2016 AUDI S8 engine overheat

Normal temperature
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on under norma l driving conditions . The
LEDs higher up may turn on when the engine is
under heavy load or the exterior temperature is
high. This is no need to worry as long as the.
warn ing light in the instrument cluster does not
illuminate . If the LEDs in the upper area of the
d isplay and the ind icator light . in the instru­
ment cluster display tu rn on , the coolant temper­
ature is too high
¢page 15.
_& WARNING
-Always observe the warning in ¢ page 220,
Working in the engine compartment,
before
opening the 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
could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off
first so that you cannot hear or see any
steam or engine coolant.
(D 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
atures or high engine load, the engine could
overheat .
- The front spoiler has been designed to prop­
erly distribute the cooling air when the veh i­
cle is moving.
If the spo iler is damaged, this
could reduce the cooling effect and the en­
gine could then overheat. Ask your author­
iz ed 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
sib le eng ine RPM after the break-in period. Be­
fore reaching this area, move the selector lever
Instruments and indicator lights
to position "D (Drive)" or ease your foot off the
acce lerator pedal.
(D Note
The tachome ter needle should only briefly be
in the red zone: you could damage your en­
gine! The beginning of the red zone varies de­
pending on the engine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
Fuel gauge
The fue l gauge only works when the ignition is
on. If the fuel level drops below 4 gallons (15 lit­
ers), the bottom LED turns red and the indicator
l ight tllturns on
¢page 21. The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The possible range based on the current fue l lev­
el is shown in tab@¢
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Never run the tank completely dry. An irregu­
l ar supply of fuel can cause engine misfiring
and fuel could enter the exhaust system. The
catalytic converter could then overheat and
be damaged.
Indicator Lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or turn on. They indicate functions or mal­
funct ions¢ ,&..
Messages may appear with some indicator lights.
A warning signal will sound at the same time.
The ind icator lights and messages in the center
of the displays may be replaced by other displays.
To show them again, select the tab for indicator lights and messages using the multifunction
steering wheel¢
page 23. If there are several
malfunctions, you can display them one at a time
u sin g the thumbwheel.
IJi,-
11

Instruments and indicator lights
malfunct ion corrected as soon as poss ible by
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­ shop.
W Glow plug system
A pp lies to: ve hicles w ith diesel e ngi ne
The control light illuminates when the glow plug
system is active.
If t h e II indica tor light illum inates, the glow
p lug system is active. Yo u should sta rt the engine
immediate ly after the ind icator light switches
off . The indicator light only illuminates for ap­
proximate ly 1 second if the engine is warm or if
the outside temperature is above 46 QF (8 QC).
('D Tips
-If the glow p lug indicator light illuminates
while dr iv ing, there is an engine contro l
malfunction. The engine should be checked
i mmediately.
- If the indicator light does not illum inate at
a ll when switch ing the ignit ion on, there
may be a malfunction in the glow plug sys­
tem. The engine should be checked .
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Ind ica tor Lamp (M IL) is part of
the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system. The
symbo l
¢'41.ights up whe n the ignition is switch­
ed on and wi ll turn off a fter the engine has sta rt ­
ed and has sett led at a constant idle speed . This
indicates that the MIL is working proper ly.
The warning light illumina tes when there is a
mal function in the engine e lectronic system.
Contact your authorized Audi dealer and have the malfunct ion corrected.
An improperly clo sed fuel fill er cap may also
cause the MIL light to illuminate¢
page 214.
For mo re informa tion ¢ page 28.
20
· ~ Diesel particulate filter clogged
App lies to: vehicles wit h diese l eng ine a nd diese l particulate
filter
• Parti culate filter : System fau lt See owner's
manual
When the II symbol illuminates, you can alter
your driving style to assist the filter self-clean ing
process. Drive for approximate ly 15 m inutes w ith
the selector lever in the S pos it io n at a minimum
speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an engine speed
of approx imately 2,000 RPM. The temperatu re
i n crease th at will res ult from this can b urn off
t h e soot in the filte r. The symbo l will swi tch off
when the cleaning is successful. A fter a success ­
ful cleaning, there is no need to bring the car to
an a uthorized dea le r or q ualified workshop be­
cause this is part of normal vehicle operation.
