2017 AUDI Q3 check engine

Checking and Filling
Engine compartment overview
The most important check points.
Fig. 140 Typical location of the rese rvoir and the engine o il fil le r open ing
(D Coolant reservoir (- L) ¢ page 166
@ Oil dipstick ¢ page 164
® Engine oil filler opening ('t:::r.) ¢page 164
© Eng ine oil label* w ith VW standard
¢page 162
® Brake fluid reservoir ((0)) ¢ page 168
® Vehicle battery(+) ¢ page 169, ¢page 209
(?) Jump start point( -) w ith hex head screw
¢page 169, ¢page 209
@ Washer fluid reservoir (O) ¢ page 169
® Fuse housing c:::> page 205
The oil dipstick (position @) and the engine oil
filler open ing (pos it ion @) can be located in dif­
fe rent positions depending on the engine ver­
sion .
_8. WARNING
Read and follow the WARNINGS befo re
checking anything in the engine compartment
162
¢ &. in Working in the engine compartment
on page 159.
Engine oil
Engine oil specifications
The engine oil used must conform to exact speci­
fications.
The serv ice interval display i n the inst rumen t
cluster o f your vehicle will inform you when it is
time for an oi l change . We recommend that you
have your o il changed by an author ized A udi Serv­
ice Adv isor.
If you must add oil between oil changes, use an oi l that matches the Aud i oi l quality standard
li sted on the sticker. The sticker is located at the
front of the eng ine compartment ¢
page 162,
fig. 140 .

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A udi rec ommend s
@;Cilstrot /Jgjgf ~ f'r,w.~7dr,,'1AJ.
A ud i re commends Longlife high p erform ance
e ngi ne oil from A udi Gen uin e P art s
Using the proper engine oil is important for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your
engine was factory-filled with a high-quality oil
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year .
Note
Your Limited New Vehicle Warranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set fo rth in the Aud i Owner's
Manual a nd Warranty & Mai ntenan ce booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil that ex-
pressly complies with the Aud i oil q ual ity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine. Using any other oil can cause serious engine
damage .
- Do not mix any l ubricants or othe r addi tives
into the engine oil. Doing so can cause en­
gine damage.
(D Tips
If you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble that meets the Audi oil quality standard
your engine requires, you may add a total of
no more than 0 .5 quart/liter of a high-quality
"synthet ic"oil that meets the following speci­
fications.
- ACEA A3 or API SM with a viscosity grade of
SAE OW-30, SAE SW-30 or SAE SW-40.
- For more information about engine oi l that
has been approved for your vehicle, please
contact e ither your authorized Audi dea ler
or Audi Customer Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or vis it our web site at
www.audiusa.com or www.aud icanada .ca.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on on ade­
quate amount of oil to lubricate and
cool oil of
its moving ports.
In order to provide effect ive lubrication and cool­
ing of internal engine components, all internal
combust ion eng ines consume a certa in amount
of oil. Oil consumption varies from eng ine to en­
gine and may change s ign ificantly over the life of
the engine. Typ ica lly, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
q page 58) consume more
oi l during the break -in period than they consume
after oil consumption has stabilized.
Under normal cond itions, the rate of oil con­
sumption depends on the q uality and viscosity o f
the oil, the RPM (revol utions per minute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amount of oil dilution from water condensa­
tion or fuel residue and the oxidation level of the o il. As any engine is subject to wear as mileage
builds up, the oil consumption may increase over
time unt il replacement of worn components may
become necessary.
With all these variables coming into play, no standard rate of o il consumption can be estab­
li shed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rnative to reg­
u la r and frequent checking of the oi l level , see
Note .
If the yellow engine o il leve l warning symbo l !I
in the instrument cluster lights up, you sho uld
check the o il level as soon as possible
q page 164. Top off the o il at your earlies t con­
venience.
A WARNING ~
Before you check anything in the engine com-
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
q .&. in Working in the engine comport­
ment on page 159.
(D Note
Driving with an insufficient oil level is likely to
cause severe damage to the eng ine. ..,.
163

