2017 AUDI A6 engine overheat

Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments and indicator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
co
co
....
Fig . 3 Instru ment cl uste r overview
CD Engine coolant temperature gauge
@ Tachometer ...... .... ...... . .
- With
OFF status indicator . .. . .
- With
READY status ind icator ..
@ Turn signals ...... .... ....... .
© Dis p lay w ith
- Drive r information system . .. . .
- Indicator lig hts ..... .. . .. .. .
® Speedometer
® Fuel level
(D Tips
9
1 0
70
70, 72
42
21
10
1 0
The instrument illumination for the needles
and d ia ls t urns on when the ignition is turned
on and the lights are turned off. The ill umina ­
t ion fo r the g auges reduces aut omat ically and
eve ntu ally t urns off as brigh tness outside in­
creases . This f unction reminds the drive r to
tur n the low beams on at the approp riate
time.
Coolant temperature indicator
~ The coolant temperature display CD¢ page 9,
g fig. 3 only functions when the ignition is switch­
<..:> 'SI"
ed o n. To prevent engine damage, please observe
the following notes about the temperature rang­
es.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge t urn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high eng ine speeds, full ac­
ce le rating and heavy e ngine loads.
Normal range
T he eng ine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the L EDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on.
If the. indicator light in the inst ru­
ment cluster d isp lay turns on, the coolant tem­
perature is too high¢
page 14.
(D Note
-Aux iliary headlig hts and ot her accessories in
front of the coo ling-air intake impa ir th e
cooling effect o f th e coolant . This increases
t he risk of th e engi ne overheating dur ing
hig h ou tsid e tempera tures and heavy en­
gine load.
9

Instruments and indicator lights
-The front spoiler also he lps to distr ib ute
cooling air while driving . If the spoiler is
damaged, the cooling effect w ill be im­
paired and the risk of the engine overheat­
i ng will increase. See an author ized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
(D Tips
Applies to: ve hicles w ith d iese l engines
Due to the high eff ic iency of these engines,
the engine may not always reac h opera ting
t em perature i n cold outside tempe ra tur es.
This is normal and not a cause for con cern .
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev ­
olutions per minute (RPM).
You shou ld shift to the next lowest gea r whe n
the speed is below 1,S00 R PM. T he begin ning of
the re d zone in the tachome ter ind icates the
maximum permissible engine speed fo r all gea rs
once the engine has been bro ken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature . Before
reaching the red zone, you should shift into the
next h igher gea r, c hoose the Dor S selecto r lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera­
tor pedal.
CD Note
The needle in the tachometer @ c> page 9,
fig. 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or the re is a r isk of engine
damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early helps you to save fuel and re­
duce operating no ise.
(D Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is limi ted when the eng ine
is cold -the full e ngine o utp ut is not availa­
ble. When the engi ne is at ope rating temper­
at ure, the re d a rea i n the ta chome ter move s
t o a higher RPM range.
10
· Fuel level
The display @ only wor ks w hen the ig nition is
swi tched on.
If th e fue l level drops below 2.6 g al
(1 0
L), a red L ED w ill tu rn on and t he HJ indica­
tor light wi ll turn o n
i=>page 18. The LED b links
red when the fue l level is very low .
The poss ible range base d on the cu rrent fue l lev­
e l is shown in tab@¢
page 21, fig . 4.
For th e tank capacity i n your veh icle, refe r to the
Techn ica l Da ta
c> page 257.
CD Note
Neve r drive until t he tank is complete ly em p­
ty. The irregu la r su pply of fuel that res ults
from tha t can cause engine misfires. Un co m ­
b uste d fue l w ill th en en ter the exhaust sys ­
tem . This c an cause overheating and damage
to the ca talyt ic converter .
Indicator Lights
· Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
bl ink or tur n on. They ind icate fu nctions or mal­
funct io ns.
Messages may appear w ith some indicator lights.
A war ning s ignal will sound at the same time.
The ind icator lights and messages i n the instru­
ment clus ter d isp lay can be cove red by ot he r dis ­
plays. To show them ag ai n, se lec t t he tab for in ­
dicator lights and messages using the mu ltifu nc­
tion steering whee l
c> page 21. If there are sev­
eral ma lfunctions, you can display them one at a
time us ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicator lights in the d isplay can disp lay in
severa l co lors .
Central indicator light
App lies to: vehicles wit h monochrome d isplay
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light . or
U. the centra l ind icator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
white indicator light also appea rs, the centra l in­
dica tor light w ill have its ow n colo r. Fo r example, ..,.

