2018 AUDI A6 check engine

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 0 <..:l ' Brake fluid
N N ~
~ co al
Fig. 182 Eng ine compartment: cap on brake fluid reservoir
Observe the safety precautions ~.&. in Working
in the engine comportment on page 189.
Checking th e brake fluid level
• Read the brake fluid level on the brake fluid
reservo ir
<=) page 192, fig. 179. The brake fluid
level must be between the MIN and MAX mark­
ings ~,&. .
The brake fluid level is mon itored automat ically.
Changing the bra 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 be low the MIN
marking, it can impair the braking effect
and dr iving safety, which increase the risk of
an acc ident. Do not cont inue driv ing . See an
au thorized Audi deale r or autho rized Aud i
Service Facility for assist ance .
-If the brake f luid is o ld, bubbles may form
in the b rake system d uring heavy b raking.
T his would impair bra king perfo rman ce an d
driving safety, which increases the risk of an
accident.
- T o ensure the bra ke system functions cor­
rectly, only use brake fluids that comply
with VW standard 50114 or FMVSS-116 DOT 4 .
(D Note
-If the brake fluid level is above the MAX
mar king, brake fluid may leak out over the
Chec king and Filling
edge of the reservo ir and result in damage
to the vehicle.
- Do not get any b rake fl uid on the vehicle
paint, because it wi ll co rrode the paint .
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supp ly, alt work
o n batter ies such as d isconnecting, replacing,
etc., sho uld
onl y be performed by an au tho riz ed
Audi dealer or au thori zed A udi Se rvice Fac ility
Q A .
The term "vehicle battery" refe rs to the 12 Volt
batte ry in you r vehicle.
Detail ed warnings for the vehicle battery :
Always wear eye protection .
&
Battery acid is highly corrosive. A lways
wear protective gloves and eye protection .
.
®
Fire, sparks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden .
A
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form w hen cha rging bat ter ies.
®
Always keep children far away from bat-
tery electrolyte and the battery.
~
Always follow the ins tructio ns in the ope r-
ating manual.
A WARNING ~
A ll work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemica l
bu rns, acc idents or burns. Because of this, all
work must be performed
only by an author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Fac ility .
A WARNING
-Ca lifo rnia Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, term inals and related acces­
sories contain le ad and lead com pou nds,
ch emi cals known to the Sta te of Californ ia
to cause cancer and reproductive prob lems.
Was h hands after handling.
197

Checking and Filling
(D Note
If the vehicle will be parked for long periods
of t ime , protect it against the co ld so that it
will not be destroyed by "freezing"
c;,page 198 .
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle battery " refers to the 12 Volt
bat tery in your vehicle.
Not running the vehicle for long pe riods of
t ime
If you do not drive your vehicle for several days o r
weeks , electri cal equipment is gr adually scaled
back or switched off . This reduces energy use and
ensures the veh icle w ill be able to start after long
periods of
time r:::;, page 123 . Some conve nience
functions, s uch as interior lighting or power seat
adj ustment, may not be available under certa in
circumstances. These convenience f unct ions w ill
be ava ilab le aga in once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine .
E ven w hen electrica l equ ipme nt is swi tched off,
the equipment can still d rain the vehicle battery
if the vehicle is not driven for long periods of
time . Deep draining results in a chemical reaction
that destroys the inside of the vehicle battery .
The vehicle battery must be charged every month
t o reduce the risk of this happening
r:::;, page 198.
Contact an author ized Audi dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility for more information .
Winter operati on
Cold weather places higher demands on the vehi­
cle battery. This results in reduced start ing abili ­
ty . Have the vehicle battery checked by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility before the co ld time of year .
198
Charging the vehicle battery
Fig. 183 En g in e compartment : co nn ectors fo r a cha rger
a n d jum p start cab les
Requireme nt: only use chargers with a maximum
charging voltage of 30 amp s/14.8 Volts.