Checking and Filling
@ Tips
-The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
i t. Instead , check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going
on a long trip.
- If you have the impression your engine con­
sumes excessive amounts of oil, we recom­
mend that you cons ult an autho rized Aud i
dealer to have the cause of your concern
properly diagnosed. Keep in mind that the
accurate measurement of oil consumption
requires great care and may take some
time. An authorized Audi dealer has instruc­
tions about how to measure oil consump­
tion accurately .
Checking the engine oil level and adding
engine oil
Fig. 141 Oil d ipst ick: check ing engine o il level
Fig. 142 Engine co mpa rtment : en gin e oi l fille r opening
cove r
Obse rve the safety p recau tions c:::> & in Working
in the engine comportment on page 159.
Checking the engine oil level
-Park the vehicle on a level surface.
164
- Shut the engine off when it is warm . Wait ap­
proximate ly two minutes so that the engine oil
can flow back into the oil pan.
- Open the hood c:::>
page 161.
-Remove the oil d ipstick c:::> page 162, fig . 140,
w ipe it off with a clean cloth and inse rt it all the
way in again.
- Remove the oil dipstick again and then read the
oil level c:::>
table on page 164.
-Add engine o il if necessary.
Area on oil dipstick
c:::> fig. 141.
@ If
the engine oil leve l is just before the
mark ing@ , then engine oil must be added.
See
c:::> (D.
@ Do not add engine o
il.
Adding engine oil
- Unscrew the cap "t!:;f; c:::> fig. 142 for the engine
oil f illing opening c:::>
page 162, fig . 140.
- Carefully add 0.5 quart (0.5 liter) of the correct
oil c:::>
page 162.
-Check the oil level again after two minutes.
- Add a smaller amount of engine oil if necessa-
ry . The mark ing@c:::>fig .
141 must not be ex­
ceeded c:::>
(D.
-Sc rew the engine oil filler cap "t!:;f; and slide the
dipstick all the way in.
A WARNING
- When adding engine oil, do not let oil drip
onto hot engine components. This increases
the risk of a fire.
- You must seal the cap on the oil filler open­
ing correctly so that oil does not leak out
onto the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running, because this is
a fire hazard.
-A lways clean sk in thoroughly if it comes into
contact with engine oil.
(D Note
-The engine oil level must not be under the
marking @, because this increases the risk
of engine damage .
- After adding engine oil, the oil leve l must
not be above the mark ing@ , because this

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increases the risk of catalytic converter and/
or engine damage. Do not start the engine. Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have excess
engine oil extracted if necessary.
- Do not mix any additional lubricants into
the engine o il. Damage caused by such addi­
tives is not covered by the warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
-Engine o il should never enter the sewer sys­
tem or come into contact with the ground under any circumstances.
- Pay attention to legal requirements when
dispos ing of empty oil containers.
@ Tips
The engine oil consumption may be up to
0.5 quart/600 m iles (0.5 liter/1,000 km), de­
pending on driving style and operating condi­
tions. Consumption may be higher during the
fi rst 3,000 miles (5,000 km). The engine o il
level must be checked regularly.
It would be
best to che ck each t ime you refue l yo ur vehi­
cle and before long dr ives.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by an
authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service sta­ tion.
B efore you check a nyth ing in the eng ine compart­
ment,
alw ay s read and heed all WARNINGS ~ .&.
in Working in the engine compartment on
page 159.
The engine oil must be changed according to the
inte rvals spec ified in you r Warranty
& Mainte­
nance booklet. This is very important because the
l ubri cat ing propert ies of o il diminish gradually
d uring normal vehicle use.
Unde r some ci rcumstances the eng ine o il should
be changed more frequently. Change oil mo re of ­
ten if yo u drive mos tly short distances, ope rate
the vehicle in dusty areas or under predominant ly
stop -and -go traffic condit ions, or have your vehi­
cle where temperat ures remain below freezing
for extended periods.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Detergent add itives in the oi l will make fresh oil
l ook dark after the engine has been running for a
short time . This is normal and is not a reason to
change the oi l more often than recommended.
Beca use of the problem o f proper disposal, along
with the specia l too ls and necessary expertise re­
quired, we strongly recommend that yo u have
your o il changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or
a qual ified service stat ion.
If you choo se to change you r oil yourself , please
note the following important info rmation:
A WARNING "--
To reduce the risk of persona l injury if you
must change the eng ine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protect ion.
-
- To reduce the r is k of burns from hot engine
oil, let the engine coo l down to the touch.
- When remov ing the oil drain plug w ith your
f ingers, stay as far away as possib le. Always
keep your forearm parallel to the gro und to
he lp prevent hot oil from running down your
arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed for
this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the tota l amou nt of oil in you r engine.
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out of
the reach of childre n.
- Continuous contact with used engine o il is
harmf ul to your skin. Always protect your
skin by wash ing oil off thoroughly with soap
and wate r.
«I) Note
Neve r mix oil additives with your engine oil.
These additives can damage your engine and
adverse ly affect yo ur Audi limited New Vehi­
cle War ranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Before chang ing yo ur oi l, first make sure
you know where you can properly d ispose of
the used oil.
- Always dispose of used engine o il properly .
Do not dump it on ga rden soil, wooded
165