Instruments and indicator lights
PARK/(®) Electromechanical parking brake
If the - (USA models) /. (Canada models)
i n dicator light t urns on , the par king bra ke was
set.
- (USA model s) /. (Cana da models) Cau ­
tion: Vehi cle parked too ste ep
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, the re is not enough brak ing power to se­
cure the vehicle . The bra kes have overheated. The
ve hicl e co uld ro ll away eve n on a small incline.
- (USA mod els) /. (Canada models) Pr ess
brake pedal to rel ease parking brake
To release the park ing brake, press the brake
pedal and press the
[21 button at the same time
or start driv ing with hill start ass ist
r=> page 76.
II Parking brake!
There is a malfunc tion in the park ing bra ke. Dr ive
to an author ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
(D Tips
For additional information on the parking
brake, see
r=:> page 75.
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
The coolan t leve l is too low .
Do not cont inue d rivin g and switch the engi ne
off. Check the coolant leve l
r=>page 205.
-If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
r=:> page 205 . Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
• Coolant temperature too high! P lease let en­
gine run with vehicle st a tionary
Let the eng ine run at id le for a few minutes to
coo l off, until the indicator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
for assistance.
14
A WARNING
-
- Never ope n the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coola nt escaping from t he engine
compar tment . This increases the risk of
burns. Wa it until you no longer see o r hear
stea m or coola nt es caping.
- The engine compartment in any vehicle can
be a dange rous a rea. Stop t he engine and
allow it to cool befo re wor king i n the e ng in e
comp artme nt. Always follow the informa­
tion fo und in
r=:> page 198, Working in the
engine compartment.
Q) Note
D o not con tinue driv ing if the . indi ca to r
li ght turn s on -this in cr eases the risk of en­
gine damage.
~ , Front safety belt
The . indicator lig ht stays on until the driver 's
and front passenger's safety belts are fastened.
Above a certa in speed, there will a lso be a warn­
i ng tone.
(D Tips
For additional informat ion on sa fety belts,
seer=;,
page 139.
D Alternator/vehicle battery
• Electrical system: m alfunction! Battery is
not being charged
There is a ma lfunction in the a lternato r or the ve ­
hicle electrical system.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immediate ly. Beca use the ve­
hicle battery is discharging, turn off a ll unneces ­
sa ry electrical equ ipment such as the rad io. See
your authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility if the batte ry charge level is too
l ow .
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
The starting ability may be impa ired . ...

Instruments and indicator lights
The indicator light can also turn on if t he fuel fill­
er cap is not closed correct ly ¢
page 192.
~ Diesel particulate filter
App lies to: veh icles w ith diesel engine and diesel particulate
filter
II Particul ate filter: System fault See owner' s
manual
The diesel pa rticulate fi lter requires regene ra ­
tion . To suppo rt the fil ter's se lf-cleaning f un c­
tion :
D rive fo r approximate ly 15 m in utes at 37 mph
(60 km/h) o r above in the S se lector lever posi ­
tion . Keep the eng ine s peed around 2 ,00 0 RPM .
The temperature increase tha t will result from
this can b urn o ff the soot in the filter. The indica ­
tor light will turn off when the cleaning has com­
p leted successf ully.
I f t he i ndicator lig ht does
not tur n o ff, drive im­
mediately to an a utho rized Audi dea ler or a uth or ­
ized A udi Service Faci lity to have the malfunction
corrected.
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the cu rrent
weather, road and traffic conditions . You
should never disobey traffic laws in order to
follow driving recommenda tions.
(D Tips
For add it iona l information on the diese l par­
tic ulate fi lter, see
¢ page 198.
!'7 Engine speed limitation
Applies to: veh icles with engine speed limitation
Ill Maximum engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatica lly lim ited to the
speed d isplayed in the instrument cluster. T his
protects the eng ine from overheating .
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critica l temperature
range and you have released the acce lerato r ped­
a l once .
18
If the engine spee d limitation was activa ted by
an engine cont rol malfunct ion, the ~ indicator
li ght a lso turns on. Ma ke sure that the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Dr ive to
an a uthorized Audi dea ler or authori zed Audi
Service Facility immed iate ly to have the ma lfunc ­
t ion corrected .
(D Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is lim ite d w hen t he engine
i s cold -the fu ll engine ou tput is no t av aila ­
b le . When the eng ine is at o perating tem per­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a h igher R PM range .
~c, Engine oil sensor
• Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the eng ine o il level has
f ailed. Drive to an au thori zed A udi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunct ion corrected .
f Engine warm -up request
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has entered the engine oil, eithe r from low
outside temperatures or frequent short d rives.
D rive until the eng ine is warm so that the fuel in
the engine o il w ill evaporate. Avoid hig h engine
speeds, full accelerating a nd heavy engine loads
whe n doing this .
rn Tank system
II) Please refuel
If the indicato r light turns on for the first time
and t he message appears , there are about 2 .6
gallons ( 10 li ters) of f uel left in t he tank .
II) Fuel tank system malfunct ion! Please con­
tact dealer
There is a ma lf u nction in the f uel tank system .
D rive to an au thor ized A udi dealer or au thoriz ed
A udi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to h ave the
malfunction cor rec ted.

