2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine

Check ing and F illing
Checking and Filling
Gasoline fuel
Gasoline grade
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith gaso li ne engines
The correct gasoline grade is stated on the inside
of the fuel filler door .
The vehicle is equipped with a catalytic converter
and must only be driven w ith
unlead ed ga soli ne.
Aud i recommends using TOP TIER Detergent Gas­
oline. Additional information on TOP TIER Deter­
gent Gasoline can be found on the official web­
site (www .toptiergas.com) .
The individua l gasoline grades are differentiated
by
oct ane rating s. This value is given with (R +M)/
2 equating to AK I or in RON.
The fo llowing headings match the corresponding
sticker in the fuel fi ller door .
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY MIN. (R+M) /2 87
R egula r/ MIN. RON
91 Regular
Use regu lar gasoline with minim um 87 AKI/
9 1 RON ~@ .
The max imum engine power is only reached if
p rem ium gasol ine 91 AKI/ 95 RON is used.
UNLEADED FUEL ONLY PREMIUM MIN . (R
+M )/2
91 / SUPER MIN. RON 95
Using premium gasoline with m inim um 91 AKI/
95 RON is recommended.
If premium gasoline is not available, you can also
use regula r gasoline 87 AKI/ 91 RON . However
this does reduce the engine powe r slight ly.
CD Note
- Fil li ng the tank just one time with leaded
fuel or other meta llic additives will cause
permanent deteriorat ion to the cata lyt ic
conve rter func tion.
- When gasoline with an octane rati ng that is
too low is used , h igh speeds o r heavy engine
l oad can lead to engi ne dam age.
184
(D Tips
The vehicle can be fi lled with fue l that has a
h igher octane rating than what is requi red by
the eng ine.
Blended gasoline
App lies to : vehicles wit h gasol ine engi ne
U se of g asoline cont aining alcohol or MTBE
(m ethyl tertiary butyl ether )
You may use unleaded gasoline blended with al ­
cohol o r M TBE (commonly referred to as oxygen­
ates) if the blended m ixt ure meets the fo llow ing
c rit eria:
Blend of ga soline methanol (wood alcohol or
methyl alcohol)
- Anti-knock index must be 87 AKI or h igher.
- Blend must contain no more than 3% metha-
nol.
- Blend must contain more than 2% co-solvents.
Blend of ga soline and ethanol (grain alcoh ol or
ethyl alcohol)
- Anti-knoc k index must be 87 A KI or h igher.
- Blend must not conta in more than 15% etha-
nol.
Blend of gasoline and MTBE
- Anti -knock index must be 87 AKI or higher.
- Blend mus t contain no t more than 15% MTBE .
Seasonall y adjusted ga soline
Many gasoline grades are blended to perform es­
pecially well for winter or summer dr iv ing . Du r­
i ng seasonal change-over, we suggest that you
fill up at busy gas stat ions where the seaso nal
adjustment is mo re l ikely to be made in t ime .
CD Note
-Methanol fuels which do not meet these re­
quirements may cause corrosion and dam­
age to plasti c and rubber components in the
fue l system.
- Do not use fue ls that fa il to meet the speci­
fied cr iteria in th is chapter.
...

