc rease ove r
t ime unt il rep lacement of wo rn component s may
become necessary.
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
sta ndard ra te of oil consumpt ion can be estab­
li shed or spe cified . There i s no altern ative to reg­
u la r and freq uent checking o f the oil leve l, see
Note .
If the yellow e ngine oi l leve l wa rning symbo l El
in the instr ument cluster lights up, yo u should
chec k the o il level as soon as possible
¢ page 195 . Top off the oil at your ear liest con ­
venience ¢page 195.
A WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the eng ine com­
partment, always read and heed a ll WARN­
INGS¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 191.
@ Note
Driving with an insufficient oi l level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressu re warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it . Instead, check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going on a long trip.
- If you have the impression yo ur engine con­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we r ecom-
mend that yo u consult an au tho rized Audi .,.

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dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the
accurate meas urement of oil cons umption
requires great care and may take some time.
An authorized Audi dealer has instructions
about how to measure oil consumption ac­
curately.
Checking the engine oil level
Fig. 162 MMI Disp lay: Oil level indicator
Read oil level
• Park your vehicle so that it is horizonta lly level.
• Shut the engine off when it is at operating tem-
perature.
• Switch only the ignition back on.
• Wait approx. two minutes.
• Select: Function button
~IC ~A ~R~I > Oil level. Or
• Se lect: Funct ion button
ICARI > Car systems*
control button > Servicing & checks > Oil level.
• Read the oil level in the MMI* Display
r:::>fig. 162. Add engine o il if the bar of the oil
level indicator is near "min"
r:::>page 195
Depending on the way the vehicle is driven and
the operating conditions, oil consumpt ion can be
up to a 1/2 quart per 600 miles (O.S liter per
1,000 km) . Consumption may be higher within
the first 3,000 miles (S,000 km).
@ Tips
The oil level indicator in the MMI* Display is
only an information disp lay. If the oil level is
too low, a minimum oil warn ing appears in
the instrument cluster. Add oil¢
page 195.
If the hood has been opened, the current oil
level is shown in the instrument cluster the
next time the ignition is switched on.
Checking and Filling
~ Adding engine oil
Fig. 163 Engine compartment: Cover on the oil filler neck
• Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 191.
• Shut the eng ine off.
• Unscrew the cap~ to the eng ine oil filling
hole
¢ fig. 163, ¢page 193, fig. 161.
• Carefully top off with 0 . S quarts (0.5 liters) of
the appropriate oi l
¢page 193.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢ page 195, Checking the engine oil level.
• Top off the o il 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 w ith hot engine parts -fire hazard!
- The oil filler cap must be properly secured to
p revent oil from being sprayed on the hot
engine and exhaust system when the engine
is running -fire hazard!
- If you r skin has come in contac t with the en­
g in e oi l, you must subsequently cleanse it
thoroughly.
CJ) Note
- Check the oil level using the radio or MMI*.
If the message
Please reduce oil level ap­
pears, contact your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop to have excess oil ex­
tracted if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle War-
ranty. ..,.
195