Driving
lead to greater tire wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every kilogram of extra
weight increases
fuel consumption, a quick inspection of the lug­
gage compartment may be worth it to avoid un­
necessary weight.
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­ moved to decrease the wind resistance of the ve­
hicle. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62- 7 5 mph (100-120 km/h) .
Save energy
The engine drives the generator, which generates
electricity; the fuel consumption also increases
with the demand for electricity. Therefore, switch electrical equipment off when you no longer
need it. Examples of equipment that uses a lot of
energy are air blowers at a high setting, the rear
window defogger and seat heating*.
CD Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting.
If warning lights should come on to
indicate improper operation, they would go
unheeded. Extended idling also produces
heat, which could result in overheating or
other damage to the vehicle or other proper­
ty .
CD Note
- Have your vehicle maintained properly and
in accordance with the service recommenda­
tions in your Warranty
& Maintenance book ­
let . Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impair the
function of the emission control system and
could lead to damage.
- Do not alter or
remove any component of
the Emission Control System unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer.
- Do not alter or remove any device, such as
heat shields, switches, ignition wires,
68
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other
important vehicle components.
(D Tips
The consumption estimates as published by
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
(EPA) and Transport Canada may not corre­
spond to your actual consumption on the
road, which will vary depending upon vehicle
load and speed, road and weather conditions,
trip length, etc.
Steering
Manual steering wheel position adjustment
Applies to: vehicles with manual steering wheel adjustment
The steering wheel position is adjustable up and
down and forward and back.
Fig. 76 Lever o n the stee ring col umn
.,. Pull the lever in the direction of the arrow
¢ ,&. .
.,. Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi­
tion .
.,. Push the lever against the steering column un­
til it is secure.
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment
and improper seating position can cause seri­
ous personal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column only when the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so
that there is a minimum of 10 in (25 cm)
between your chest and the steering wheel -

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l - than 2 seconds when the brake pedal is not
pressed.
Interlock button
The in terlo ck button i n the selector lever handle
p revents yo u from moving the selector lever i n­
advertently while in some se lector lever posi­
tions. The positions that require the interlock button to be pressed are marked in co lor i n the il ­
lustration
c:> fig . 84.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.. The selector lever must be in the P or the N po­
s it ion.
Starting from a stop
.. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.. Press and hold the lock button in the selector
lever hand le, select the desired se lector lever
pos ition such as 0/5 and release the lock but­
ton .
.. Wait a moment unt il the transm ission shifts .
You w ill no tice a slight movement when t he
gear e ngages .
.. Release t he b rake pedal and press the acce le ra­
tor pedal
c:> &_ .
Stopping temporarily
.. Keep the veh icle stat ionary using the braking
peda l, for example at traffic lights .
.. Do no t press t he accelerator pedal when doing
t hi s.
.. To p revent the vehicle from rolling when yo u
sta rt driving, se t the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep i nclines
c:> _&. .
.. The parking bra ke wi ll re lease automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopping /parking
If the se lec to r l ever is not in the P posi tion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
Transmission: selector lever in
drive position!
appears . A warn ing tone wi ll also
sound.
.. Press and hold the brake pedal
c:> _&. .
Driving
.. Se t the par king brake.
.. Select the P selector lever posit ion .
U nder certain circumst ances, su ch as driving in
t h e mo unta ins, i t may be useful to swi tch tempo ­
ra rily to the manual s hift program in order to
man ua lly adjust the gea rs to the driving condi ­
tions
c:> poge 80.
On inclines, activate the parking brake fi rs t a nd
t h en move the selector lever to t he P position
c:> page 75. This prevents the locking mechanism
from be ing loaded too heavily and will make it
easier to move the selector lever out of the P po­
s ition .
A WARNING
- The vehicle ca n roll even if the ignit ion is
sw itched off .
- Never leave your ve hicle w ith the engine
r u nning while in gear .
- Do not press the acce le rator peda l when
changing the se lector lever posi tion while
the vehicle is s ta tionary and the engi ne is
r u nning .
-
-Please no te that a small amo unt of power is
transmi tted if the veh icle is stopped tern po­
r a rily w hile in t he D/S or R select or leve r po­
si tion. To reduce t he risk of an a cc iden t, y ou
m ust cont in ue pressing firmly on the brake
pedal whi le t he veh icle is stoppe d so that i t
does not ro ll.
- Never engage the R or P sele ctor leve l pos i­
tions while dr iv ing. It could ca use a crash .
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce
your speed and sh ift into a lowe r gear w ith
"t i pt ronic" .
- Do not r ide the brakes or p ress the brake
pedal too often or too lon g when dr iving
downhill . Constant bra king causes the
brakes to overheat and s ubstant ially re­
duces brak ing performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the bra ke system.
- If you must stop on an incline, a lways hold
the vehicle in place wit h the foot brake or
pa rking bra ke to p reve nt i t from rolling
back.
79

