2015 AUDI Q7 engine

258 Checking and filling Engine compartment
These are the most important items that you can check .
Fig. 242 Typical layo ut for containers, engine oil di pstick and engin e oil fille r cap
(D W indshield/head light washer
t . (
;R ) con ainer ,.... .............. .
@ Coolant expansion tank (-L) .. .
@ Engin e oi l filler cap ('t".:r.) . .. .. .
©
®
®
(j)
Eng ine oil dipstick .......... .
Brake fluid reservoir
((0)) ..... .
Power steering reservoir ... .. .
Jump start connector( +) under 270
263
261
260
265
226
a cover,( ·) with hex head screw 268,317
The position of the engine o il fi lling hole and
the engine oil dipstick
r=;, fig. 242 (position ®
and @) can vary according to the type of en­
gine .
_&. WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS ¢.&.
in Working in the engine
c ompartment on page 256.
-
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interva l disp lay in t he instrument
cluster of your vehicle will inform you when it
is time for an oil change . We recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized Audi Service Advisor.
If you have to top
off the oil between oil
changes, use the Audi o il quality standard
spec ified in the table.
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
engine

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Using the proper engine oil is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine. Your engine was factory -filled with a
h igh-quality oil which can usually be used
t h roughout the entire year.
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not cover damage or ma lf u nctions due to
fa ilure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requirements as set forth in
the Audi Owner's Manual and Warranty
&
Ma intenance booklet .
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex­
pressly complies w ith the Audi o il quality
sta ndard specified for your veh icle's e n­
gine . U sing any other oil can cause seri­
ous eng ine dam age.
- Do not m ix any l ubrica nts o r othe r addi­
tives into the eng ine oi l. Doing so can
ca use eng ine damage.
I f you need to add oil and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi o il qua lity
s t andard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/ liter
of a high -quality "synthetic"oil t hat meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API S M with a viscosity grade of
SAE OW-30, SAE SW-30 or SA E SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 o r
API CF with a v iscosity grade of
SAE OW-30 or SAE SW-30.
- Fo r more information abo ut engine oi l
that has been approved for your vehicle, p lease contact either your a uthori zed
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822 -2834 or visit our web site
at www.a udiusa.com or
www.aud ica nada .ca.
Eng ine oil consumption
To provide effect ive lub rication and cooling for
internal engine pa rts, all inte rnal combust ion
engines use some oil. Oil consumption varies
Checkin g and fillin g 259
from engine to engine and may change ove r
the life of the engine. Engines tend to use
more o il during the break-in period than they
do afterward, when o il cons umption has sta­
bili zed. Depending on the way the vehicle is
driven and the operati ng conditions, oil con ­
sumption can be up to 1 quart per 1,200
mil es(! lite r per 2,000 km) . Consumption
may be higher wi thin the fi rs t 3,000 m iles
(5,000 km) .
Un der normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on o il quality as well as v is­
cosity, engine speed (rpm), outs ide tempera­
ture, road condi tions, the amount of oil d il u ­
t ion caused by condensed water or fue l resi­
due, and oxidation of the oi l. Oi l consump tion
may inc rease with engine wear over time, un ­
ti l replacement of worn engine parts may be ­
come necessary.
Beca use of all these variables, there is no
standard or "norma l" rate of o il cons umption .
We urge you to check the engine oil le vel at
regular intervals, p referably e very time you
fill the fuel tank, and always before a long
trip .
The oil p ressure wa rning light. is not an
indicato r of low engine oil le vel. If the wa rn ­
ing light does not go out after starting, or
flash es while dri ving (above 1500 rpm ), a
buzzer will sound . It indicates that the oil
pres sure is too low. Stop the engine immedi­
ately, che ck the engine oil level and add oil if
n ec ess ary. If the engine oil level i s normal,
but the light continues to flash , do not keep
driving or let the engine idle, as dam age may
occur .
If you believe yo ur engine uses too much o il,
we recommend that you consul t your author ­
ized Audi dea ler so that the ca use of yo ur con­
cern can be proper ly diagnosed . Keep in mind
that acc urate measurement of oil consump­
tion req uires great care and may take some
time . Your Audi dealer h as ins truc tions for
how to measure oil consumption accurately .
I),
•
•

