2015 AUDI S3 check engine

220 Checking and Filling
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 159 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oi l d ipstick, and engine oil filler opening
CD Coolant expansion tank ( ... L) ... 226 The eng ine oi l filler opening and the d ipstick
@ Engine oil dipstick
...........
223 (items® and @)¢ fig. 159 may be located in
® E
ngine oi l filler open ing
('t=r.) 223 a different area depending on engine version.
© Brake fluid reservoir ((0) .. .. . 227 A WARNING
® Battery(+) under a cover 229 .. ... -
® Body ground point(-) Read
and following the WARNINGS before
checking anyth ing in the eng ine com part-
(j) Washer fluid reservoir(<$) . ... 232 ment ¢ page 217.
® Fuse housing ............. .. 276

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Checking and Fillin g 221
Diesel engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig. 160 Typical locat ion of th e reservo ir, engine oil dip stick, and engine oil filler opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (J-) .. .
@
®
©
®
®
0
®
Eng ine oi l dipstick .......... .
E ng ine o il filler opening
('!=r.) .
Brake fluid reservoir ((0))
Battery(+) under a cover .....
B ody ground point(-)
Washer f luid reservoir(~)
F use housing .............. .
226
223
223
227
229
232
276
The engine oil filler opening and the dipstick
(items @ and @)¢
fig. 160 may be located in
a different area depending on eng ine ve rsion .
A WARNING
Read and following the WARN INGS before
checking anything in the engine compa rt­
ment
¢page 217.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact
specifications .
The service interva l disp lay in the instrument
cluster of yo ur vehicle will inform you when it
is time for a n oil change . We recomme nd that
you have your oil changed by an author ized
Audi Se rv ice Advisor .
If you have to top off the o il between oi l
c hanges, use the Audi o il quality sta ndard
spec ified in the tab le .
Audi oil quality standard
Gasoline
VW 502 00 or
engine vw 504 00
Diesel vw 507 00
eng ine
...

222 Check ing and F illin g
Using the proper engine o il is important for
the functionality and service life of the en­
g ine. Your engine was factory-filled with a
high-quality oil which can usua lly be used
throughout the entire year.
0 Note
Your L imited New Vehicle Warranty does
not cover damage or ma lfunctions due to
fai lure to follow recommended mainte­
nance and use requ irements 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
standard spec ified for your veh icle's en­
gine. Using any other oil can cause seri­
ous eng ine damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants o r othe r addi­
tives into the eng ine o il. Doing so can
ca use engine damage.
If you need to add oi l and there is no ne
availab le tha t mee ts the Audi oil qua lity
s tandard your engine requires, yo u may
add a tota l of no more than 0 .5 quart/liter
of a high-quality "synthetic"oil that meets
the following specifications.
- Vehicles with gaso line engine: ACEA A3
or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- Vehicles with diesel engine: ACEA C3 or
API CF with a v iscosity grade of
SAE 0W-30 or SAE SW-30.
- For more information abo ut eng ine oil
that has been approved for your vehicle, please contact either your a uthorized
Audi dealer or Audi Customer Relations
at 1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site
at www.audiusa .com or
www.aud icanada.ca.
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and cool all
of its moving ports .
In order to provide effective lubricat ion and
cooling of interna l eng ine components, all in­
ternal combust ion e ngines consume a certain
amount of oil. Oil consumpt ion va ries from
engi ne to engine and may change sig nifican tly
over the life of the engine. Typically, engines
with a spec ified break -in period (see
¢ page 197) consume more oil during the
break-in period than they cons ume after oi l
consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate o f oi l con ­
s u mption depends on the q uality and viscos ity
of the oil, the RPM (revolutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient
temperature and road conditions. Further fac­
tors are the amount of oil dilut ion from water
condensation or fue l residue a nd the oxida­
t ion level of the oil. As any eng ine is subject to
wea r as m ileage builds up, t he oil co nsump ­
t ion may increase over time until replacemen t
of worn components may be come necessary.
