2016 AUDI A4 engine overheat

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A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in ¢ page 203,
before opening t he hood and checking the
engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment. You
cou ld burn yourself. Let the engine cool off
firstsothatyoucannothearo rseeany
steam or engine coo lant.
0 Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories in
front of the air inlets reduces the cooling ef­
fect of the radiator. At h igh outside temper­
atu res or high engine load, the engine could
overheat.
- The front spoiler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the vehi­
cle is moving. If the spoiler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
ized Audi dealer for assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter )
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM (revo­
lutions per minutes).
If engine RPM drops below 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area at
the end of the scale indicates maximum permis­
sible eng ine RPM after the break-in period. Be­
fore reaching this area, move the selector lever
to position D/5 or ease your foot off the accelera­
tor pedal.
(D Note
The tachometer needle@¢ page 10, fig. 3
should only briefly be in the red zone: you
could damage your eng ine! The beginning of
the red zone varies depending on the engine.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Instruments and indicator lights
~button
Fig. 4 SET button in the instrument cluster
The !SET I button performs the following func­
tions:
Switching on time, date, temperature
display and odometer
The display appears for approximately 30 sec­
onds when you press the
ISETI button¢ fig . 4
with the ignition off.
Starting the Auto-Check sequence
The Auto-Check system constantly monitors cer­
tain indiv idual functions and components of the
vehicle when the ignition is turned on and when
the vehicle is moving.
With the ignition turned on, you can start the
"Auto-Check sequence" by pressing the
! SETI but­
ton. You can perform an Auto-Check sequence
when the vehicle is stat ionary and the ignition is
turned on or when the vehicle is moving slower
than 3 mph (5 km/h).
In addition, the number of keys initialised for
your vehicle is displayed.
L2 3/3 means that
th ree keys have been initialised. This feature e na­
bles used car buye rs to make su re they have re­
ceived all of the keys.
If you are given only two keys, for instance, you
should take the veh icle and the existing keys to
an authorized Audi dealer to have the missing key
disabled. It is also important to notify your insur­
ance company about the loss.
Setting the speed warning
By pressing the ISETI button briefly, you can set
threshold 1 of the speed warning wh ile you are
driv ing
¢page 88. By ma intaining pressure on
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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... ~ Press and hold the release button in the selec­
tor lever handle, select the desired selector lev­
er position such as D/5 and release the button.
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shifted
(you w ill fee l a slight movement) .
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and ac ­
celerate .
Stopp ing tem pora ril y
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the braking
pedal, for example at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator pedal when doing
th is .
~ To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep inclines ¢
,&.
~ The pa rking brake w ill release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /park ing
If the se lecto r lever is not in the P position when
you open the d river 's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
Tr an smi ssion: Car ma y roll! Shift
t o pa rk!
appears .
~ Press and hold the brake pedal unt il the vehicle
has come to a comp lete stop.
~ Apply the pa rking brake ¢ page 86, Parking .
~ Select the P selector leve r position ¢ .&,.
Stopp ing on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi­
cl e in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢
,& . Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in ­
c reasing the eng ine speed ¢(!).
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parki ng b rake .
~ With the driving gea r se lected, press the acce l­
erator pedal caref ully. The parking b rake will
r e lease automatically if your seat belt is fas­
tened .
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, suc h as dr iv ing in
the mountai ns, it may be usef ul to switch tempo­
rari ly to the manua l shift program in order to ad-
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
just the gears to the driv ing conditions by hand
¢ page 94.
On slopes, act ivate the park ing brake first and
then move the selec to r l ever to the P posi tion .
T his prevents too m uch stress from being placed
on the locking mechanism .
Vehicles with mult itro nic tr ansmission : Your ve­
hicle is equipped wi th
hill hold assist allowing
you to start whi le on an incl ine. The system is ac­
tivated when the brake peda l is pressed down
and held
for a few second s. The brake pressure
will ho ld for
a momen t after the brake peda l
loosens to prevent the veh icle from rolling back­
wards while starting up .
A WARNING
--The vehicle can also ro ll when the eng ine is
stopped .
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­ rious injury .
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear .
If you must leave
your ve hicle when the eng ine is running, ac­
tivate t he pa rking brake and move the selec­
tor lever to P.
- Power is still transmi tted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creepi ng", yo u m ust
keep your foot on the brake when the en ­
gine is running and the selector lever is in D/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is se lected .