The
vehicle battery cab les remain connected.
... Read the wa rnings r:::;, _& in General warnings
about batteries on page 197
and r:::;, ,& .
... Switch off the ign it ion and all electrica l equip ­
ment .
... Open the hood c;,page 191 .
... Open the red cover on the pos itive terminal
¢fig. 183.
... Clamp the charger terminal clamps to the jump
start p ins accord ing to the instruct ions. (pin un­
der the red cover
= " positive ", pin with hexago­
nal head= "negat ive ").
... In sert t he power cable fo r th e cha rging dev ice
into the soc ket and switch t he devi ce on.
... At the end of the cha rging process, switch the
charger off and pull the power cable out of the
soc ket .
... Remove the charger terminal clamps.
... Close the red cover on the pos itive terminal.
... Close the hood c:;, page 191 .
A WARNING
-A highly explosive m ix ture of gases can form
when charg ing batte ries . Only cha rge the
veh icle b attery in well -ventila ted areas.
- A drained vehicle batte ry can freeze at tem­
pe ra tu res around 32
QF (0 QC). A fro zen o r
thawed vehicle battery must no t be charged
a nd must not be used anymore. If ice forms,
the battery housing can crack and battery
electrolyte can leak out, which increases the
risk of an explosion and chemical burns.
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' Contact an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility for more infor­
mation.
- Do not connect or disconnect the charging
cable while charg ing because this increases
the risk of an explosion.
(D 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 ve hicle
battery.
Windshield washer system
F ig. 184 Eng ine co mpartment: washer flu id reservoir cap
M N ~ N
"' a, a,
The winds hield washer reservoir O contains the
cleaning solution for the windshield and the
headlight washer system*
c::;,page 192 , fig . 179.
The reservoir capacity can be found in
c::;, page 245 .
To reduce the risk of lime sca le deposits on the
spray nozzles, use clean water w ith low amounts
of calc ium . Always add window cleaner to the wa­
ter . When the outs ide temperatures are cold, an
anti-freez ing agent should be added to the water
so that it does not freeze.
0 Note
- The concentration of anti-freezing agent
must be adjusted to the vehicle operating
cond itions in the respect ive climate. A con­
centration that is too high can lead to vehi­
cl e damage.
Checking and Filling
- Never add radiato r anti -freeze or other addi­
tives to the washer fluid .
- Do not use a glass cleaner that contains
paint solvents, because this could damage
the paint.
Service interval display
The service interval display detects when your ve ­
hicle is due for service .
The service interval display works in two stages:
-Inspection or oil change reminder : after a cer-
tain distance driven, a message appears in the
instrument cluster display each time the igni­
tion is switched on or off. The remaining dis­
tance or time is disp layed briefly.
-Inspection or oil change due: if your vehicle
has reached an inspection or oil change interval
or both intervals at the same time, the mes­
sage
Inspection due! or Oil change due! or Oil
change and inspection due!
appears briefly af­
ter switching the ignition on/off .
Checking service intervals
You can check the remaining distance or time un ­
til the next oi l change or next inspection in the
Car menu. To do this, select: the
I CAR I function
button
> (Car)* Systems control button > Service
& control > Service intervals .
Resetting the indicator
An authorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi
Service Facility w ill reset the service interval dis­
play after perform ing service .
If you have changed the oi l yourse lf, you must re ­
set the oil change interval.
To r eset the indicat or, select: the
I CARI function
button
> (Car)* Systems control button > Service
& control > Service intervals . Turn the control
knob downward to
Reset oil change interval and
press the control knob.
@ Note
- Only reset the oi l change indicator if the oi l
was changed.
199

Checking and Filling
- Following the service intervals is critical to
maintain ing the service life an d va lue of
your ve hicle, especially t he engine . Even if
the m ileage on the vehicle is low, do not ex­
ceed the time for the next service.
