2016 AUDI S4 coolant level

Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments and indicator Lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster and controls
The instrument cluster is your central source of information.
Fig. 3 Overview of the instr ume nt cluste r
(D Coolant temperature gauge .. .. .
@ Tachometer .... .. .. ..... .... .
@ Warning/indicator lights ...... .
@ ISETI button ....... ...... .... ·
® Display
- Driver information system .... .
- Time and date display ........ .
- Odometer .... ............ . .
® Reset button for trip odometer
® Fuel gauge ... ..... ..... ..... .
10
11
13
11
23
12
12
12
12
-When switching the ignition on, the needles
in the instrument cluster swing upward
briefly.
- The illumination for the instrument cluster
lights up whenever you switch on the igni­
tion with the
vehicle headlights off. As the
daylight fades, the instrument cluster illu­
mination likewise dims automatically and
will go out completely when the outside
light is very low . This feature is meant to re­
mind you to switch on the headlights when
outside light conditions become poor.
10
Engine coolant temperature gauge
The engine coolant gauge¢ page 10, fig. 3@
only works when the ignition is on. To prevent
damage to your engine, please note the follow­ ing important points:
Engine cold
If the needle is at or close to the bottom of the
gauge, the engine has not yet reached its operat­
ing temperature. Avoid high engine speeds,
heavy engine loads, and heavy throttle applica­
tions .
Normal temperature
When the engine has reached its operating tem ­
perature, the needle will move to the middle of
the gauge and remain there. If the engine is
working hard at high outside temperatures, the
needle may move higher on the gauge . This is not
a cause for concern as long as the . warning
li ght i n the inst rument cluster display does not il­
luminate . If the . warning light in the instru­
ment cluster display flashes, this can mean one
of two things : either the coolant
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low
¢page 17 ..,.

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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
11

9:::1: Engine oil pressure
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol re­
quires immediate service or repair . Driving with a
low-oil-pressure indication is likely to inflict se ­
vere damage to the engine.
• Turn off engine! Oil pressure too low
If the indicator lig ht t urns on and the message
appears, the oi l pressu re is too low.
~ P ull off the road.
~ Stop t he vehicle .
~ Turnoff the engine.
~ Check the engine oil level¢ page 207 .
~ If the engine oil leve l is too low, add engine oi l
¢
page 207 . Make sure that t he oil pressure
warning symbol. appears no longe r in the
display before you s ta rt driving ag ain.
~ If the engi ne oil leve l is cor rect and t he i ndic a­
tor lig ht still tur ns on, turn t he eng ine
off and
do not continue driving . Seek p ro fessional as ­
s istance .
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is not
an indicator for a low engine oil level. Do
not rely on it. Instead, check the oil level in
your engine at regular intervals, preferably each time you refuel, and always before
going on a long trip.
- The yellow oil level warning indication
Ill
requires oil refill or workshop service with ­
out delay . Do not wait until the red oil
pressure warning. starts to flash before
you respond to the low oil level warning
Ill . By then , your engine may already have
suffered serious damage .
~ . Engine oil level
• WARNING: Please add oil immediately
If the indicator lig ht and the message ap pear,
a dd engine o il i mm edi ate ly
¢page 205.
;:; Ill Add oil, max XX XX l. You may cont. driv .
0
~ When the symbol II and driver message appea r, ,....,
~ add the amount of oi l appea ring in the display at
:;;: the next opportunity¢
page 205. ,....,
Instruments and ind icator lights
-L Eng ine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system must
be repaired as soon as possible .
• Turn off engine and check coolant level
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appea rs, the coo lant tempe rat ure is too high o r
t h e coo lant leve l is too low.
~ Pull off the ro ad.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ Tur noff th e engine.
~ Check coolant leve l¢ page 209 .
~ Add coolant if necessary¢ page 210.
~ Continue dr iv ing only afte r the e ngine coolant
warni ng/ indicator light goes out .
~ Contact your authorized Audi dealer for assis-
t ance if necessa ry.
If the engi ne coo lant level is correct , then t he ra ­
dia to r f an may be the cause of t he mal func tion.
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run with
vehicle stationary
If the indicator lig ht tur ns on and the messa ge
appea rs, let the engine run a t idle for a few mi ­
nutes to c ool down.
A WARNING
-- If yo ur vehicle should break down for me ­
cha nica l o r ot her reasons, park at a safe dis­
t ance from mov ing t raff ic, t urn off t he e n­
g in e a nd turn on the haz ard warning lights
¢ p age S O, Em ergency fla she rs.
- N ever open t he hood if you see o r hear
s te am or coo lant esca p in g fr om th e engine
co mpartm ent - you ris k being scald ed . W ait
un til yo u can no longe r see or hear steam or
coo lant escapin g.
- T he engine co mpart ment of an y vehicl e is a
d anger ous are a. B efore y ou perfo rm any
wo rk in the eng ine com partment, t urn of
the eng ine a nd a llow it to cool. Follow t he
warn ing stickers
¢page 203.
(D Note
Do not con tinue dr iv in g if the . symbol i llu-
minates. The re is a malf u nction in the engine
IJi,,,
17

