2018 AUDI A6 engine overheat

Instruments and indicator ligh ts
Instruments and ind icator lights
Instruments
Instrument cluster overview
The instrument cluster is the central information center for the driver.
a co ,...,
F ig. 3 Instrument cl uster overv iew
(D Engine coolant temperature gauge
@ Tachometer .. ............. .. .
- With
OFF status indicator ... . .
- With
READY status ind icator ..
@ Turn signals ............. .... .
@ Disp lay w ith
- Driver information system ... . .
- Indicator lig hts ....... ... .. .
® Speedometer
® Fuel level
@ Tips
9
10
68
68, 70
39
19
10
10
The instrument illumination for the needles
and d ials t urns on when the ignition is turned
on and the lights are turned off. The illumina­
tion fo r the ga uges reduces automat ical ly and
eventu ally turns off as brightness outside in­
creases . This function reminds the drive r to
turn the low beams on at the appropriate
time.
Coolant temperature indicator
~ The coolant temperature display (D ¢ page 9,
§ fig . 3 only functions when the ignition is switch­
<.,:, ' ed on. To prevent engine damage, please observe
the following notes about the temperature rang­
es.
Cold ran ge
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge turn
on, the engine has not reached operating tem­
perature yet. Avoid high eng ine speeds, full ac­
celerating and heavy eng ine loads.
Normal range
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture once the LEDs up to the center of the gauge
turn on.
If the . indicator light in the instru­
ment cluster d isplay turns on, the coolant tem­
perature is too
high ¢ page 13.
@ Note
-Aux iliary headlights and other accessories in
front of the coo ling-air intake impa ir the
cooling effect of the coolant . This increases
the risk of the engine overheating dur ing
high ou tside temperatures and heavy en­
gine load.
9

Instrum ent s and ind icat or light s
-The front spoiler also he lps to distribute
cooling air while driving . If the spoiler is
damaged, the cooling effect w ill be im­
paired and the r isk of the engine overheat­
i ng will increase. See an author ized Audi
dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
Tachometer
The tachometer displays the engine speed in rev­
olutions per minute (RPM) .
You should shift to the next lowest gear when
the speed is below 1,S00 RPM. The beginn ing of
the red zone in the tachometer indicates the maximum permissible engine speed for all gears
once the engine has been broken in and when it is
warmed up to operating temperature. Before
reaching the red zone, yo u should shift into the
next higher gear, choose the Dor S se lector lever
position, or remove your foot from the accelera ­
tor peda l.
@ Note
The needle in the tachometer @ ¢ page 9,
fig. 3
may only be in the red area of the gauge
for a short time or there is a risk of engine
damage.
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshifting early he lps you to save fuel and re ­
duces operating noise.
(D Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is limited when the eng ine
is cold - the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tachometer moves
to a hig her RPM range .
Fuel level
The display @ only wo rks when the ignition is
sw itched on. If the fuel level d rops below 2 .6 gal
(10 li ters), a red L ED w ill tur n on and t he
rD indi ­
cator light will turn
on ¢ page 17. The LED
blinks red when the fuel leve l is very low .
10 The possible range based on the cu
rrent fue l lev ­
e l is shown in
tab @ ¢page 19 , fig . 4 .
Fo r th e tank capacity i n your veh icle, refe r to the
Techn ica l
Data ¢ poge 245.
@ Note
Never drive until t he tank is comp lete ly emp­
ty. The ir reg ular supply of fuel t hat res ults
from tha t ca n cause engine m is fires. Uncom ­
b usted fue l w ill then enter the exhaust sys ­
tem . This can cause overheating and damage
to t he catalyt ic converter .
Indicator lights
Description
The indicator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or tur n on. They ind icate functions or mal ­
functions .
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 in the instr u­
ment cluster disp lay can be covered by ot her dis ­
plays . To show them again, se lect the tab for in­
dicator lights and messages using the mu ltifunc­
tion steering wheel
¢ page 19 . lfthere are sev­
eral malfunctions, you can display them one at a
time us ing the thumbwheel.
Some indicator lights in the display can disp lay in
several colors.
Central indicator light
App lies to : vehicles wit h mo nochrome display
If a message appears together with a central in­
dicator light . or
0. the central ind icator light
will indicate the priority of the warning. If a
wh ite ind icator light a lso appears, the centra l in­
dicator light w ill have its ow n colo r. Fo r example,
i1' ii ::ippea rs togethe r wi th • • read the descr ip ­
tion
for • .
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly as a function
check when you switch the ignition on. These sys­
tems are marked with
a./ in the fo llow ing tab les. 1111-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the engine
checked.
! ?) Engine speed limitation
Applies to: ve hicles with eng ine speed lim itat ion
Ill Maximum engine speed: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically limited to the
speed displayed in the instrument cluster. This
protects the engine from overheating.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once the
engine is no longer in the critical temperature range and you have released the accelerator ped­
a l once.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by
an engine contro l ma lfunction, the
ll:a indicator
light also turns on. Make sure that the speed
does not go above the speed displayed. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
Q) Tips
Applies to: S models
The engine speed is limited when the engine
is cold
-the full engine output is not availa­
ble. When the engine is at operating temper­
ature, the red area in the tach ometer moves
to a highe r RPM range.
~;... Engine oil sensor
• Oil level! Sensor defective
The senso r to check the engine oil level has
fa iled. Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or a u­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
f Engine warm-up request
0 Please warm up engine
Fuel has en tered the engine oi l, either from low
outside temperatures or frequent short drives. Drive unti l the engine is warm so that the fue l in
the eng ine oil will evaporate. Avoid high engine
Instruments and indicator lights
speeds, full accelerating and heavy engine loads
when doing this.
Bil Tank system
II] Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first time
and the message appears, there are about 2.6
gallons ( 10 liters) of fuel left in the tank.
II] Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact deal­
er
T here is a ma lfunct ion in the fuel tank system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iately to have the
malfu nction corrected .
(D Tips
For additional informat io n on refueling, see
c::>page 186 .
.. Washer fluid level
m Please refill washer fluid
Fill the washer fluid for the windsh ie ld washer
system and the headlight washer system* when
the ignit ion is switched off
c::> page 199 .
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper defective
There is a malfunction w ith the windshield wip­
ers .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
i§! l0$ Defective light bulb warning
If the 1:1 ind icator light turns o n, a light has
failed . The message indicates the location of the
lig ht. If the
IJ indicato r light also turns on, then
a rear fog light has failed. The position of the in­
dicator light corresponds with the location on the
vehicle.
..,.
17