260 Checking and filling
& WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
~ A in Working in the engine com­
partment on page
256 . The engine com­
pa rtment of any motor ve hicle is a poten­
tially d angerous area and can c ause ser i­
ous personal injury.
- The eng ine depends on o il to lubr icate
and cool a ll of its moving pa rts. The en­
gine o il m ust be che cked reg ularly and
k ept at the required leve l.
- Make it a habi t to have the eng ine oi l lev­
el checked every time you fill the fue l
tank .
- Too litt le engi ne oil may cause seve re e n­
gine damage.
Checking the engine oil level
The dipstick indicates the engine oil level .
Fig. 2 4 3 Illustrat ion of principle 1: Markers on oil dip ­
st ick
Fig. 2 44 Illustrat ion of p rinciple 2: Ma rkers on o il dip­
st ick
Before you chec k anythin g in the eng ine com­
partment,
a lw ays read and heed all WARN-
INGS ~.&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page
256.
Determin ing oil level
• Park yo ur vehicle so that it is horizontally
level.
• W hile at operat ing state tempe rature, brief­
ly let the engine run at idle and then s hut it
off .
.. Wait approx. two minutes .
.. Pull out the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil dip­
stick w ith a clean cloth, and slide it back in
as far as it w ill go.
• Pull it back out and read off the o il level
~ fig. 243 o r ~ fig. 244. Top off the eng ine
oil, if applicable ~
page 261.
Oil level within range 0
• Do not add oil.
Oil le ve l within range@
• Yo u can add oil. Afterwards, the oil leve l
should be within range
G).
Oil level within range 0
• You must add oil. Afterwards , the oil leve l
should be wi thin range
G) .
The oil leve l needs to be checked at regular in­
te rva ls. The best times to do th is are whenev ­
er you refuel and prior to long trips .
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope rat ing cond itions, oi l consumption
can be up to
1 quart pe r 1,200 miles (I liter
per
2,000 k m). Consumption m ay be higher
within the first
3,000 miles (5,000 km) .

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,...., ..,., ,....,
Adding engine oil~
Fig. 2 45 Eng ine co mpa rtment : cove r on the e ngin e o il
filler neck
Before you c heck anything in the engine com­
partment,
a lw ays r ead and h eed all WARN ­
ING S
9 A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 256 .
"' Shut the engine off.
"' Unsc rew the cap~ to the engine oil fill ing
hole
9 fig . 245, 9page 258, fig. 242 .
"'Carefu lly top off with 0.5 q uarts (0.5 liters)
of the appropriate oi l
9page 258.
"'Check the oil leve l again after two minutes
9 page 260, Checking the engine oil level.
"' Top off the oil again, if necessary.
"' Screw the cap back on the filling hole and
slide the oil d ipst ick in as far as it will go .
A 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 256.
The engine com ­
partment of any motor vehicle is a poten­
tially dangerous area and can cause ser i­
ous personal injury.
A WARNING
Spilled o il is a fire hazard.
- The oil fille r cap must be properly se­
c u red to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the eng ine is running.
- The oil leve l must not be above range ~
- danger of converter or eng ine damage!
Checkin g and fillin g 261
Contact an authorized deale rship to draw
off oil, if necessary .
-Audi doe s not re commend the u se of oil
additives. They m ay damage the engine
and ad ve rse ly affe ct you r New Vehicle
War ra nty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soi l.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers .
· Changing the engine oil
Engine oil must be changed at intervals listed
in the Warranty
& Maintenance booklet.
T he eng ine oi l and oil fi lter m ust be changed
accord 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 engine performance and can
lead to expens ive engine repa irs .
Changing oi l at reg ular intervals is so very im­
portant because the lubricat ing properties of
o il decrease gradually during normal vehicle
use. If you are not sure when to have the oil
c h anged, ask your authorized Audi Serv ice Ad­
viso r.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
shou ld eve n be changed more often than
spec ified for normal use. Change o il more of­
ten if you often dr ive short d istances , operate
the ve hicl e in dusty a reas or mostly under
stop- and-go t raffic conditions, or when you
use your veh icle where temperatures stay be ­
l ow freezing point for long periods.
Dete rgent additives in the oil will make fres h
o il look dark after the engine has been ru n­
ning for a sho rt time. This is normal and is not
a reaso n to change the oil more often than
recommended.
ll>-
•
•

26 2 Ch eck ing and filling
8_ WARNING
Stop! Before working in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
~ .&. in Working in the engine com­
partment on page
256 . The engine com­
partment of any motor veh icle is a poten­
tially dangerous area and can cause ser i­
ous personal injury.
8_ WARNING ,,,__
If you must change the engine oil in your
vehicle:
- Always wea r eye protection .
- T o reduce the ris k of burns from hot en-
gine oil let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- Whe n removing the oil drain plug with
yo ur fingers, stay as far away as poss ible.
Always keep your forearm paralle l to the
ground to he lp prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oi l into a container designed
for this pu rpose, one large enough to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine.
- To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use
empty food or beverage containers that
might m islead someone into dr ink ing
from them.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Cont inuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your sk in by washing thoroughly with
soap and water .
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adverse ly affect your Audi Limit­
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
@i For the sake of the environment
- Before changing the oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose of the old oil.
-
.
- Always dispose of used oil p roperly. Nev ­
er dump it on garden soil, in wooded
areas, into st reams or down sewage
dra ins.
- Recycle used oi l by taking it to a used en­
gine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station.
- We strongly recommend that yo u have
your oil changed by an authorized Audi
dealer or a qualified workshop with the
special tools and expert ise required, and
proper means 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.
The cooling system has been fi lled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coo lant cons ists of a
mixtu re of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's g lycol -basedcoo la nt add
i-
tive G l3 antifreeze with anticorrosion addi ­
tives (SO% for USA mode ls; 60% for Canadian
models). This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the eng ine's cooling system from
corros ion and scaling.
It also ra ises the bo il­
i ng po int of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool­
ant in the summer by adding p lain wate r. Th e
proportion of coo lant additiv e mu st be at
l e as t 50 °/4 but not m ore than 60°/4
to main­
ta in ant ifreeze protect io n and cooling eff ic ien­
c y.
If the coo lant fros t protection is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the vehi­
cle heating and engine cooling system.
For year- round driving, antifreeze is added at
t h e factory fo r temperatures down to:
- -31°F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.