- Do not press the acce le ra t or peda l when
changing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
running.
- Never sh ift into R or P whi le driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce your speed and sh ift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
pedal too often or too long when driving
down a hi ll. Constant brak ing causes the
brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces brak ing performance, increases brak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
~
93

Automat ic t ra nsm iss io n
-To prevent the vehicle from rolling back
when stopping on inclines, a lways hold it in
place with the brake pedal or parking brake.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
s li pping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . An indicator lamp
mJ illuminates
and a driver message appears
~ page 96
when the cl utch is overloaded.
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any dr iv ing pos ition engaged when
checking under the hood. Make sure these ­
lector lever has secure ly engaged and is
locked in P with the parking bra ke set
~ page 203. Otherwise, any increase in en ­
gine speed may set the vehicle in motion,
even with the parking brake applied.
- S tronic- and tiptron ic transmission: When
stopping on an incline, do not try to ho ld
the vehicle in place by pressing the acce lera­
tor pedal while a driving gear is selected.
This can cause the transm ission to overheat
and can damage it. Activate the parking brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rol ling .
- S tronic- and tiptron ic transmission: Allow­
i ng the veh icle to roll when the eng ine is
stopped and the selector leve r is in N will
damage the transmission because it is not
l ub ricated under those c ircumstances .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is engaged in the buckle.
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with multitro nic/5 tronic/tip tronic
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
H ill descent control is activated when the selec ­
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transmission au tomatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the in cl ine. Hill descent con-
94
trol tries to maintain the speed achieved at the
time of braking, within physica l and techn ical
li mitations .
It may still be necessary to adjust the
speed with the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
l evels out or you press the accel erator pedal.
On vehicles with the cruise control system*
~ page 88 , hill descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
./1. WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to maintain
a constant speed under all conditions . A lways
be ready to apply the brakes .
Manual shift program
Applies to vehicles: with multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
Using the manual shift program you con man ­
ually select gears.
Fig. 108 Cente r co n sole: s hift in g the gea rs m anually
Fig. 109 Stee ring whee l: shift paddle s•
Gear selection w ith selector lever
The tiptronic mode can be se lected either w ith
the veh icle stat ionary or on the move .
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Automatic transmissio n
A WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic flow.
- Only use the Launch Control Program when road and traffic conditions allow it and oth­
er drivers will not be endangered or an­
noyed by your driving and the veh icle's ac­
celeration .
- Please note that the dr iving wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away whe n sport
mode/offroad mode is switched on, espe­
ci al ly when the road is slippery.
- Once you have accelerated, you should
switch spo rt mode/off road mode off by
pre ssing the
l.$ OFFI b utton .
@ Tips
- The transmiss ion temperature may increase
s ignificantly after us ing the Launch Con trol
P rogram. If that happens, the p rogram may
not be available for a few minutes. It w ill be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When a ccele rating using the Lau nch Control
program, all veh icle parts are subject to
heavy loads . This can resul t in inc reased
wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to veh icles: w ith multitronic/5 tronic/tiptronic
rm Transmission: P ress brake pedal and select
gear again.
Press the brake pedal and se lect the des ired se ­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving .
rm Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
s e rv atively .
The transm ission tempe rature has increased s ig­
n ifican tly due to the spo rty d riv in g manne r. D rive
i n a less sporty ma nner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indica tor ligh t
switches of.
rm Transmi ssion malfunction: You can continue
driving
There is a system malfunct ion in the transm is­
sion . You may continue driving . D rive to your au-
96 thorized Audi dea
ler or q ualified repair facility
soon to have the malfunction corrected.
rm Tran smission malfun ction: Limited driving
fun ctionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s io n. The transm ission is switc hing to eme rgency
mode. This mode only s hift s into ce rtain gears or
will no longer sh ift a t all. The eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to your authori zed A udi dealer or qualified
repair facility immediate ly to have the ma lfunc­
t ion co rrected .
rm ffl Transmi ssion malfunction: No rever se
You can continue driving
S tronic transm iss ion: The re is a sys tem ma lfunc­
tion in t he transm ission. The tr ansmission is
swi tching to emergency mode. This mode o nly
shi fts into certain gears or w ill no longer sh if t at
a ll. T he engine may stal l. You cannot engage the
reverse gear. Dr ive to your authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion corrected.
DD Tran smission malfunction: Stop vehicle and
shift to pa rk.