With a ll these variab les coming into play, no
standard rate of oil consumpt io n can be es­
tabl ished o r spe cified . There i s no alte rnative
to regu lar and frequent che ck ing of the o il lev ­
el , see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil leve l wa rning symbo l
Ill in the inst rument cl uste r lights up, you
sho uld check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
i=> page 223 . Top off the oil at your earliest
convenience
i=> page 223 .
A WARNING
--
Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS¢ page 217.
(D Note
Driving wit h an insufficient o il level is like -
l y to cause severe damage to the engine.
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@ Tips
- The oil pre ssure wa rning display. i s
not an indicator of the o il level. Do not
rely on it. Instead , chec k the oil le vel in
your engine at regular inter vals, pref ­
era bly each t ime you r efuel , and always
before going on a long trip .
-If you have the impression your engine
consumes excessive amounts of oi l, we
r ecommend that you consult an author­
iz ed Audi dealer to have the cause of
you r concern properly di ag nose d. Keep in
mind tha t the ac curate measuremen t of
oi l consumption requires great care and
may take some time. An authorized Audi
dealer has instructions about how to measure oil consumption accurately.
Checking the engin e oil lev el
Fi g. 1 61 Ga so line e ngine oil d ip sti ck: guide for meas­
urin g the oil level (ex ample)
F ig . 162 Diese l e ngine oil dipstick : guide for m easur­
i ng the o il leve l (exa mple)
Determining the oil level
• Pa rk your vehicle on a level surface .
• Let the engine run in id le briefly while it is a t
opera ting temperat ure and then shut the
engi ne off .
• Wa it approximately two mi nutes .
Che cking and Fillin g 223
• Remove the oi l dipstick . Wipe off the oi l dip ­
stick with a clean cloth and insert it all the
way in aga in .
• Remove the dipstick again and then read the
oil level ¢
fig. 161 or¢ fig. 162 .
• Evaluate the oil level¢ table on page 223 .
Add e ngine o il if necessary ¢ page 223.
0 You must add o il. After add ing oil, the
level shou ld be in the @ area .
® You may add oil. After adding o il, the
level s hou ld be in the@area.
@ Do not add any o
il.
@ Do not add any o il. You may cont inue
driving .
0 Do not add any o il. Drive to an author-
ized Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Serv -
ice Fac ility immediately .
Applies to vehicles with diesel engines: If you
operate your vehicle with b iod iesel, fuel may
enter the engine oil. T his ra ises the o il level in
the engine.
It also decreases the quality of t he
engine oil¢
page 24.
The oil consumptio n of the engine may be up
to 1/2 q uart per 600 m iles (0.5 liter per
1,000 km), depend ing on d riving style and
cond it io ns. Consump tion may be higher du r­
ing the first 3,000 m iles (5,000 km) . Be ca u se
of this, the eng ine oi l level must be checked
regular ly . It would be best to check each time
you ref uel your vehicle and before long dr ives.
Adding engine oil~
Fig . 1 63 En gin e co mpar tment: e ng in e o il fi ller ope n­
ing cover
• Turn the engine off.
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224 Check ing and F illin g
• Unscrew the engine oil fi ller opening cap
~ ¢ fig. 163, ¢page 220, fig . 159.
• Carefu lly add 0 .5 quart (0.5 liter) of the ap ­
propr iate oil¢
page 221.
• Check the oil level again after two minutes
¢ page 223, Checking the engine oil level.
• Add o il, if necessary .
• Close the engine oil filler cap and push the
dipstick all the way in.
.&_ WARNING
- When add ing o il, do not le t oi l dr ip onto
hot engine components . There could be
risk of a fire .
- You must sec ure the cap on the oil filler
opening correctly so that oil does not
leak out onto the hot engine and exhaust
system when the engine is running, be­
cause this is a fire hazard.