If the symbol
El does not switch off, see your
autho rized dea ler or other q ual ified workshop to
have t he p roblem co rrected .
Fo r more info rm ation on the d iese l p a rt icu late
filter, refe r to ¢
page 198 .
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic cond itions. Yo u
should never d isobey traffic laws in order to
follow dr iving recommendations.
! ?i Engine speed limitation
App lies to : vehicles wi th engine speed limitatio n
(m Engine spe ed ma ximum X XXX RPM
The engine speed is automatically limited to the
speed displayed in the driver information system.
This protects the engine from overheat ing.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longe r in the critical temperature
range and you have re leased the accelerator ped­
al once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine control malfunction, the indicator light
~ also turns on. Make sure that the speed does
not go above the speed disp layed. Drive to your ..,.

© -12 volt socket c:> page 72
@ -Folding table c:> page 68
©-center armrest and storage compartments:
to open the deep compartment, press the rig ht
button and fold the center armrest upward . To
open the compartment fo r the massage funct ion
r emo te contro l*
c:> page 63 and for the tele ­
phone*, press the left button and fo ld the center
armrest upward .
115-volt socket
Applies to: vehicles with 115-volt socket
The 115-vo lt socket can only be used when the
engine is running
c:> & . When you push the con­
nector all the way into the socket, the ch ild safe­
ty mechan ism releases and current flows through
the socket .
Equ ipment th at can be conn ect ed
Electrical devices can be connected to the 1 15
volt socket in the vehicle. Power consumption at
the 115-volt socket must not exceed 150 watts
(300 watts peak) . Check the power consumpt ion
of the equipment on the model plate .
LED on the socke t
-The socket is ready for use when the LED is
green.
- If the LED blinks red, there is a malfunction .
The socket will switch off automatically due to overcurrent or overheating. The socket will
switch on again automatically after a cool­
down period . Any devices that are connected
and switched on will activate again automati­ ca lly
c:> ,& .
A WARNING
- T he so ckets and the electrical accesso ries
conne cted to them operate only when the
ignition is switched on . Incorrect usage can
lead to serious injuries or burns. To reduce
the risk of injuries, never leave children un­
attended in the vehicle w ith the vehicle key.
- Heavy eq uipment or plugs with integrated
power supply units can damage the socket
and lead to injuries.
-
Seat s and sto rage
-Store all connected equipment securely
while the veh icle is moving so that they can­
not be thrown through the vehicle in the
event of a braking maneuver or an accident.
- Never sp ill any liquids on the socket . If any
mo isture gets into the socket, make certain
that all the moisture has dried up before us ­
ing the socket again .
- Equipment that is connected to the vehicle
socket can heat up more than it does when
connected to the public grid .
- When us ing adapters and extens ion cords,
the child safety for the 115-volt socket is
disabled and the socket is live.
- Never insert anyth ing other than the plug of
an app ropr iate electrical accessory into the
soc ket, especially th ings that conduct ele c­
tr icity, e.g. metal pens, knitting need les,
etc. into the contacts of the 115 -vol t sock­
et .
- Turn the electrical equ ipment off if the
socket has switched off because of over­
heating.
(D Note
- Always follow the manufacture r's i nstruc­
tions for a ll electrical accessories yo u wan t
t o use with the e lectr ica l socket!
- Do not connect lamps tha t con tain a neon
t u be. Fo r tech nica l reasons the lamp may be
damaged.
- Do not connect any 230-volt equipment to
t he 115-vo lt socket . The equipment may be
damaged. If necessa ry , check the permiss i­
ble vo ltage for the equipment on the mode l
label.