Checking and Filling
Fueling procedure
Fig. 156 Right rear side of the vehicle: opening the fue l
filler door
Fig . 157 Fue l filler door w it h atta ched fue l cap
The fuel fi ller door is unlocked or locked by the
central locking system .
Opening the fuel cap
I
• Press the left side of the fuel filler door to open
it -arrow -
9 fig. 156.
• Unscrew the tank cap counte rclockw ise.
• Place the cap from above on the open fue l filler
door
9 fig. 157.
Cl osi ng th e fu el cap
• Turn the fue l cap clockwise until you hear it
lock.
• Close fuel filler door until it latches.
Once the pump nozzle sw itches off, the fuel tank
is "fu ll". Do not fi ll the tank more. Otherw ise the
expansion space in the tank will be fi lled.
The correct fuel type for your vehicle can be
found on a label located on the inside of the fue l
fi ller door. For addit io nal info rmation on fuel, re­
fe r to
Q page 184.
The fuel tank capacity of your vehicle can be
found in the
Technic al Data 9 page 251.
186
To avoid fuel spilling or evaporating from the fuel
tank always close fue l filler cap properly and
completely . An improperly closed f uel f iller cap
may also cause the MIL lamp
~ page 21 to come
on.
A WARNING
Not pay ing attention w hen fueling or han­
dling f uel incorrectly can lead to fires , explo­
sions o r serious injur ies .
- Fue l ignites easily and can cause serious
burns and other injur ies .
-
-If you do not switch the engine off when fu ­
eling a nd/or do not insert the fuel nozzle
comp letely into the tank open ing, fuel can
leak out o r run over. Leaked fuel can ign ite
and start a fire.
- Do not use the telephone wh ile f uel ing . The
elec tromagneti c rays can cause sparks,
which can ignite fue l vapors and s tart a fire.
- Do not sit in your vehicle wh ile fue ling. If
you must make an excep tion and enter yo ur
veh icle aga in while fueling, close the door
and touch me tal to discharge static electric ­
ity before touching the f uel nozz le . Static
electricity can create sparks, which can ig­
nite vapors when fueling .
- Do not smoke or have an open flame in the
area when fueling your vehicle or filling a
fue l conta iner because this increases the
risk of an explosion.
- For your safety, carrying fuel containers in
your veh icle is not recommended. Whether
full or empty, the container can leak and
cause a fire in the even t of an acc ident.
- If you must make an exception and trans­
port a fuel containe r, note the follow ing:
- Never fill the fuel co ntainer with fue l
while it is in or on the vehicle. Static e lec ­
tricity is discharged when fi lling which can
cause the fuel vapors to ignite and in­
creases the risk of an exp losion.
- Always place a fuel conta iner on the
ground before fill ing.
- Always ho ld the fuel nozzle completely in
the fue l container when filling.

<( co ..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
-If the fuel container is made of metal, the
fuel nozzle must always be in contact with
the container when filling it with fuel. This
prevents static electricity from discharg­
ing.
- Never spill fuel in the vehicle or the lug­
gage compartment . Evaporated fuel is ex­
plosive and increases the risk of serious in­
jury or death.
- Follow legal requirements when using,
storing and transporting fuel containers .
- Make sure the fuel container conforms to industry standards (ANSI/ASTM F852-86).
(D Note
-Remove spilled fuel from vehicle paint im­
mediately, because it can damage paint.
- Never drive until the fuel tank is completely
empty . The irregular supply of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause engine misfires. Uncombusted fuel will enter the exhaust
system and increase the risk of damage to
the catalytic converter.
@) For the sake of the environment
If the fuel nozzle is used correctly, it will ind i­
cate that the tank is full the first time it
sw itches off automatically. Do not try to add
more fuel, because it can spill over. Also, the
expansion space in the tank will fill, which can
result in fuel spilling out when it becomes
warm and polluting the environment.
@ Tips
Fuel can age and may lead to problems when
starting . Audi recommends replacing the fuel
in your vehicle within six months.
@ Tips
- If the engine is running while fueling, va­
pors can escape or the fuel can spill over.
Because of th is, the fuel nozzle switches off
before the tank is full.
- Do not fue l the vehicle when the ignition is
switched on . Otherwise, the fuel gauge may
not show the correct level after fueling the
vehicle.
Checking and Filling
-The fuel filler door on your vehicle does not
lock when you lock the vehicle from the in­
side.
Fuel filler door emergency release
If the central locking system is faulty, the fuel
filler door can be unlocked manually.
Fig. 158 Rear of the vehicle: right rea r seat fo lded fo rward
The emergency release is located behind the
right rear seat.
The pull cable for the emergency release is locat­ ed on the cover .
.. Remove the cover from the trim .
.. Pull on the cover carefully
c:> fig. 158. The tab
on the cover must point forward in the direc­
tion you are pulling when pulling on the cover .
"' To open the fuel filler door, press on the left
side
c:> page 186, fig . 156 .
(D Note
Only pu ll on the cover until you feel resist­
ance. You will not hear it release. Otherwise
you could damage the emergency re lease
mechanism.
Catalytic converter
Applies to: vehicles with gasoline engine
It is very important that your emission control
system (catalytic converter) is functioning prop­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner.
.. Always use lead-free gasoline c:> page 184, Gas­
oline grade .
.. Never run the tank down all the way to empty. ~
187