- Always clean skin thoroughly if it comes
into contact w ith eng ine oil.
([) Note
- Applies to vehicles with gasoline en­
gines: The oil level cannot be above the
(!) range¢
page 223, fig. 161, because
th is can ca use damage to the cata lytic
converter or the engine. Contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qua lified repair
facil ity to have excess o il extracted if
necessary.
-Applies to vehicles with diesel engines: The oil level must not be in the
0 range
¢
page 223, fig. 162 -The oil must not
be extracted, because this can damage
the engine. Drive to an au thorized A udi
dealer or authorized A udi Service Facility
immediately.
- Do not mix any additiona l lubricants into
the engine o il. Damage cause by such ad­
ditives is not covered by the war ranty.
@) For the sake of the environment
- Oil should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact with the ground .
- Pay a tte ntion to leg al req uirements
when disposing of empty oil containers .
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv­
ice station.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always read and h eed all WARN­
INGS
¢ page 217.
The engine oil must be changed according to
the interva ls specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet . This is very important
because the lubricat ing propert ies of o il di­
min ish g radually du ring normal vehicle use.
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently. Change o il more often if you drive mostly short d is­
tances, operate the ve hicle in dusty a reas or
under p redo min ant ly stop-and-go traffic con­
di tions, or have yo ur vehicle where tempera­
tures remain below freezing for extended pe ­
riods .
De te rgent additives in the oil will make fresh
o il look dark after the engine has been run ­
ning for a sho rt time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Beca use of the p roblem of proper disposal,
along wi th the specia l tools and necessary ex­
pertise req uired, we st rongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an a uthorized
Audi deale r or a qualified service station.
If you choo se to chan ge your oil your self ,
please note the fo llowing important informa­
tion:
.&_ WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal in jury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
g ine oi l, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the o il drain p lug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible. ..,

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Always keep your forearm parallel to the
ground to help prevent hot oil from run­
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oi l into a conta iner designed
for this p urpose, one large eno ugh to
hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engi ne.
- Engine oil is poisono us. Keep it well out
of the reach of c hildren .
- Cont inuo us contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
you r sk in by washing oil off thoroug hly
with soap and water .
(D Note
Never mix oil addit ives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en­
gine and adversely affect y our Aud i Limit­
ed New Vehicle Wa rra nty .
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before changing your oi l, f irst make sure
you know whe re you can proper ly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always d ispose of used engine oil proper­
l y. Do not dum p it o n ga rden so il, wood ­
ed a reas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine o il by taking it to a
u se d engine oil collection facility in your
a rea, or contact a servi ce 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 sea led an d generally re ­
q uir es little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the f ac­
tory with a pe rm anen t coo lan t which does no t
n eed to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specia lly conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glyco l-based coo lant add i-
tive Gl3 antifree ze with ant icorros ion addi-
Checking and Fillin g 225
tives (50% for USA mode ls; 60% fo r Canadian
models) . This mixture both ass ures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com ­
ponents in the eng ine's cooling system from
corros io n and scaling. It also raises the bo il­
ing point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the cool ­
ant in the s ummer by adding p lain water.
The
proportion of coolant additive must be at
least 50°/o but not more than 60 %
to main­
ta in antifreeze protect io n and cool ing eff ic ien­
cy . If the coo lant frost p rotection is too low ,
t he coo lan t could freeze and damage the vehi ­
cl e heating and engine cooling sys tem.
Fo r year- round drivi ng, a ntifreeze is added at
the factory fo r temperatures down to:
- -31 °F
< -3s0c) u sA
- -40°F ( - 40°C) Canada.
If you must ad d coo lant, use a mixture o f wa ­
te r and coolant additive. Mixing the coo lant
additive with dist illed water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you chec k anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNI NGS
c:> page 217.
-
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate condit ions. This is especially impor­
t ant if you l ive i n a region where the win-
t er is extremely cold. If necessary, in-
c rea se t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
t o 6 0% .