Check ing and F illing
areas, into open streams or down sewage
drains .
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a used
engine oil collection facility in your area, or
contact a service station .
Cooling system
Coolant
The engine coo ling system is filled wi th a mixture
of pur ified w ate r a nd coolan t addit ive at the fa c­
tory . T h is coo lant must not be not changed.
The coolant leve l is monito red throug h the . in­
d icator light~
page 13 . Howeve r, we do re com­
mend occasionally check ing the coo la nt level
manually.
I f you must add coolant, use a m ixt ur e of wa ter
and coolant addit ive. M ixing the coolant additive
with d istilled wate r is recommen ded .
Coolant additive
The coolant additive is made of a nti-freezi ng a nd
corros ion protection agents . Only use the fo llow­
i n g coolant add it ives. These additives may be
mixed w it h each other.
Coolant additive Specification
G13 TL774J
G12++ T
L 774 G
The amount of coo lant additive that needs to be
mixed wit h wate r depends on the climate where
the vehicle will be operated . If the coolant addi ­
tive percentage is too low, the coolant can freeze
and damage the engine.
Coolant Freeze protec-
additive tion
Warm reg ions min . 40% m in . -13 °F
max . 45% (
- 25
°()
Co ld regions min. 50% max
. -40 °F
max. 55% (-40 °()
0 Note
- Befo re the start of winter, have your author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service
Fac ility check if the coolant additive in you r
166
vehicle matches t he percentage app ropriate
for the climate . This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the app ropriate coo lant additive is not
available in an eme rgency, do not add any
other additive. You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct m ixture ratio with t he
specified coo lant add itive as soo n as poss i­
bl e.
- Only ref ill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant.
· Adding coolant
Fi g. 14 3 En gin e compartment: coo lant expa nsio n ta nk
cove r
Observe the safety precautions ~.& in Working
in the engine compartment on page 159 .
Checking the engine coolant level
.. Park the vehicle on a level surface .
.. Switch the ignit io n off.
.. Read the coolant level on the coolant expansion
t ank ~
page 162, fig. 140. The coolant leve l
m ust be be twee n the m arkings when the en­
gi ne i n co ld. W hen t he engine is warm it can be
slightly above the upper mar king.
Adding coolant Requirement: there must be a residua l amount of
coolan t in the expansion tank ~(}).
.,. Let the engi ne cool down .
.. Place a clot h over the coolant expans ion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counte rclockw ise
~ .& -

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~ Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
¢ page 166 up to the upper marking.
~ Make sure that the fluid level rema ins stable.
Add more coolant if necessary.
~ Close the cap securely.
Coolant loss usually indicates there is a leak. Im­
mediately drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authori zed Audi Service Facility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheating
and be ing pushed out of the cooling system.
.&, WARNING
The cool ing system is pressu rized and can be­
come very hot. To reduce the r is k of burns
from hot coolant :
- Do not open the coo lant expansion tank cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the risk of burns.
- Stop the engine and allow it to cool.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from es -
caping coolant and steam by covering the
coolant tank cap with a large, thick cloth .
- T urn the coo lant tank cap co unterclo ckwise
slowly and keep light pressu re on the cap .
- T o reduce the risk of burns , do not allow any
antifreeze o r coolant to drip onto the ex­
haust system or hot engine components.
T he ethylene glycol in engine coolant can
catch fire under certain circumstances .
- T he coo lant add itive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health . For this reason,
keep the coolant in the original container
and away from children. There is a risk of
poisoning.
- When working in the engine compartment,
remember that the radiator fan can switch
on even if the ignition is switched off, which
increases the risk of injury .
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
cont inue driv ing . See an authorized Audi deal -
Check ing and Filling
er or authorized Aud i Service Facility for assis ­
tance .
- Before the start of winter, have your author­
ized Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi Serv ice
Facility check if the coolant additive in your
vehicle matches the percentage appropriate
for the climate. This is especially important
when driving in colder climates.
- If the appropr iate coo lant add itive is not
availab le in an emergency, do not add any
other additive . You could damage the en­
gine. If this happens, only use water and re­
store the correct m ixtu re ratio with the
specified coolant add it ive as soo n as poss i­
ble .
- Only refill w ith new coolant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed with
the coolant .
Radiator fan
T he radiator fan switches on automatically by it ­
self.
An auxiliary e lectr ic radiator fan switches on and
off depend ing on coolant temperature and other
vehicle operating conditions.
After you switch the engine off, the auxiliary fan c a n continue running for up to 10 m inutes - even
with the ignition off . It can even switch on aga in
later by itself ¢.& , 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 bec ause the
veh icle is parked in in tense sunlight.
.&, WARNING
--
- To reduce the r isk of personal injury never
touch the radiator fan .
- The auxiliary e lectr ic fan is temperature
controlled and can switch on s uddenly even
when the engine is not runn ing .
- The auxiliary radiator fan sw itches on auto ­
mat ica lly when the eng ine coolant reaches a
certa in temperature and will continue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops .
167