Checking and Filling
"'Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 193 , Checking the engin e oil lev el and
adding oil.
"'Never try to push- or tow-star t your vehicle.
The catalytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
device built into the exhaust system of the v ehi­
cle. The catalytic converter burns many of the pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re­
leased into the atmosphere .
The exclusive use of unleaded fuel is critically im­
portant for the life of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
The temperature of the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine.
-
- Never touch the exhaust tail pipes once they
have become hot . This could result in burns .
- Do not park or operate the vehicle in areas
where the hot exhaust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush , fuel spill or
other material which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani­
fold, exhaust pipes, catalytic converter or heat shields. During driving, the substance
used for undercoating could overheat and
cause a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
leaded fuel will already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil level
¢page 193.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not switch off the ignition while the vehi­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherwise fuel can reach the catalytic converter. This could re-
188
sult in overheating of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis­
sion Control System:
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as im­
proper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emission Control System is op­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. This depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Using a differ­
ent brand of fuel may help, or filling the tank
with lead-free super grade gasoline.
Engine compartment
Working in the engine compartment
Special care is required if you are working in the
engine compartment
For work in the engine compartment, such as
checking and filling fluids, there is a risk of in­
jury, scalding, accidents, and burns. For this
reason, follow all the following listed warnings
and general safety precautions. The engine
compartment is a dangerous area.
£:=? &. -
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injuries, complete the
following steps before opening the hood:
- Turn the engine off.
- Switch the ignition off.
- Set the parking brake.
- Place the selector lever in the P position .
- Let the engine cool down .
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coolant drips from the engine
compartment- there is a danger of burns!
Wait until no steam or coolant flows out .
-

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
-Keep children away from the engine com­
partment.
- Never spill fluids on a hot engine. These flu­
ids (such as the freeze protection contained
in the coolant) can catch fire .
- Avoid short circuits in the e lectrical system,
especially the battery.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of personal injury.
- Never open the cap on the coolant expan­
sion tank when the engine is warm. The
cooling system is under pressure.
- To protect your face, hands, and arms from
hot steam or coolant, cover the cap with a
large cloth when opening.
- Do not remove the engine cover under any
circumstances . This increases the risk of
burns.
- If tests need to be performed w ith the en­
gine running, there is additional danger due
to moving components (such as the ribbed
belt, alternator and radiator fan) and from
t he high vo ltage ig nition system.
- Never reach into the radiator fan . The e lec­
t ric a uxiliary fan is cont rolled by tempera­
t ur e and can switch on sudde nly.
- Pay atte ntion to the fo llow ing warnings list­
ed when wo rk on the fuel system or on t he
ele ct rical eq uipment is requ ired.
- Always d isconnect the ve hicle battery
from the vehicle electrical system
- Do not smoke
- Never work near open flames
- Always have a working fire ex tinguisher
nearby
- T o red uce the risk of e lec tric shoc k and in­
jury, neve r touch the followi ng components
when the eng ine is r unning or is being star t­
ed :
- Ignition cable
- Other components in the electronic high
voltage ignition system
- If you must check or perform work on the
engine while it is runn ing:
Ch eck ing and Filling
-Set the parking brake and place the selec­
tor lever in the P (park) posit ion first.
- Always proceed with extreme caution so
that clothing, jewelry or long hair do not become caught in the radiator fan, fan
belt or other moving components or do
not come into con tact with ho t compo­
nen ts . Tie bac k long hair befo re beginn ing
work and do not wea r clothing that can
hang down into t he engine.
- Lim it yo ur exposure to exhaust and chemi­
cals to as short a time as possible
~ .&. .
&_ WARNING
Ca lifo rnia Proposition 65 Warning:
- E ngine exhaust, some of its const ituents,
and certa in vehicle components conta in or
emit chemi cals know n to the State of Cali ­
forni a to ca use cance r and birth defects and
reproductive harm. In add ition, cert ain flu ­
ids contained in vehicles and certain prod­
ucts of component wea r contain or em it
chemicals known to the State o f Californ ia
to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm .
- Battery posts, term inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals know n to the State of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive harms .
Wash hands afte r handling .
(D Note
When filling fluids, be sure not to m ix the f lu­
i ds up. Otherwise severe malfunctions and en­
gine damage will occur .
@) For the sake of the environment
You should regularly check the ground under
your vehicle i n order to detect leaks quic kly. If
the re are visible spots from o il or other fluids,
bring your veh icle to an authorized Audi deal­
er o r autho rize d Aud i Serv ice Facility to be
chec ke d .
189