- Calculating the t ime to t he next oi l change
i s interrupted w hen the veh icle battery is
disconnected¢
page 225.
200

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Emergency situations
General
This chapter is intended for trained emergency
crews and working personnel who have the nec­
essary tools and equipment to perform these
operations.
Starting by pushing or
towing
~ Note
Vehicles with an automatic transmission can­
not be started by pushing or towing.
Starting with jumper
cables
If necessary, the engine can be started by con­
necting it to the battery of another vehicle .
If the engine should fail to start because of a dis­
charged or weak battery, the battery can be con­
nected to the battery of
another vehicle, using a
pair of jumper cables to start the engine.
Jumper cables
Use only jumper cables of sufficiently large cross
section
to carry the starter current safely. Refer
to the manufacturer's specifications.
Use only jumper cables with
insulated terminal
clamps which are distinctly marked :
plus(+) cable in most cases colored red
minus(-) cable
in most cases colored black.
A WARNING -
Batteries contain electricity, acid, and gas.
Any of these can cause very serious or fatal in­
jury. Follow the instructions below for safe
handling of your vehicle's battery .
-Always shield your eyes and avoid leaning
over the battery whenever possible.
-A dead battery can freeze at temperatures
around 32 °F (0 °C) . If the vehicle battery is
frozen, you must thaw it before connecting
the jump start cables. If you do not, this in-
Emergency situations
creases the risk of an explosion and chemi­
cal burns. After jump starting the vehicle,
drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­ ized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the vehicle battery checked.
- Do not allow battery acid to contact eyes or
skin . Flush any contacted area with water
immediately.
- Improper use of a booster battery to start a
vehicle may cause an explosion .
- Vehicle batteries generate explosive gases .
Keep sparks, flame and lighted cigarettes
away from batteries.
- Do not try to jump start any vehicle with a
low acid level in the battery .
- The voltage of the booster battery must also
have a 12-volt rating . The capacity (Ah) of
the booster battery should not be lower
than that of the discharged battery. Use of
batteries of different voltage or substantial­
ly different "Ah " rating may cause an explo­
sion and personal injury.
- Never charge a frozen battery. Gas trapped
in the ice may cause an explosion.
- Never charge or use a battery that has been
frozen. The battery case may have be weak­
ened.
- Use of batteries of different voltage or sub­
stantially different capacity (Ah) rating may
cause an explosion and injury. The capacity
(Ah) of the booster battery should not be
lower than that of the discharged battery.
- Before you check anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
c>page 189.
@ Note
- Applying a higher voltage booster battery
will cause expensive damage to sensitive
electronic components, such as control
units, relays, radio, etc.
- There must be no electrical contact between
the vehicles as otherwise current could al­
ready start to flow as soon as the positive
( + ) terminals are connected.
239

-Be fore yo u chec k any thing in the engine
compartment, a lways read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c:::> page 189 .
(D Note
Impro per hook-u p of jum per cables c an r uin
the gene rato r.
-Always connect P OSITIVE( +) to POS ITIV E
( + ), and NEG ATIVE( -) to NEGATI VE( -)
g round post of t he battery manage r contro l
unit.
- Check that a ll sc rew p lugs on t he battery
ce lls are screwed in f irmly . If not, t ighten
plugs p rior to connecting clamp on negative
b attery termi nal.
- Please note t hat the procedure fo r con nect­
i ng a jumper cab le as desc ribed above ap­
pli es specifica lly to the case of yo ur vehicle
b eing jump starte d. W hen you are giv ing a
ju mp s ta rt to ano ther vehicle , d o
no t con­
ne ct t he negative( -) cable to the neg ative
(-) t ermin al on the disch arged b attery @
c:::> fig . 20 6. In stead , securely connec t the
n egative ( -) cable to either a solid metal
com ponent that is firm ly bolted to the e n­
gine block or to the engine bloc k itsel f. If
the battery that is be ing charged does not
vent to the outs ide, escap ing battery gas
could ignite and ex plode!