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... specially conditioned water and the man ufactur­
er's g lycol-bas edcoo lant additive Gl3 antifreeze
with anticorrosion additives (50% for USA mod­
e ls; 60% for Canadian models). This m ixture
both assures the necessary frost protection and
protects metal components in the engine's cool­
ing system from corrosion and scaling.
It also
raises the boiling point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration of the coolant in
the summer by adding p lain water .
The propor­
tion of coolant addit ive must be at l eas t 50° /4
but not more th an 60 %
to maintain antifreeze
p rotection and cooling effic iency. If the coolant
frost protec tion is too low, the coolant co uld
freeze and damage the vehicle heating and en­
gine cooling system.
F or yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at the
factory for temperatures down to :
- -31 °F (- 35 °C) USA
- -40 °F ( - 40 °C) Canada.
If you must add coolant, use a mixture of water
and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant additive
with d istilled water is recommended.
A WARNING
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
Q &. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203.
(D Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in your
vehicle is sufficient to meet the climate con­
dit ions. This is especially important if you
li ve in a reg ion where the w inte r is ext reme­
l y co ld. If ne cessary, in cre ase the proport io n
of coo lant add itive to 60%.
- When addi ng coolant addit ive to you r cool­
i ng system, remember:
- We recommend using only coolant addi­
tive Gl2 ++ or Gl3 for your ve hicle. T his
coolant additive is available at authorized
Audi dea lers. Othe r types of antifreeze can
significant ly reduce cor ros ion p rotection .
Ch eck ing and Filling
The resulting co rrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage.
- Do not add any type of radiator lea k sealant
to your vehicle's engine coolant. Adding ra­
diator repair fluid may adversely affect the
function and performance of your cooling
system and cou ld resu lt in damage not cov­
ered by your New Veh icle Limited Warranty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with a
quick glance.
F ig. 184 En gin e co mpa rt men t: Cover o n the coo la nt ex ­
pans ion t ank
.. Before you check anything in the eng ine com ­
partment,
al ways read and heed all WARN ­
INGS
q ..&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
.. Park your ve hicle on a leve l sur face .
.. Tu rn off the ignit io n .
.. Read the eng ine coolan t level from the coo lant
expansion tank
q fig . 184, Q page 205,
fig. 181 .
With a cold engine, the coolant level
should be between the " MIN" and "MAX" mark­
ings. When the engine is warm, the level may
be slightly above the "MAX" marking.
The location of the coo lant expansion tank can be
seen in the engine compartment illustration
q page 205.
To obtain an accurate reading, the engine must
be switched off.
T he expansion ta nk in your veh icle is eq uipped
with an electric coo lant level senso r.
When the coolant leve l is too low , the warning
light i n the Auto-Check System
Q page 17 will
209