Do no t con tinue dr iv ing . Se lec t the P sele ctor lev­
er position and see your au thorized A udi dealer
or q ualified repair facility for assistance .
(D Note
If the transm ission switches to eme rge ncy
mode, you should take the vehicle to an a u­
thorized Audi dealership as soon as possible
to have the condition corrected.

Inte llig ent Techn olo gy
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL will switch on aga in automati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
St eer ing r ecomm endation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by chang ing
the steering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the stee ring in critical situa­
tions.
Electron ic inter axle differential lock*/
sel ective whe el t orque control *
The electronic interaxle differentia l lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torque control
(a ll whee l drive) operates when driving through
curves . The front wheel on the inside of the curve
or both wheels on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. This allows more
precise driving in curves. The applicable system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
conditions.
.,&. WARNING
- The ESC and its in tegrated systems canno t
overcome the laws of phys ics. This is espe­
c ially important on slippery or wet roads.
If
the systems begin acting to stabilize your
Switching on /off
vehicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle control, collision and seri­
ous personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of los ing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving
too fast, espec ially through curves and on
slippery o r wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehicles up ahead . The ESC and its
integrated systems cannot always prevent
collisions -there is still a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with specia l care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when all
four wheels are equipped with identical
t ires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc­
t ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 173 Version A: lower center console,~ OFF button
The ESC is des igned to function in levels. Depend­
i n g on the level tha t is selected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The
178
Fig. 174 Version B: upper center console,~ OFF button
amount of stabilization contro l w ill diffe r de­
pending on the level.
"' N N N ~ 0:, m

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -You should perform braking maneuvers for
the p urpose of clean ing the brake system
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at risk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transm iss io n into a lower
gear or lowe r d riv ing range. Do not ride the
bra kes or hold the pedal down too long or
t oo often. This could ca use the bra kes to get
hot an d diminish brak ing efficiency.
- Do not "r ide t he b rakes" by resting your foot
on the pe dal when yo u do not inten d to
br ak e. This may cause the br akes to over­
heat, p remat ure wea r and increased stop ­
ping distance.
- Under certa in climatic and operating condi­
tions such as passing thro ugh water, driving
in heavy ra in or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re ­
duced. In w inte r, ice can acc umulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings w ill be cleaned off after a
few careful b rake applica tions.
- Driv ing for an ex tended period of time on
salt-covered roads witho ut using your
bra kes can also affe ct bra king efficie ncy .
C le an off a ccumula ted s alt co ating from
bra ke discs and pads with a few caref ul
bra ke app lications.
- If you dam age the fro nt sp oiler, or if yo u in­
st all a diff erent spoi le r, be sure the ai r flow
to the front brakes is not obstr ucte d. Othe r­
wise the bra ke system could overheat reduc ­
ing the e ffectiveness of the entire b rake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
brak ing capability resulting in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Never let the veh icle roll to a stop w ith the
engi ne shut off .
-If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal m ust be pressed conside rably
harder to make up for the lac k of booster
assista nee .
Intellig ent Technology
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The ele ctro-mechanical power a ssist helps the
driver when steering .
P ower s teer ing adapts electronically based on
t h e veh icle spee d.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your author ized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
' :r, y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue d riving
If the indic ator l igh t turns on and the message
appe ars, the steering may be more diffic ult to
move o r more sensitive than usu a l. T he steering
whee l may a lso be at an angle w hen d riving
straight .
Drive slowly to you r autho rized Audi dea le r or
qualified wo rks hop to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
,T u Dynamic steering: initializing
If this drive r message appea rs and t he indicator
li ght is flashing on t he instrument pane l, dynam­
ic s teer ing* is being re ini tialized. After s tarting
t h e engine, t he steer ing w heel w ill move sligh tly.
Re- ini tializa tion might be necessary if the s teer ­
ing wheel was moved hard to the left a nd right
whi le the vehicle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as initialization is comp lete.
A WARNING ~
Have the dynam ic steeri ng* system malfunc -
tion repaired as soon as poss ible by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop -
r isk of acc ident!
181

Driving and th e en vironm ent
(D Tips
- Check the depth of the water before driving
through it .
- Do not stop the veh icle, drive in reverse or
switch the engine
off when driving through
water.
- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your veh icle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water because it
can cause corrosion .
Catalytic converter
It is very impor tant tha t your emission con trol
system (ca talytic converter) is functioning prop ­
erly to ensure that your vehicle is running in an
environmentally sound manner .