Towing with a tow truck
General hints
Your Audi requires special handling for towing .
The follow ing informa tion is to be used by com­
mercia l tow tr uck operators who know how to op ­
e rate the ir equip men t sa fely.
- Never tow your Audi. Towing will cause dam­
age to the engine and transmission .
- Never wrap the safety chains or winch cables
around the brake line s.
- To prevent unnecessary damage, your Audi
must be transported with a flatbed tru ck .
a co -To load the vehicle on to the flatbed , use the ,...,
~ towing loop found in the vehicle tools and at-N ,...,
0 0 \,;J ' Emergency situations
tach to the front or rear anchorage
c:::> pag e241 and c:::> page242 .
A WARNING
-
A vehicle bei ng towed is not safe for passen-
gers . N ever allow anyone to ride in a vehicle
being towed, for any reason.
Front towing loop
Fig. 207 Front bu mpe r: co ve r
Fig. 208 Front bu mper: i nst all ing the tow ing loop
T he t hreaded o pen ing for th e towing loop is lo­
cated be hind a cover on the r ight side of the front
bumper .
.,. Remove the towing loo p from the vehi cle too l
k it
c:::> page 226 .
.,. Press the cap inward with brief, force ful p res ­
su re
c:::> fig. 207 . The cap will loosen from the
bumper.
.,. T ighten the towing loop in the threaded open ­
ing until it sto ps
c:::> fig . 208 and then tighten it
w ith a wheel w re nch .
.,. After usi ng, p lace the tow ing loop back i n the
veh icle tool kit.
..,.
241

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 0 \,;J ' Raising the vehicle
Lifting with workshop hoist and with floor
jack
The vehicle may only be lift ed at the lifting
points illus tr at ed.
Fig. 212 Fro nt lift in g poin t
Fig. 213 Re ar lift ing poin t
.,. Read and heed WARNING c::> &, .
.. Activate the veh icle ja ck mode* in the M MI:
I CAR I funct ion button> (Car) * systems contro l
bu tton >
Servicing & checks > Air susp.: jack
mode > On .
.. Loca te lift ing po ints c::> fig . 212 and c::>fig . 213 .
.. Adju st lifting arms of wo rkshop hoist o r floo r
jack t o match vehicle li fting poin ts.
.. In se rt a rubb er pa d between the floor jack/
wor kshop ho ist a nd the lifting points .
T he vehicle ja ck m ode* mus t be activa ted so that
the au tomatic a djustment of the Ad aptive Air
Suspension * does no t make it more difficult to
raise the ve hicle wit h the floor jac k.
If you must lift your vehicle with a floor jack to
work underneath, be sure the vehicle is safely
supported on stands intended for this purpose . Emergency situations
Front lifting point
T he lifting poin t is locate d on the floor p an rein ­
f o rcement about at the same level as the ja ck
mounting point
c::> fig . 212 . Do not lift the vehi­
cle at the vertical sill reinforcement .
Rear lifting point
T he lifting p oin t i s lo cate d on the ve rtic al rei n­
f o rceme nt o f th e lower s ill for the on- bo ar d jac k
c::>fig. 213.
Lifting with vehicle jack
Refer to c::> pag e 229 .
A WARNING
- To reduce the r is k of se rious inju ry and veh i­
cle dama ge.
-Always lift the vehicle o nly at the specia l
wor kshop h oist a nd f loor jack lift points
il­
l ustrated c::>fig. 212 and c::> fig. 213.
-Failure to lift t he ve hicle at these points
could ca use t he veh icle to tilt o r fall from
a lift i f th ere is a change in vehicle weight
dist ribution and balance . This might hap­
pen, fo r example, when heavy compo­
n en ts such as the eng ine block o r trans­
missi on a re removed .