Check ing and F illing
blink until you add coolant and the level has been
restored to normal. Even though there is an e lec ­
tr ic coolant level sensor, we still recommend you
check the coo lant level from time to time.
Coolant los s
Coolant loss may indicate a l e ak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cooling
syst em should be insp ected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is not enough merely
to add coolant.
I n a
s e aled system, losses can occur only if the
boiling point of the coo lant is exceeded as a re­
sult of overheating.
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 eng ine and allow it to cool
down .
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es­
caping 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 apply ing
l ight, downward pressure on the top of the
cap .
- To avo id being burned, do not sp ill anti ­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or
hot eng ine parts . Under certain conditions,
the ethy lene g lycol i n engine coolant can
catch fire.
{Q) Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seala nt
to your veh icle's engine coolant . Adding radia­
to r repa ir fluid may adversely affec t the func­
tion and performance of yo ur cooling system
and could result in damage not covered by
your New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
a lwa ys re ad an d heed all WARNINGS
210
¢ A in Working in the engine compartment on
page 203.
Requireme nt: The re must be a res idual amount
of coo lant in the expans ion tank
~CD-
.,,. Turn off the engine .
.,,. Let the engine cool down.
.,,. Place a thick rag over the coolan t expa nsion
tank ¢ page 209, fig. 184 and
carefull y turn
the cap counter-clockwise ¢.&_ .
.,,. Add coo lant mixed in the correct ratio
~ page 208, Coolant up to the MAX marking.
.,,. Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le.
Add more coolant if necessary .
.,,. Twist the cap on aga in tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to ex­
act specifications ¢ page 208, Coolan t.
We recommend using only coo lant additive
G l2 +
+ , Gl3
or in an emergency Gl2+. Do not use a
different additive . In an emergency use plain wa ­
ter unt il you can get the correct addit ive and can
restore the correct rat io. Th is should be done as
soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of cool­
ant, then you should add cold antifreeze and cold
water only when the engine is cold.
Always use new engine coo lant when refilling .
Do not fi ll coolant above the "MAX " mark. Excess
coolant will be forced out th rough the pressure
relief valve in the cap when the engine 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 a llow 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 s low ly and very ca refully in a
counter-clo ckwise direction wh ile app ly ing
li ght, downward pressure on the top o f
the cap.
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-To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­ ant can catch fire.
- Antifreeze is poisonous. Always store anti­
freeze in its original container and well out
of the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant, it must be caught
and safely stored in a proper container
clearly marked "poison".
(D Note
-Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty . Air could enter the cooling system
and damage the engine. If this is the case,
do not continue driving. Seek professional
assistance.
- Coolant pollutes the environment and could
cause an engine fire. Excess coolant will be
forced out through the pressure relief valve
in the cap when the engine becomes hot.
- If, in an emergency, only water can be add­
ed, the correct ratio between water and an­
tifreeze
c::> page 208 must be restored as
soon as possible.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant should not be reused. Always
dispose of used coolant while observing all
environmental regulations.
Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by it­
self.
The radiator fan is driven by the engine via the V­
belt . The viscous clutch regulates the speed of
the fan according to the temperature of the cool­
ant.
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 auxiliary fan
can continue running for up to 10 minutes -even
Checking and Filling
with the ignition off. It can even switch on again
later by itself
c::> & , if
- the temperature of the engine coolant rises due
to the heat build-up from the engine in the en­
gine compartment, or
- the engine compartment heats up because the
vehicle is parked in intense sunlight.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of personal injury never
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 auto­
matically when the engine coolant reaches a
certain temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature drops.
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
The broke fluid level con be checked with o quick
glance .
Fig. 185 En gi ne compartmen t: Cover on the b rake fl uid
reservoir
Before you check anything in the engine compart ­
ment,
always read and heed all WARNINGS
c::> _.& in Working in the engine comportment on
page 203.
.,. Read the brake fluid level from the brake fluid
reservoir
c::> fig. 185, c::> page 205, fig . 181 . The
brake fluid level must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
211