Checking and Filling
Brake fluid
N
N
~ N ,l: a, CXl
Fig. 14 4 Engine compartment: cap on brake fluid reservoir
Observe the safety precautions c:::> .&. in Working
in the engine compartment on page 159.
Checking th e br ake fluid l evel
.- Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservoir
c:::> page 162, fig . 140 . The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings
c:::> ,&. .
The brake fluid level is monitored automatically .
Chang in g the b ra ke flu id
Have the brake fluid changed regularly by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility .
A WARNING
-If the brake fluid level is below the MIN
marking, it can impair the braking effect
and dr iving safety, which increase the risk of
an accident. Do not cont inue driving . See an
authorized Aud i dealer or autho rized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
- If the brake fluid is o ld, bubbles may form
in the b rake system du ring heavy b raking.
This would impair brak ing performance and
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- T o ensure the brake system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids t hat comply
with VW standard 501 14 or
FMVSS-116 DOT 4.
(D Note
-If the brake fluid level is above the MAX
mark ing, brake fluid may leak out over the
168
edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, because it will corrode the paint.
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the comp lex power supp ly, all wo rk
on batter ies such as d isconnecting, replacing,
etc. should
only be performed by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility
c:::> &. .
The term "veh icle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
ba tte ry in your vehicle.
D etail ed warning s for th e vehicle batte ry:
®
Wear eye protection.
A
Battery acid is highly corrosive. Wear pro-
tect ive gloves and eye protection.
@
Fire, sparks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden .
&
A highly explosive m ixture of gases can
form when charging batter ies.
@
Keep children away from battery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chem ica l
bu rns, acciden ts or burns. Because of this, all
wo rk mus t be performed
only by an autho r­
i zed A udi dealer or authorized Aud i Service
Facility.
A WARNING
Ca lifornia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Batte ry posts, te rm inals and related acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
-

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(D Note
Protect the vehicle battery against freezing if
the vehicle will be parked for long periods of time so that it is not destroyed by "freezing"
c;,page 169. Make sure that the vehicle bat­
tery is charged.
@) For the sake of the environment
¥ Batteries contain polluting substances such
as sulfuric acid and lead. Contact an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility for more information .
Charging the vehicle battery
Applies to: Q3
Fig. 145 Engine compartment: connections for a charg er
and jump start cables
Requirement : only use chargers with a maximum
charging current of 30 amps/14.8 Volts .
The ve­
hicle battery cables remain connected.
The battery is located in the engine compart­
ment. The ground point
0 is always located on
the vehicle body .
.,. Read the warnings
c;, .&. in General warnings
about batteries on page 168
and c;, .&, .
.,. Switch off the ignition and all electrical equip-
ment .
.,. Open the hood
c;, page 161 .
.,. Fold the battery cover upward c;, fig. 145 .
.,. Clamp the terminal clamps on the charger cor­
rectly onto the ground point
0 and the positive
terminal
0 .
.,. Now insert the power cable for the charging de­
vice into the socket and switch the device on.
.,. Switch the charger off and pull the power cable
out of the socket .
Checking and Filling
.,. Now remove the charging device terminal
clamps.
.,. Close the battery cover.
.,. Close the hood
c;, page 161.
A WARNING
-- A highly explosive mixture of gases can form
when charging batteries. Only charge the
veh icle battery in well-ventilated areas.
- A drained battery can freeze at tempera­
tures around 32 °F (0 °C) . A frozen or
thawed vehicle battery must not be charged
and must not be used anymore . The battery
housing can crack and battery acid can leak
out if ice forms, which increases the risk of
an explosion and chemical burns. Contact an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for more information.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charging
cable while charging because this increases
the risk of an explosion.
@ Tips
- Only charge the vehicle battery through the
connections in the engine compartment.
- Read all of the manufacturer's instructions
for the charger before charging the vehicle
battery.
Windshield washer system
Fig. 146 Engine compar tmen t: win ds hiel d washer flu id
re servoir
M N
-N ~ (D a,
The windshield washer fluid reservoir W contains
the cleaning solution for the windshield and the rear window
c;, page 162, fig . 140, . The reservoir
capacity can be found in
c;,page 216. .,.
169