- In the case of some power packs, e.g. for a
laptop computer , the bui lt-in ove rcurrent
shutoff prevents it from being switched on
because of excessive start-up current. In
this case, disconnect the power pack from the consumer and reconnect it after abo ut
1 0 seconds .
(D Tips
-Unshielded equ ipment may cause interfer­
ence in the radio and the vehicle electronics .
67

to move immediately, even if the parking brake is set. Th is could result in a crash.
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake
peda l too often or too long when driving
down a hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak­
ing distance or causes complete failure of
the brake system.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in D/S and you press the brake pedal.
The transm iss ion automatically selects a gear
that is suitable for the incl ine. Hill descent con­
trol tries to mainta in the speed achieved at the
time of brak ing, within physical and technical
limitations. It may st ill be necessary to ad just the
speed with the brakes .
H ill descent contro l switches off once the decline
l eve ls out or yo u press the accelerator pedal.
H ill desce nt control is also act ivated when the
speed is set by starting the cruise control system
¢ page 88.
& WARNING
Hill descent contro l cannot overcome physical
limitations, so it may not be able to mai ntain
a constant speed under a ll conditions . Always
be ready to apply the brakes.
Aut oma tic tr ansm iss ion
Shifting manually
The shift paddles allow the driver to shift the
gears manually .
Fig. 126 Steering whee l: sh ift in g man ually
.. To shift to a higher or lowe r gear temporar ily,
tap the
G) or O shift paddle ¢ fig . 126.
g
:i:
"' CD
.. To switch manual mode on, press the~ but­
ton. An M and the gear that is currently engag­
ed appear in the instrument cluster display @
¢page 112, fig . 123 .
.., To shift up one gear, tap the right shift paddle
G) ¢fig .126.
.., To shift down one gear, tap t he left shift pad­
d le
Q .
.., To switch manua l mode off, press the~ but-
ton again, or
.. Move the selector lever back and re lease it.
T he transmission automatically sh if t s up or down
before critica l engine speed is reached .
T he transmission on ly allows manual shifting
when the eng ine speed is w ith in the pe rm itted
range.
The eng ine braking effect increases when you
downsh ift when go ing downh ill.
Kick -down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration .
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, t he automatic trans­
mission downsh ifts into a lower gear, depe nding
on vehicle speed and e ngine RPM .
It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maxim um speci-
fied eng ine RPM is rea ched . ...,
115

In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL w ill switch on aga in a utomati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
Ste ering recommendat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the ve hicle by chang ing
the s teering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
h e lps to s tabilize the stee ring in critical s itua­
tions.
Selective wh eel torqu e control
Select ive whee l torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves . T he front wheel on the inside of
the cu rve or both wheels o n the inside of the
curve are br aked selec tively as needed . This al ­
l ows more precise driv ing in curves . The applica­
b le system may not activate when driving in wet
or snowy conditions.
Automatic post-collision braking system
The "Automatic post-co llision bra king system"
can help to reduce the ris k of slid ing and of other
coll is ions after an accident. If the airbag contro l
module detects a col lision above a certain vehicle
speed, the vehicle is b raked by t he ESC.
The vehicle does not b rake automatica lly if :
- the driver p resses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greate r than the brak ing force
that wou ld be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
ca l system are not f unction ing .
Sma rt Technology
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the limits posed by natural physi­
cal laws . This is especia lly important on s lip­
pe ry o r we t roads .
If the systems beg in act­
i n g to stab iliz e your ve hicle, yo u should im­
mediately change yo ur speed to ma tch the
road and traffic con dit ions . Do not let the
increased safety provided by these systems
tempt you to take r isks. Do ing so will in­
crease the r isk of a loss of vehicle contro l,
coll is ion and serious pe rsonal in juries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of losing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving too fast, especially through curves and on
slippery or wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehi cles up ahead. The ESC and its
i n teg ra ted systems ca nnot alw ays preven t
coll is io ns -the re is s till a risk of accide nts!