- Whe n ad d ing coolant addi tiv e to yo ur
c ooling sys te m , reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coo lant ad­
d itive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle. This coolant additive is ava ila ble at autho rized Aud i dea le rs .
Othe r ty pes of antifreeze ca n sig nifi­
cantly reduce cor ros io n protec tion . The
r esu lting co rrosion can cause a lo ss of
c o o lant a nd serio us e ng ine da mage.
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226 Checking and Fill in g
- Do not add any type of radiator leak sea l­
ant to your ve hicle's engine coolant.
Adding rad iator 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.
Adding coolant
Fig . 164 Engine co mpa rtment: mark in gs on the coo l­
ant expans ion tank
R ea d a nd f ollow ing th e W ARNING S before
checking anything in the eng ine compartment
¢ page 217.
Ch eck ing t he e ngi ne coolant level
"Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ign ition off .
" Read the coo lant level on the coolant expan­
s ion tank ¢
fig. 164. The coo lant level must
be between the markings when the eng ine
in cold. When the engine is warm it can be
sl ightly above the upper marking .
Adding coolan t
Requirement : There must be a residual
amount of coolant in the expansion tank ¢(D .
.. Let the engine cool down.
" Place a cloth over the coolant expansion
tank cap and unscrew the cap counterclock­
wise ¢&_ .
.. Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 225 up to the upper marking.
.. Make sure that the fluid level remains sta­
ble. Add more coolant if necessary.
" Clove the cap securely. A coolant loss suggests a
leak. Immediately
drive your vehicle to an authorized repair fa­
c ility and have the cooling system inspected.
If the cooling system is not leaking, a loss can
come from the coolant boiling through over­
heating and being pushed out of the cooling
system.
A WARNING
The cooling system is press urized and can
become very hot. To reduce the r isk of
b urns from hot coolant:
- Do not open the coolant expansion tank
cap with the engine ho t. T here is a risk of
burns.
- Stop the eng ine and a llow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping coolant and steam by covering
the coolant tan k cap with a large, th ick
cloth.
- Turn the coolan t tank cap counterclock­
wise slowly and keep light pressure on
the cap .
- To reduce the risk of burns, do not allow
any antifreeze or coolant to drip onto the
exhaust system or hot engine compo ­
nents. The ethy lene g lycol in engine
coo lant can catch fire under certain cir­
cumstances.
- The coolant additive and the coolant can
be dangerous to your health . For this
reason, keep the coo lant in the origina l
container away from ch ildren . There is a
risk of poisoning.
- When working in the engine compart­
ment, remember that the rad iator fan
can switch on even if the ignition is
sw itched off, which increases the risk of
pe rsonal injury.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the eng ine .
If this is the case,
do no t continue dr iving. See a n author ized
A udi dealer or authori zed Aud i Service Fa­
cility for assist ance.

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Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself
An auxiliary electric radiator fan switches on
and off depending on coolan t temperature
and other vehicle operating conditions .
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary
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 heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury nev­
er touch the radiator 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 coolant temper­
ature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
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Fig. 165 Engine compa rtment: cove r on the brake fluid
rese rvoir
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS r::;, page 217 .
Checking and Filling 22 7
.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir <=>
fig. 165, <=> page 220,
fig. 159.
T he brake fluid level must be be­
tween the "MIN" and "MAX" markings.
The location of the brake fluid reservoir can be seen in the engine compartment illustration
<=>page 220.
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/indi­
cator light . (U.S. models)
I. (Canadian
models) will come on
c:> page 18 . Do not con­
tinue to operate the vehicle. The complete
brake system should be thoroughly checked
by an authorized Audi dealer or other quali­
fied facility and the cause corrected . If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warning/
indicator light will illuminate. Contact an au­
thorized Audi dealer
immediately.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an 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
after 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 fluid
which conforms to Federal Motor Vehicle
Standard "FMVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be difficult 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.
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