~ Always use lead-free gasoline ¢ page 198,
Fuel supply .
~ Never run the tank down a ll the way to empty .
~ Never put too much motor oil in your engine
¢ page 20 7, 9::?l Adding engine oil .
~ Never try to push- or tow-start you r vehicle.
The cata lytic converter is an efficient "clean-up"
dev ice bu ilt into the exha ust system of the vehi­
cle. The cata lytic conve rter burns many of the
pollutants in the exhaust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the life of the catalytic conve rter and
p roper 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 exha ust tail pipes once they
have become hot. This could result in burns.
- Do not park or ope rate t he vehicle in areas
where t he hot exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, br ush, fue l spill or
other mater ial which can cause a fire.
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust mani-
186
fold, exha ust pipes, cata lytic conve rter or
heat shields . D uring driving, the substance
used for undercoat ing could overheat and
cause a f ire .
Cl) Note
-Be aware that just one tank f illing wit h
leaded fu e l w ill already seriously degrade
the performance of the catalytic converter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 207.
-Do not drive until the fue l tank becomes
completely empty . The engine could mis­
fire. Unbu rned fue l cou ld also get into the
exhaust system and this could cause the
catalytic converter to overheat.
- Do not turn off the ign ition while the vehicle
is moving .
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these conditions, as otherw ise fuel can
reac h the catalytic converter . T hi s could re ­
sult in overheat ing of the converter, requir­
ing its replacement.
- T o ass ure eff icient ope rat ion of the Emis­
sion Contro l System:
- Have you r vehicle maintained properly and
i n accordance wit h the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty & Ma intenance
booklet.
- Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im­
p roper use of the veh icle will impa ir 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, t he exhaust gas can have a
sulfur-like exhaust gas smell under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
con tent of the fuel being used . Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help , or fi lli ng the tank
wi th lead-free super g rade g asoline.
Shutting down vehicle
If you wo uld like yo ur vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer pe riod of time, con tact an Audi
o r other spec ia liz ed dealer. They can adv ise you ..,.

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... on necessary precautions e.g. co rrosion preven­
tion, maintenance and storage . Pay attention to
addit ional information concerning the battery .
Refer to
c::;, poge 212.
Economical and environ­
mentally-friendly driving
General
Your personal style of driving will determine the
economy of your vehicle, as well as exhaust and
noise levels.
F ue l economy, environmenta l impact, and we ar
on your engine, brakes and tires la rgely depend
on three factors :
- you r persona l dr iving sty le
- operating conditions
- technical lim itations
If you anticipate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can eas ily cut your fue l
consumption by
10-15 percen t. This section will
g ive you some tips on how you can help the envi ­
ronment and yo ur pocketbook .
(!) Tips
The consumpt ion estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) and Transport Canada may not cor re­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will va ry depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and wea ther condi tions,
t rip length, etc.
Drive smoothly and keep a lookout ahead
Vehicles use the most fuel when they are acceler­
ating.
" Avoid unnecessary accelerating a nd braking .
Veh icles use the most fuel when they are acceler ­
ating . If you anticipate what is going to happen
next , you will need to brake less and, thus, accel­
e rate less . let the vehicle coast wheneve r possi ­
b le -fo r example when yo u see that the next traf­
fic light is red .
Driving and the envir onment
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
"Try and keep well below your car 's maximum
speed.
Acce lerating gently reduces fuel consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­
ment.
Fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase disproport ionately at high speeds.
If you drive at approximately three quarters of
top speed, fuel consumption will be reduced by
one half. Never drive faster than the posted
speed limit and weather cond itions permit .
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is jus t idling it burns up fuel.
" Shut the eng ine off when you are not driving
the vehicle.
" Do not warm up the vehicle by lett ing the en-
gine run at idle.
It makes sense to shut off the engine in traffic
jams, when waiting for trains to pass at railroad cross ings, or at traff ic lights that have long waits
on red . Turning the engine off for just
30 -40 sec ­
onds saves more f uel than is burned starting the
. . engine again.
It takes a long time for the eng ine to warm up
fully when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxious emissions are especially h igh when
the engine is warming up . So yo u should dr ive
away as soon as you start the eng ine and avoid
runn ing at high rpms w hile the engine is st ill
warming up .
(D Note
Do not leave eng ine idling unattended after
s tart ing. If wa rning lights sho uld come on to
i ndicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded . Extended idling also prod uces
heat, which could resu lt in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty.
187