- Always accelerate w ith specia l care on even,
smooth s urfaces su ch as those that are wet
or covere d wi th ice and snow. The d rive
whee ls can spin eve n wit h these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle contro l.
(D Tips
-ABS a nd ASR only wo rk cor rec tly when all
four wheels a re equipped wi th identi cal
tires. Diffe rent tire s izes can lead to a red uc­
tion i n engine power .
- You may hear noises when the systems de ­
scribed are working .
191

Smart Techn olo gy
- Under certain climatic and operating condi­
tions such as passing through water, driving
in heavy rain or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re­
duced . In w inter, ice can accumulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums . Care­
fully apply brakes fo r a tes t. Brakes w ill dry
and ice coatings wi ll be cleaned off after a
few careful brake applications .
- Driving for an extended pe riod of time on
salt-covered roads witho ut using your
brakes can also affect bra king efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads with a few carefu l
brake applications.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you in­
stall a different spoiler, be sure the air flow
to the front brakes is not obstructed. Other­
wise the brake system could overheat reduc­
ing the effectiveness of the entire brake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
braking capability result ing in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nea rest Aud i dealer
or qualified workshop.
- Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the
engine shut off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
brake pedal must be pressed considerably
harder to make up for the lac k of booster
assistance.
Electromechanical power
assist, dynamic steering
The electromechanical power assist helps the
driver when steering.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Ind icator light s and messages
• Stee ring defective! St op th e ve hicle
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steer ing may
have fa iled.
194
Do not continue driving. See your authorized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility for
ass istance .
,Ion Steering : System faul t You can c ontinue
dri ving
If the indicato r light turns on and the message
appears, the steeri ng may be more diff icult to
move o r more sensitive than usu a l. T he steer ing
whee l may also be at an angle when driving
straight.
D rive slowly to your a uth orized Aud i dea ler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the malfunct ion cor­
rected.
1;r,ij D ynamic steering : Init ializing
If this driver message appears and the indicator
light is flashing on the instrument panel, dynam­
i c steer ing* is being re initialized . After starting
the engine, t he steering wheel w ill move slightly.
Re- initializa tion might be necessary if the steer­
i ng whee l was moved hard to the left and right
while the vehicle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as initialization is comp lete .
D rive slowly to your a uth orized Aud i dea ler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the mal func tion cor­
rected.
.&_ WARNING
Have the dynamic steering * system malfunc­
tion repaired as soon as possible by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop -
risk of acc ident!
(D Tips
If the . or ,Ion indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering* stabi lity systems are
not ava ilable in the event of a system mal­
function.
- For additiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to~
page 106 .

Driving and th e en vironm ent
pollutants in the exha ust gas before they are re ­
leased into the atmosphere.
The exclusive use of unleaded fue l is critica lly im­
portant for the l ife of the catalytic converter and
proper functioning of the engine.
A WARNING
T he temperature of the exha ust 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 exha ust system may come in
contact with dry grass, brush, 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
fold, exhaust p ipes, catalytic converter or
heat sh ields. During dr iv ing, the substance
used fo r undercoating could overheat and
ca use a fire.
(D Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
le aded fuel will already ser iously degrade
the performance of the catalytic co nverter .
- Do not exceed the correct eng ine oil level
<=;> page 225.
-Do not drive until the fuel tank becomes
complete ly empty. The engine could mis­
fire. Unburned fuel could also get into the
exhaust system and this cou ld cause the
cataly tic converte r to overheat.
- Do not sw itch off the ignition while the veh i­
cle is moving.
- Do not continue to operate your vehicle un­
der these cond it ions, as otherwise fue l can
r each the catalyti c converte r. This cou ld re­
su lt in overheating of the conve rter, req uir­
i ng its replacement.
- T o assure efficient oper ation of the Emis­
s ion Control Sys tem:
- Have your veh icle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommen­
dations in your Warranty
& Maintenance
book let .