Checking and Filling
Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
M ~
-...::;:;======== -d ~
Fi g. 159 Sect ion from th e driver's side footwell: release
l ever
F ig. 160 Rocker switc h under the hood
Read and foll ow the WARNING S before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
r::;, page 188, Working in the engine comport­
ment .
m
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up from
the w indshield . Otherwise the paint could be
damaged .
.,. With the driver's door open, pull the lever be­
low the instrument panel in the direct ion of the
arrow
r::;, fig. 159 .
190
.,. Raise the hood slightly r::;, .&, .
.,. Press the rocker switch under the hood upward
r::;, fig. 160. This releases the catch .
.,. Open the hood .
A WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that steam
or coolant drips from the engine compart­ ment- there is a danger of bu rns! Wait unt il
no steam or coolant flows out.
Closing the hood
.,. Push the hood down u ntil the fo rce of the strut
is ove rcome .
.,. Let the hood fall lightly into the latch .
Do not
press it in.
r::;, .&, .
A WARNING
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it could
fly up wh ile you are dr iving and obstruct your
vision.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always be
closed securely while driv ing. Because of
this, always check the hood after closing it
to make sure it is latched correctly . The
hood is latched if the front corners cannot
be lifted.
- If you notice that the hood is not latched
while you are driving, stop immed iate ly and
close it, because this increases the risk of an
accident .

<( co ..... N
" N ..... 0 r--. > 00
Checking and Filling
Gasoline engine compartment overview
The most important check points .
Fig. 161 Typical location of the rese rvoir , engine oil dipst ick, and engine oil filler opening
(D Coolant expansion tank (-L) .....
@
®
©
®
©
(J)
®
Engine oil dipstick ............ .
Engine oil filling opening
('er.) . .
Brake fluid reservoir (0))
Battery(+) under a cover
Body ground point(-)
Washer fluid reservoir
(O) ..... .
Fuse housing . .... .... ....... .
195
193
193
197
199
202
240
The engine oil filler opening and the dipstick
(items ® and @)
¢ fig. 161 may be located in a
different area depending on engine version.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
¢page 188.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The service interval d isplay in the 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 Serv­
ice Advisor.
If you have to top off the oil between oil changes,
us e the Audi oil quality standard specified in the
tab~ .
~
191

Check ing and F illing
Audi oil quality standard
Gas olin e
VW 502 00 or
engi ne vw 50400
A udi reco mmend s
~Castrol I jgl[J,'fE{g ?r,w.:..~J ri, '.IA!,
Audi rec ommends Longlif e high perform ance
engi ne oil from Au di Genuin e Parts
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a h igh-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
yea r.
(D Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warranty & Maintenance booklet .
- Use only a high qual ity eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Audi oil quality
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage.
- Do not mix any lubricants or other additives into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
@ Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa ­
ble that meets the Audi oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0.5 quart/liter of a h igh-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- Vehicles w ith gasoline eng ine: ACEA A3 or
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE OW-30,
SAE 5W-30 or SAE 5W-40.
- For more information about engine o il that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact either your authorized Audi dea ler
or Aud i Custome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822- 2834 or visit ou r web site at
www.audiusa.com or www .aud icanada.ca.
192
· Eng ine 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 effect ive lubricat ion and cool­
i ng of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumption var ies from engine to en­
gine and may change sign ificantly over the life of
the engine . T ypically, engines w ith a specified
break -in period (see¢
page 65) consume more
oi l during the break-in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the quality and viscosity o f
the oil , the RPM (revo lutions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road conditions. Further factors are
the amount of o il dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the o il consumption may increase over
ti me unt il replacement of wo rn compo nents may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of o il consumption can be estab­
li shed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and freq uent checki ng of the oi l level, see
Note.
If the yellow engine oil level warning symbo l II
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
chec k the o il level as soon as possible
¢
page 193. Top off the o il at your earlies t con­
venience
¢ page 193.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
¢page 188.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the engine.
IJII,