Checking and F ill in g
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come in
contact with the sewage network or the soil.
- Observe and fo llow lega l regu lations when
disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that hove your oil changed by on
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­
tion.
Before you check anything in the engine compa rt ­
ment,
alway s read and heed all WARNINGS ¢ .&.
in Working in the engine comportment on
page 191.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
i n terva ls specified in yo ur Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet . This is very important because the
lubricat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradua lly
during normal vehicle use.
Under some circ umstances the engine oi l sho uld
be changed more frequent ly . Change oil more of­
ten if you drive most ly short distances, operate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predom inantly
stop-and-go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperatures rema in below freezi ng
for extended periods.
Detergent addit ives in the o il w ill make fresh oil
look dark after the engine has been running for a
short time. This is normal and is not a reason to
cha nge the oil mo re often than recommended .
Because of the problem of proper disposa l, along
with the special tools and necessary expertise re­
qu ired, we stro ngly recommend that you have
your oil changed by an autho rized
Aud i deale r or
a qualif ied se rvice stat ion.
If you choose to change your o il yourself, please
note the fo llowing important information :
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of persona l inju ry if yo u
must c han ge the engine oil in your ve hicle
yo urself:
- Wea r eye p rotection .
196
-
-To reduce t he risk of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine coo l down to the touch.
- W hen removing the o il drain p lug with your
fingers, stay as far away as possib le. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the ground to
he lp prevent hot oi l from running down your
arm .
- Dra in the oil into a c ontainer designed for
this purpose, one la rge enough to hold at
least the tota l amount of oil in your engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it we ll out of
the reach of chi ld ren .
- Continuous contact w it h used eng ine oi l is
ha rmf ul to your skin. Always protect you r
skin by washi ng oil off tho roughly wi th soap
a nd wate r.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your e ngine and
adverse ly affect your Audi Limited New Vehi­
cle Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changi ng your oil, first make su re
you know where you ca n prope rly dispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used eng ine oil properly.
Do not d ump it on garden so il, wooded
areas, in to op en st reams o r down sewage
drai ns.
- Recycle used engi ne oil by taking it to a used
eng ine oi l collect ion fac ility in yo ur area, o r
c ontact a service station.
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 sealed and genera lly re­
q u ires little attention.
The cooli ng sys tem has been filled at the f actory
wi th a permanent coolan t which does not need to
be changed. The coolant consists of a mixtu re of
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N 1.1"1 ,....,
specially conditio ned water an d the manu fa ctu r­
er's glycol-basedcoolant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­
els; 60% for Canadian models). This m ixture both
assures the necessary frost protection and pro­
tects meta l components in the engine's cooling
system from corrosion and scal ing . It also raises
the boiling point of the coolant.
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding plain water .
The p ropor­
tion of coolant addit ive must be at l east 50 %
but n ot mor e th an 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
protection and cooling efficiency. If the coolant
frost protection is too low, the coolant cou ld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory fo r temperatures dow n to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with distilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 191.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant addit ive in your
vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli mate con­
dit ions. This is especially important if you
li ve in a region where the win ter is extreme­
l y co ld. If ne cessary, i ncrease the proport ion
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When adding coolant a ddit ive to you r cool ­
i ng system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2++ or Gl3 for your ve hicle. This
coolant additive is ava ilable at authorized
Audi dea lers. Other types of ant ifreeze can
significant ly reduce co rrosion protection.
Checking and Fillin g
The resulting corrosion can ca use a loss o f
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of rad iator le ak sealan t
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­
diator repai r fluid may adverse ly affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and could result in damage not cov­
ered by your New Vehicle Lim ited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
Fi g. 164 Engine compartment: Cover on the coolant ex­
pa nsion tank
.. Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
alwa ys re ad and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 191.
.. Park your vehicle on a level su rface.
.. Tu rn off the ignition .
.. Read the engine coolant level from the coolant
expansion tank
¢fig . 164, ¢page 193,
fig . 161 .
With a cold engine, the coolant leve l
should be between the "M IN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. When the eng ine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
¢page 193.
To obtain an a ccur ate reading, the engine m ust
be switched off.
T he expansion tank in yo ur veh icle is eq uipped
with an electric coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low, the wa rn ing
light in the Auto-Check System¢
page 17 will
197

Checking and F ill in g
blink until you add coo lant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an e lec­
tr ic coo lant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coo lant level from t ime to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in t he cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
system should be inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
I n a
s e a led system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
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 es­
caping fluid and steam by covering the cap
with a large, thick rag .
-Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in a
counter-clockw ise d irection while applying
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 ce rtain conditions,
the ethy lene g lycol in engine coolant can
catch fire.
{il) Note
Do not add any type of rad iator leak sealant
to your veh icle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
to r repair f lu id may adverse ly affect the func­
tion and performance of your cooling system
and could resu lt in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant .
Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment,
alway s re ad an d heed all WARN ING S
198
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 191.
Req uirement: There must be a res idual amo unt
of coo lant in the expans ion tank
~CD-
.,,. Turn off the engine .
.,,. Let the engine cool down.
.,,. Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
¢ page 197, fig. 164 and car efull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise
~ .&_ .
.,,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 196, Coolant up to the MAX marking .
.,,. Make sure that the flu id level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessa ry .
.,,. Twist the cap on aga in
tightly .
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢
page 196, Coolan t.
We recommend using only coo lant additive Gl2 +
+ , Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive. In an emergency use plain wa­
ter unt il you can get the correct additive and can
restore the correct ratio. This should be done as
soon as possible .
If you have lost a considerab le amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifree ze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coo lant when refilling.
Do not fil l coolant above the "MAX " mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out through the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine 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 eng ine and allow it to coo l
down.
- Protect you r face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag .
- Turn the cap s low ly and ve ry carefully in a
counter-clockw ise direction wh ile app ly ing
li ght, downward p ressu re on the top o f
the cap. ..,,.