2015 AUDI Q7 check engine light

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 .
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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. ..,_

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Disconne cting the batt ery t erminals
Some vehicle functions (power w indow regu ­
l ators, for example) are lost if the battery ter­
minals are disconnected . These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again. To prevent this, the battery
should only be disconnected from the vehicle
electrical system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicle s not driven fo r lo ng period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo­
nents are gradually cut back or switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main­
tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod
¢ page 228 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your vehicle, some convenience functions,
such as the inter ior lights or the power seat
adjustment, may not be available . The con­
ve nience funct ions w ill be available again
when yo u turn on the ignition and start the
engine.
Winter op eration
During the winter months, battery capacity
tends to decrease as tempe ratures d rop . This
i s because more powe r is also consumed while
start ing, and the headl ights, rea r window de ­
fogger, etc., are used more often.
Avo id unnecessary power consumption, par­
ticularly in c ity t raffic or when t rave ling on ly
short d istances. Let you r autho rized Aud i
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat­
tery before winter sets in ¢
page 268. A well
charged battery wi ll not only prevent starting
prob lems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
If your vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low temperat ures, the
veh icle battery should be removed and
stored where it will not freeze. This will
prevent it from bei ng damaged and hav ing
to be replaced.
Checkin g and fillin g 267
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The battery is located under the driver 's seat.
Before you check anyth ing under the dr iver's
seat,
read and h eed all WARNINGS G &_ .
Always heed the safety warnings , when work­
ing on the vehicle battery or the vehicle e lec­
trical system to prevent injury .
The following WARNINGS are ver y
important when working on the batter y:
Alway s heed the following WARN IN G SY M-
BOLS a nd safety p re caution s when working
on the battery .
®
Alway s wear e ye prote ction.
~
Batt ery acid contain s sulfuric acid. Al -
w ay s we ar gloves and eye prot ection.
@
No
-spa rk s
- flam es
- smoking .
~
When a b atter y is ch arged , it produces
h y drogen g as w hic h is e xplosi ve and
could cause pe rsonal injur y.
®
Alw ays keep the batt ery well out of
r e a ch of childr en.
A WARNING
Whenever working on the battery or on
the electrical system, there is the risk of
injury, accident and even fire. Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield your eyes.
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other inju ry.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu­
ric acid can cause blindness and severe
bu rns.
- Always wear g loves and eye protection.
Do not tilt the battery because acid
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268 Check ing and filling
could leak out of the venti lation
open ings.
- If you get battery acid in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several m inutes and get
medical attention.
- If you should ingest any battery acid,
see k medical attention immediately.
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, electric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
- Do not interchange the positive and neg-
ative cab les .
- When wo rking on the battery, be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would
cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion
and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
- Always keep the battery well out of the
reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys­
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca­
ble .
- Before perform ing any work on the elec­
trical system, sw itch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip­
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go­
ing to rep lace a ligh t bu lb, then it is
enough to sw itch off the lights.
- Before dis connect ing the battery, switc h
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other­
wise you will set off the alarm.
- Whe n disconnecting the batte ry, first
disconnec t the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnect ing the battery, make
s u re al l electrical consumers are switch­
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable . Never inter­
change the cables -this co uld start a fire!
- Never charge a frozen or a thawed-out
battery . It co uld explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis- charged batte
ry can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 oc).
-Make sure the vent hose is a lways attach­
ed to the opening on the side of the bat ­
tery .
- Never use batteries wh ich are damaged .
There is the danger of an explosion! Al­
ways replace a damaged battery.
A WARNING
-
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac­
cessories conta in lead and lead com­
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cance r and reproduc­
tive problems. Wash hands after han­
dling.
(D Note
- Do not disco nnect the vehicle battery
when the ignit ion is switched on or when
the engine is runn ing, otherwise, you will
damage electron ic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of ti me without be ing driven,
pro te ct the ba ttery from "freezing", o th­
erw ise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced .
Battery charging
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery .
Fig. 24 8 Eng ine compart men t: Co nnectors for ch arger
and jumper cables
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2 70 Ch eck ing and filling
Battery replacement
The new battery must have the same specifi­
cations and dimensions as the original equip­
ment battery.
Intelligen t energy management in your veh i­
cle is respons ible for d istributing the e lectr i­
cal en ergy throughout your vehicle
¢ page 228. The intell igent e nergy manage­
ment system w ill keep the eng ine battery
cha rged better then vehicles w ithout this sys­
tem . To make sure the additional e lectrica l en ­
ergy is availab le once again after you have
changed the battery, we recommend that you install batteries of the same type and manu­
facture only (the same as those installed at
the time your vehicle was delivered). Specifi­
cations are listed on the battery hous ing . Your
author ized dealer must code the battery in
the ene rgy management system to enable you
to use the energy management funct ions cor­
rectly after replac ing the battery.
If it is not poss ible to use a battery of this
type, the new battery must have the same ca­
pac ity, voltage (12 volts), amperage , con­
struction and plug seal ing.
When insta lling the battery, make sure the ig­
n it ion and all e lectr ica l consumers a re turned
off.
Q;) Note
Make sure the venti lation hose on the s ide
of the battery is connected, otherwise
fumes or battery ac id can leak o ut.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your autho r­
i z ed Audi dealer change the ba tte ry for
you. Bat teries contain s ulfu ric ac id and
lead and must always be disposed of prop ­
erly in compliance with all environmental
reg ulations. Disposing of vehicle batteries
improper ly is very dangerous to the envi­
ronment.
Windshield/headlight
washer container
F ig . 24 9 Eng in e compart ment : cover on t he wi nds hield
and headl ig ht* washe r fluid reservoi r
The washer fluid co nta iner is marked w ith the
symbol Won its cap
¢ fig . 249, ¢page 258,
fig. 242 .
.. Before you check anything in the engine
compartment,
alwa ys read and he ed all
W ARNING S
¢ & in Working in the engine
compartment on page 256 .
.. Lift the fille r cap tongue to add washer flu­
id. You can fi ll the container to the top.
.. Press the cap back onto the fi ller neck afte r
fi lling the container.
You can find the reservo ir
capacity i n the table
in
¢ page 325.
Clean water should be used when filling up . If
poss ible, use soft water to prevent scaling on
the washer jets. A lways add a glass clea ne r
solution (with frost prote ction in the winter).
0 Note
Do not mix engine coolant antifreeze o r
any other additives to fill up the wind­
s hi eld washer rese rvoir.