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... today's automobiles, have steadily reduced the
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Also, safety and
environmental
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and adjustments to en­
gine and transmission parts which an owner can perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
quire special tools, testing devices and other
equipment available to specially trained work ­
shop personnel in order to assure proper per­
formance, reliability and safety of the vehicle and its many systems.
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliability of your
vehicle and even void your vehicle warranty .
Therefore, proof of servicing in accordance with
the maintenance schedule may be a condition for upholding a possible warranty claim made within
the warranty period.
Above all , operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, creating unnecessary risks for you and
your passengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your authorized Audi dealer or any properly equipped and qualified workshop. We strongly urge you to give your authorized Audi dealer the
opportunity to perform all scheduled mainte­ nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, original parts and trained specialists to keep your vehicle running properly .
Performing limited maintenance yourself
The following pages describe a limited number of
procedures which can be performed on your vehi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personnel be unavailable. Before per­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
oughly read all of the applicab le text and careful­
ly follow the instructions given . Always rigorously
observe the
WARNINGS provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARNINGS
c::> .&. and c::> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
Consumer information
A WARNING
-Serious personal injury may occur as a result
of improperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extremely careful when working
on the vehicle. Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­
mon sense. Never risk personal injury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fully familiar with these
or other procedures with respect to the ve­ hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work without the proper tools
and equipment. Have the necessary work
done by your authorized Audi dealer or any
properly equipped and qualified workshop.
- The engine compartment of any motor vehi­
cle is a potentially hazardous area. Never
reach into the area around or touch the radi­
ator fan. It is temperature controlled and
can switch on suddenly - even when the en­
gine is off and the ignition key has been re­
moved. The radiator fan switches on auto­
matically when the coolant reaches a certain
temperature and will continue to run until
the coolant temperature drops.
- Always remove the ignition key before any­
one gets under the vehicle.
-Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supplied with the vehi­
cle is not adequate for this purpose and
could collapse causing serious personal in­
jury.
- If you must work underneath the vehicle
with the wheels on the ground, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels are always securely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission selector
lever (automatic transmission) is in "P"
(Park position) or Neutral (manual transmis-
sion) and the park brake is firmly applied . ..,.
259

Consumer inf orm ation
@ For the sake of the env ironment
- Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission levels. Th is is detrimental to
the environment and increases fuel con­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmental regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
fl ui d, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers mig ht be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -special handl ing may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
r ate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modu les
safety be lts wi th pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your deal­ er perform this service for you.
Accessories and technical changes
Additional accessories and parts replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the vehicle . For this reason, if
parts have to be replaced, please observe the fo l­
lowing points when insta lling addit ional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available from author ized Audi dealer.
These dealers also have the necessary facilities,
too ls and trained specialists to install the parts
and accessories properly.
260
A WARNING
-
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-ap-
proved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use only accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w ith in the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will increase the risk of injury if a ir­
bags are triggered in an accident!
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
Qpage 203.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair wor k is not per­
formed a ccording to specified methods, this
c an resul t in severe damage to you r vehi­
cle's eng ine and body (such as corrosion)
and adve rsely af fect your vehicle's war ranty.
- I f emergency repai rs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle exam ined by an
authorized A udi dealer as soon as possib le .
- T he manuf acture r ca nnot be held liable for
damage which occurs d ue to failure to com ­
ply with these stipulations.
Technical Modifications '
Our guidelines must be complied with when tech ­
nical modifications are made .
Always consult an a uthorized Audi de aler bef ore
sta rt ing work on any modifica tions.
This will help ensure that vehicle fu nction, per­
fo rmance and safety are not impaired
Q ,& .
Attempting to work on electronic components
and the software used with them can cause mal­
funct io ns. Because of the way elect ronic compo­
nen ts a re interconnected with each othe r, such
malfunc tions c an also have an adverse affect on
othe r systems that are not d irectl y involved. This ..,.