Driving
When not being used, a roof rack should be re­moved 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* .
@ Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended after
starting. If warning lights should come on to
ind icate 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.
@ 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,
valves, which are designed to protect your
vehicle's Emission Control System and other important vehicle components .
@ 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
66
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 posi tion is adjustable up and
down and forward and back .
Fig. 75 Lever on th e stee ring column
.,. Pull the lever in the direction of the arrow
~A -
... Bring the steering wheel into the desired posi­
tion .
.,. Push the lever against the steering column un ­
til it is secure.
A 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
~page 126, fig. 138. If you cannot main­
tain this minimum distance, the airbag sys­
tem cannot protect you properly .
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 in (25 cm) or more from the steer­
ing wheel, check with your authorized Audi
dealer to see if adaptive equipment is avail-
able.
.,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \.J ' Stopping/parking
If t he se lecto r lever is not in t he P posi tion when
you open the driver 's door, the vehicle could rol l.
The message
V ehicle ma y roll! Selector le ver not
in P
appears . A warning tone will a lso sound .
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal¢.&_ .
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the P selector lever position.
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, s uch as dr iv ing in
the mountains, i t may be useful to switch tempo­
rari ly to the manua l shift program in order to
manually adjust the gears to the driving condi­
tions
¢ page 78.
On inclines, activate the park ing brake fi rst and
then move the selector lever to the P position
¢ page 72 . Th is prevents the locking mechanism
from being loaded too heavi ly and wi ll make it
eas ier to move the se lector lever out of the P po­
sition .
A WARNING
-The veh icle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off .
-Never leave your vehicle with the engine
runn ing wh ile in gear .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the selector lever pos ition wh ile
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is
ru nning .
-
-Please note that a sma ll amount of power is
t ransmitted if the vehicle is stopped tempo­
ra rily while in t he D/S or R selector lever po ­
s iti on. To redu ce the r isk of an accident, yo u
mus t continue press ing firmly on the brake
peda l w hil e the vehicle is stopped so that it
does not roll.
-Never engage the R o r P se lec to r level posi­
tions while driving .
It could cause a crash.
-Be fore dr iv ing dow n a steep s lope, red uce
yo ur speed and shift in to a lower gear with
"ti ptro n i c" .
-Do not ride the brakes o r press the brake
peda l too often or too long w hen driving
down hill. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases brak-
Driving
ing distance or causes comp lete fai lure of
the brake system.
-If you m ust stop on an incline, a lways ho ld
the vehicle in place wit h the foot brake or
parking brake to prevent it from rolling
back .
-Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipp ing clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload .
The@] indicator light turns on
a nd a message
appears~ page 79 when
the clutch is overloaded .
@ Note
-When stopping on an incl ine, do not try to
hold the ve hicle in place by pressing the ac­
celerator peda l wh ile a d riving gear is se­
lected. This ca n cause t he transmission to
over heat a nd can damage it. Se t the park ing
bra ke or p ress the brake pedal to p revent
t he vehicle from rolling.
-Allowing the vehicle to roll when t he engine
is stopped will damage the transmission be ­
cause it is not lubricated.
(D Tips
Fo r sa fety reasons, the park ing bra ke is re ­
l eased a utomatica lly on ly when t he driver 's
safety be lt is fastened.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control is act ivated when the selec­
tor leve r is in the D or S position and yo u press
the brake peda l. The transmission a utomatica lly
selects a gear that is suitable for the hi ll. Hill de ­
scent control tries to maintain the speed ach ­
ieved at the time of braking, w ith in physical and
technical lim itations . If may still be necessary to
adjust the speed w ith the brake pedal.
Hi ll descent control switches off once the hill lev-
els out or you press the accelerator pedal.
.,..
77