198
-Lack of proper ma intenance as well as im ­
proper use of the vehicle wi ll impair the
funct ion o f the emission control system
and could lead to damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Even when the Emiss ion Control System is op ­
erating properly, the exhaust gas can have a
su lfu r-li ke exhaust gas sme ll under some op­
erating states. Th is depends on the sulfur
content of the fuel being used. Us ing a d iffer­
ent brand of fuel may help, or fi lling the tank
with lead-free super g rade gasoline.
Diesel particulate filter
App lies to: vehicles with diese l engine
The diesel particulate filter filters nearly all of
the soot part icles out of the exhaus t. The filte r
clea ns itself automat ica lly unde r no rma l dr iv ing
cond it ions. If the fil ter canno t clean i tself (fo r ex­
amp le, because yo u are on ly driving short distan­
ces), the filter becomes clogged with soot and
the
II symbol for the diese l particu late filter il­
l uminates
¢ page 20.
A WARNING
- Do not park your vehicle over flammable
materials such as grass or leaves because
the high temperature of the diesel particu­
la te filte r could sta rt a fi re.
-
- Do not apply an underbody protectant in the
exhaust system area or a fire could start.
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like your vehicle to remain inopera­
tive for a longer period of time, contact an Audi
or other spec ia lized dealer . They can adv ise you
o n necessary p recautions e .g. corros ion preven­
tion, ma intenance and storage . Pay attention to
additional informat ion concer ning t he battery.
Refer to
<::;> page 2 31.

Driving and th e en vironm ent
Avoid full throttle
Driving at moderate speeds saves fuel and im­
proves your mileage .
.,. Try and keep well below your car's maximum
speed .
Accelerating gent ly reduces fue l consumption,
engine wear, and does not disturb the environ­ ment.
Fue l consumption, exhaust emissions and engine
noise increase d isproportionately 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 conditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even when your car is just idling it burns up fuel.
.,. Shut the engine off when you are not driv ing
the vehicle.
.,. Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the en-
gine run at idle .
The idling phase is automatically reduced for
veh icles with the Start-Stop-System*. It is effi­
cient to switch off the eng ine in vehicles without
the Start -Stop -System when stopped at ra ilroad
crossings and long red lights . Turning the engine
off for just 30-40 seconds saves more fuel than is bu rned by starting the engine aga in.
It takes a long t ime for the engine to warm up
fu lly when it is running at idle . However, wear
and noxio us em iss ions are espec ially high when
the engine is wa rm ing up. So you sho uld drive
away as soon as you start the engine a nd avoid
running at high rpms while the engine is still
warming up.
(D Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended a fter
starting . If warn ing lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they wou ld go
unheeded. Extended idling a lso produces
heat, wh ich co uld result in overheat ing or
200
other damage to the vehicle or othe r proper ­
ty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a lot of fuel.
.,. Have you r veh icle serviced at regula r interva ls.
By hav ing your veh icle regularly serv iced by an
Audi dealer he lps to ensure that it runs p roperly
and e conomi cally. The cond ition of you r vehicle
not only affects its safety and ab ility to hold its
val ue, it also affects
fuel con sumption .
Check your oil each t ime you fill your tank .
The amount of oi l used is related to engine load
and speed .
It is normal for the oil consumption of a new en­
gine to reach its lowest value after a certain mile­
age has been driven .
You must drive your vehicle about 3,000 mi les
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly as­
sess oil consumpt ion.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and engine
output .
(D Note
-Have your ve hicle ma intained properly and
in accordance with the se rvice recommenda ­
tions in your Warranty
& M aintenance book­
let. Lack of proper maintenance as we ll as
improper use of the veh icle w ill impair the
function of the em ission control system and
cou ld lead to damage .
- Do not alter or remove any component of
the Emission Contro l System u nless ap­
proved by the man ufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ign ition w ires,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Contro l System and other
impo rtant ve hicle compone nts.