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If you must add coolant, use a mixture of wa­
ter and coolant additive. Mixing the coolant
addit ive with distilled water is recommended .
.&_ WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ .&. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 256 .
(D Note
-Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is suffic ient to meet the cli ­
mate cond itions . Th is is especially impor­
tant if you live in a region where the w in­
te r is extremely cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proport ion of coolant additive
to 60% .
- When adding coolan t addi tive to you r
cooling system , remember:
- We recommend using only coolant ad­ ditive G12 ++ or G13 for your vehicle.
This coo lant additive is available at au­
thorized Aud i dealers . Other types of
antifreeze can significantly reduce cor­
rosion protection . Th e resu lting co rro­
sion c an cause a loss of coo la nt and se­
r ious engine damage.
- Do not add a ny type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant.
Adding rad iator repair fluid may adverse ­
l y affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could result in damage not covered by your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
-
Checkin g and fillin g 263
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance .
F ig . 2 4 6 En gin e compar tmen t: Coolant expan sio n ta nk
Befo re you check anyth ing in the eng ine com ­
partment,
alw ays r ead and he ed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 256 .
.,.. Park your vehicle on a level su rface.
.,.. Tu rn
off t he ignition .
.,.. Let the engine cool down.
.,.. Plac e a thick rag over the coolant expans ion
tank ¢
fig. 246, ¢ page 258, fig. 242 and
carefull y twist the cap counter-clockwise
¢_&. .
.,.. Read the engine coolant level in the open
coo lant expansion tank. W it h a co ld eng ine,
the coolant leve l should be between the
"min " and "max" markings. W hen the en­
gi ne is wa rm, the level may be slightly above
t he "max" marking.
T he location of the coo lant expansion tank
can be seen in the engi ne compa rtment illus­
trat ion
¢ page 258 .
To obtain an accu rate reading, the engine
must be switched off.
The expansion ta nk in your vehicle i s equ ipped
with an electric coolant level sensor .
When the coolant leve l is too low, the warning
light i n the Auto-Check System¢
page 32 will
blink unti l you add coolant and the level has
been restored to normal. Even though there is
an electric coo lant level senso r, we still rec­
ommend you check the coolant level from
t ime to t ime .

264 Check 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 io ns, the ethy lene g lycol in engine cool­
an t ca n 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 read and heed all WARN ­
INGS c:::> A in Working in the engine compart ­
ment on page 256.
.. Tu rn off the engine .
.. Let the engine cool down.
.. Place a thick rag over the coo lant expansion
tank
c> page 263 , fig. 246 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise c> ,&. .
.. Add coo lant m ixed in the correct rat io
c:::> page 262, Coolant.
.. Twist the cap o n again tightly.
Rep lacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
c> page 262, Coolant.
We recommend using only coo lant add it ive
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 considerab le amount of
coolant, the n you should add cold ant ifreeze
and co ld water on ly when the eng ine is cold .
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fi ll coo lant above the "MAX" mark. Ex­
cess coolant will be forced o ut 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 engi ne parts. Under certain
cond it ions, the ethylene g lycol in e n­
gine coolant can catch fire .

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-Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an­
t ifreeze in its or iginal container and well
out of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con­
tainer clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
- Coolant pollutes the environment and
could cause an engine fire. Excess coo l­
ant will be forced out through the pres­
sure re lief va lve in the cap when the en­
gine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be
added, the correct ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 262 must be re­
stored as soon as possib le.
@ For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Al­
ways dispose of used coolant while observ­ ing all environmental regulations .
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the
V-belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed
of the fan accord ing to the temperature of the
coolant .
An auxiliary electric radiator fan* switches on
and off depending on coolant temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxilia ry
fan can continue running for up to 10 minutes
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢& , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due to the heat build-up from the engine in
the engine compartment, or
- the engine compartment hea ts up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight .
Checking and fillin g 265
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the rad iator fan.
- The auxiliary electric fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running .
- The auxiliary radiator fan switches on au­
tomatically when the engine coolant reaches a certain temperature and will
continue to run until the coo lant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The brak e fluid lev el can be check ed with a
quick glance.
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Fi g. 247 En gin e compa rtm en t: cover o n the bra ke fluid
reservoir
Before you check anything in the eng ine com­
partment ,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 256.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir ¢
fig. 247, ¢ page 258,
fig. 242.
The brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings .
The brake fluid reservoir is located at the rear
partition of the eng ine compartment on the
left side ¢
page 258.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to t he automatic adjustment of the
brake pads. This is not cause for alarm. ..,_