Intellig ent T echn olo gy
- If the front spoiler is damaged or you insta ll
another spoiler, make sure the front wheel
brakes are venti lated properly. Otherwise,
the brake system could overheat, wh ich re­
duces the ir effectiveness .
- Failure of a brake circuit impairs braking
performance, which increases brak ing dis­
tance. Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest author ized Audi
dealer or author ized A udi Se rvice Fac il ity.
- If the brake booster is not working, you will
have to press muc h ha rde r on the bra ke
peda l to compe nsate for the lack of the
booste r.
0 Note
- Neve r let the brakes "rub" by press ing the
pedal light ly when bra kin g is not actually
ne cessa ry. Th is ca u ses the brakes to over ­
hea t an d increases bra king d istance and
causes wear.
- B efo re dr iv ing downh ill a long distance on a
steep hi ll, de crease your speed and se lec t a
l ower gear . This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes . If
you need to brake additionally, brake in in­
tervals and not continuously.
(D Tips
- If the brake booster is not working, you
must press the brake pedal with much more
force than normal.
- If you retrofit your vehicle with a front spoil ­
er, whee l covers or s imilar items, make sure
that the a ir flow to the front whee ls is not
i nterrupted. Otherw ise the brake system
can become too hot .
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The electromechanical steering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
122
Indicator lights and me ssag es
• Do n ot driv e vehi cle: Ste ering d efe ctiv e
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the veh icle in a safe location as soon as pos ­
s ible. Do
n o t continue driving . See an authorized
Audi dealer or author ized Audi Service Fac ility for
ass ista nce.
kr-D S te ering: System fault You can cont inu e
dri ving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering wheel may be more d iffi­
cult to move or more sensitive than usual. The
steering wheel may also be at an angle when
driv ing stra ight.
Drive slowly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facility to have the mal ­
funct ion corrected.
l;rfl D ynamic steer ing: Init ializing
If the indicator light is blinking and this message
appears, dynamic steering* is being initialized.
The steering wheel will be easy to move after
start ing the engine. Re-initialization might be
necessary if the steering wheel was moved hard
to the left and r ight while the veh icle was not
moving. T he d isplay turns off if the in it ial izat ion
was successful.
(D Tips
- If the . or ':r,y indicator l ight only stays on
for a sho rt time, you may cont inue d riv ing.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
~page 119 are not ava ilable in the event of
a system malfunct ion.
- For add itional information o n dynamic
steering,
see~ page 104 .

Checking and Filling
Coolant Freeze protec-
additi ve tion
Warm min. 40% min. -13 °F
regions max. 45% (-25 °C)
Cold min. 50% max. -40
°F
regions max. 55% (-40 °C)
([) Note
- Before the start of winter, have an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
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 appropriate coolant additive is not
available 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 mixture ratio with the
spec ified coolant additive as soon as possi­
ble.
- Only refill with new coo lant.
- Radiator sealant must not be mixed w ith
the coo lant .
Adding coolant
F ig. 181 Engine compartment: coolant expans ion tank
cover
Observe the safety precautions~ page 189,
Working in the engine compartment .
Checking the engine coolant level
• Park the vehicle on a leve l surface .
• Switch the ignition off.
• Read the coolan t leve l on the coo la nt expansion
tank~ page 192, fig . 179. The coolant level
must be between the MIN and MAX markings
196
when the engine in cold. When the engine is
warm it can be slightly above the MAX marking .
Adding coolant Requirement: there must be a residual amount of
coolan t in the expansion tan k
~CD -
• Let the engine cool down .
• Place a cloth over the coolant expansion tank
cap and unscrew the cap counterclockw ise
~ & -
... Add coo lant m ixed in the cor rect ratio
~ page 195 up to the MAX marking.
• Make sure that the fluid level remains stab le .
Add more coolant if necessary .
• Close the cap securely.
Coolant loss usually ind icates there is a leak . Im­
mediate ly drive your vehicle to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac ility
and have the cooling system inspected. If the
cooling system is not leaking, a loss can come
from the coolant boiling through overheat ing
and being pushed out of the cooling system .
A WARNING
- The cooling system is under pressure. Do
not open the coo lant expansion ta nk cap
when the engine is hot. This increases the
risk o f bur ns.
- The coolan t addi tive and the coolant can be
dangerous to your health. For t his 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.
(D Note
Do not add coolant if the expansion tank is
empty. A ir cou ld enter the cooling system and
damage the engine. If this is the case, do not
continue driving. See an authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Serv ice Facility for assis­
tance.