- Whe n re mov ing heavy comp onents like
these, an ch or veh icle t o hois t or ad d co rre­
spon ding weig hts t o m aintai n the cen ter of
g ravi ty . Ot herw ise, the vehicle mig ht tilt or
slip off t he hoist, caus ing se rio us pe rsonal
i njur y .
(D Note
-Be aw are of the fo llow ing po ints b efor e lift­
ing the vehicle:
-The vehicle should never be lifted or
jacked up from underneath the engine oil
pan, the transmission housing, the front
or rear axle or the body side members.
This could lead to serious damage .
-To avoid damage to the underbody or
chassis frame, a rubber pad must be in­
serted between the floor jack and the lift
points .
.,.
243

Consum er Info rmation
scope of maintenance and repairs which can be
carried out by vehicle owners.
Al so , sa fet y and
en vironment al
concerns place very strict limits
on the nature of repairs and ad justments to en­
g ine and transmission parts wh ich an owner can
perform .
Maintenance, adjustments and repairs usually re­
qu ire special tools, testing devices and other
equ ipment available to specially trained work­
shop personnel i n order to assure proper per ­
formance, reliab ility and safety of the veh icle and
its many systems .
Improper maintenance, adjustments and repairs
can impair the operation and reliab ility of your
veh icle and eve n void your vehicle warranty .
Therefo re, proof of servicing in accordance w ith
the ma intenance sc hedule may be a condition fo r
up hold ing a possible wa rra nty claim made wi thin
the warranty pe riod.
Above all , operational safety can be adversely af­
fected, c reating unnecessa ry risks fo r you and
your p assengers.
If in doubt about any servicing, have it done by
your author ized Audi dealer or any other properly
eq uipped and qualified workshop . We strongly
urge yo u to g ive your author ized Audi dealer the
opportu nity to pe rform a ll scheduled ma inte ­
nance and necessary repairs. Your dealer has the
facilities, origina l parts and train ed sp ecialists to
keep your veh icle running properly.
Performing limited maint enance yourself
The fo llow ing pages describe a limited number of
procedures w hich can be performed on your ve hi­
cle with ordinary tools, should the need arise and
trained personne l be unavai lable . Before pe r­
forming any of these procedures, always thor­
ough ly read a ll of the app licab le text and carefu l­
ly follow the instructions g iven . A lways rigorously
observe the
WARNING S provided .
Before you check anything in the engine com ­
partment , alw ays read a nd heed all WARNINGS
c> .&. and c> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 189 .
248
A WARNING
-Ser ious personal in jury may occur as a result
of imp roperly performed maintenance, ad­
justments or repairs .
- Always be extreme ly careful when work ing
on the vehicle . Always follow commonly ac­
cepted safety practices and general com­ mon sense. Never r is k personal in jury.
- Do not attempt any of the maintenance,
checks or repairs described on the following pages if you are not fu lly fam il iar with these
or other proce dures with respect to t he ve­
hicle, or are uncertain how to proceed.
- Do not do any work wi thout the prope r tools
an d equi pmen t. H ave the necessary wo rk
done by your authorized Au di dealer or an ­
other properly equipped and qualified work­
shop.
- 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 . The radiato r fan switches on au­
tomatically when the coolan t reaches a cer­
tain tempe rature and w ill cont inue to run
until the coolant temperature d rops.
- Always sw itch off the ignition before anyone
gets under the vehicle.
- Always support your vehicle with safety
stands if it is necessary to work underneath
the vehicle. The jack supp lied with the veh i­
cle is no t adequate fo r th is pu rpose a nd
could collapse causing serious personal in­
jury .
- If you must wor k unde rneath the vehicle
w ith the wheels on the g round, always make
sure the vehicle is on level ground, that the
wheels a re always sec urely blocked and that
the engine cannot be started.
- Always make sure the transmission se lector
lever (automatic t ransm iss ion) is in P (Park
position) and the pa rk b rake is applied .
Ill>