Driving
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload . The
[i1 indicator Light turns on
and a message appears~
page 81 when
the clutch is overloaded.
(D Note
-When stopping on an incline, do not try to
hold the vehicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator pedal while a driving gear is se­
lected. This can cause the transmission to
overheat and can damage it. Set the parking brake or press the brake pedal to prevent
the vehicle from rolling.
- Allowing the vehicle to roll when the engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be­
cause it is not lubricated .
@ Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control is activated when the selec­
tor lever is in the Dor S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is suitable for the hill . Hill de­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach­
ieved at the time of braking, within physical and
technical limitations. If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed with the brake pedal.
Hill descent control switches off once the hill lev­
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cruise control system*
~ page 86, hill descent control is also activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitations , so it may not be able to maintain
80
a constant speed under all conditions. Always
be ready to apply the brakes .
Shifting manually (tiptronic mode)
The tiptronic mode allows the driver to shift the
gears manually.
'
}
Fig . 85 Center console: sh ift ing manually with the selector
l ever
Fig. 86 Steering wheel : manual s hift ing with the s hift pad­
dles*
Shifting with the selector lever
You can shift into tip tron ic mode while stationary
and while driving.
.,. To shift into tiptronic mode, push the selector
lever from the D/S setting to the right. As soon
as the transmission switches over, the
M selec­
tor lever position will appear in the instrument
cluster display .
.,. To shift up a gear, tap the selector lever for­
ward
0 ~ fig. 85.
.,. To shift down a gear, tap the selector lever back
0-
Shifting with the shift paddles*
You can operate the shift paddles in the D/S or M
selector lever positions. ..,.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' ~ To shift up one gear, tap the shift paddle 0
¢fig. 86.
~ To shift down one gear, tap the 0 shift paddle.
The transmission automatically shifts up or down before critical engine speed is reached.
The transmission only allows manual shifting
when the engine speed is within the permitted
range.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables maximum acceleration.
When you press the accelerator pedal down be­
yond the resistance point, the automatic trans­
mission downshifts into a lower gear, depending
on vehicle speed and engine RPM.
It shifts up in­
to the next higher gear once the maximum speci­
fied engine RPM is reached.
A WARNING
Please note that the wheels could spin on
slick or slippery roads when kick-down is ac­
tive.
Launch control program
A ppl ies to: ve hicles wit h S tro nic
-
The launch control program provides the best
possible acceleration when starting from a stop.
Requirement: the engine must be at operating
temperature and the steering wheel must not be
turned .
~ Deactivate the Start/Stop system*¢ page 74.
The LED in the l0 u•I button turns on.
~ Switch the Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) sport mode on ¢
page 121. The II i ndi­
cator light turns on.
~ Pull the selector lever back out of the D/S posi­
tion briefly to select the S position or select the
DYNAMIC driving mode in drive select
¢page 106.
~ Press the brake pedal firmly with your left foot
and hold it all the way down for at least one
second .
Driving
~ At the same time, press the gas pedal all the
way down with your right foot until the engine reaches and stays at a high RPM level.
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal within
five seconds ¢_& .
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 both­
ered by your driving and the vehicle's accel­
eration.
- Please note that the drive wheels can spin
and the vehicle can break away when sport
mode is switched on, especially when the
road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving, press
the
I.P-O FFI button briefly to turn the sport
mode off.
@ Tips
- The transmission temperature may increase
significantly after using the launch control
program. If that happens, the program may
not be available for a few minutes.
It will be
available again after a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the launch control
program, all vehicle parts are subject to
heavy loads. This can lead to increased
wear.
Transmission malfunction
DD Transmission: please press brake pedal and
select gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired se­
lector lever position again. You can then continue
driving.
DD Transmission overheating: Please drive con­
servatively.
The transmission temperature has increased sig­
nificantly due to the sporty driving manner. Drive
in a less sporty manner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light switches of. .,..
81