AUDI TT ROADSTER 2015 Owners Manual
Page 171 of 244
Checking the engine oil level
Fig . 12 9 Illust rat ion of principle 1: Ma rkers on o il dip
st ick
F ig . 13 0 Illust rat io n of principle 2: Markers o n oil dip·
st ic k
Before you check anything in the engi ne com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
Determining oil level
• Park your vehicle on a level surface.
• While at operati ng state temperature, brief
l y let the eng ine run at id le and then shut it
off .
• Wait approx. two minutes.
• Pullout the oil dipstick. Wipe off the oil d ip
stick with a clean cloth, and slide it back in
as far as it wi ll go.
• Pu ll it bac k out and read off the oil level
¢ fig. 1 29 or ¢ fig. 130 . Top off the engine
oi l, if app licable ¢
page 169.
Oil level within range~
• Do not add o il.
Oil level with in range @
• You can add oil. Afterwards, the o il level
shou ld be w ith in range @.
Checking and filling 169
Oil level within range 0
• Yo u must add oil. Af terwards, the oil leve l
should be wi thin range @.
T he oil leve l needs to be checked at regu lar in
terva ls. The best t ime s to do th is are w henev
er yo u ref uel and p rior to long trips.
Depend ing on the way the vehicle is dr iven
and the ope rat ing cond it ions, oi l consumption
c a n be up to 1/ 2 quart per 6 00 miles (0. 5 lite r
per 1,000 km) . Cons umption m ay be highe r
wi thin the first 3,000 miles (5,000 km) .
Adding engine oil ci::,,.
0 N ;.
>< (D m
Fig . 131 Engine compa rtment: cover on the engi ne oil
filler neck
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
alw ays read and heed all WARN
INGS ¢ A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
• Shut the eng ine off.
• Unscrew the cap
"f:7. to the engine o il filling
hole
¢ page 166, fig . 128.
• Carefully top off with 0 .5 quarts (0 .5 liters)
of the appropr iate oil
¢ page 166.
• Check the oil level aga in aft er two minutes
¢ page 169, Che cking the engine oil level.
• Top off the oil again, if necess ary.
• Sc rew the cap back on the filling hole and
slide the oil dips tick in as far as it wi ll go.
..&_ WARNING
-W hile topping off, the o il m ust not come
in contact with hot e ngine parts -fire
hazard ! .,.
Page 172 of 244
170 Checking and filling
-The oil filler cap must be properly se
cured to prevent oil from being sprayed
on the hot engine and exhaust system
when the engine is running -fire hazard!
- If your skin has come in contact with the
engine oil, you must subsequently
cleanse it thoroughly .
(D Note
-The oil level must not be above range G)
-danger of converter or engine damage!
Contact an authorized Audi dealer to
draw off oil, if necessary.
-Audi does not recommend the use of oil
additives. They may damage the engine
and adversely affect your New Vehicle
Warranty.
@ For the sake of the environment
- Under no circumstances can the oil come
in contact with the sewage network or
the soil.
- Observe and follow legal regulations
when disposing of empty oil containers.
Changing the engine oil
We recommend that have your oil changed by
an authorized Audi dealer or a qualified serv
ice station .
Before you check any thing in the engine com
partment,
always read and heed all WARN
INGS ~ .& in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164 .
The engine oil mus t be changed according to
the intervals specified in your Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet. This is very important
because the lubricating properties of oil di
minish gradually during normal vehicle use .
Under some circumstances the engine oil
should be changed more frequently . Change
oil more often if you drive mostly short dis
tances , operate the vehicle in dusty areas or
under predominantly stop-and-go traffic con
ditions , or have your vehicle where tempera- tu
res remain below freezing for extended pe
riods.
Detergent additives in the oil will make fresh
oil look dark after the engine has been run
ning for a short time. This is normal and is not
a reason to change the oil more often than
recommended.
Because of the problem of proper disposal,
along with the special tools and necessary ex
pertise required, we strongly recommend that
you have your oil changed by an authorized
Audi dealer or a qualified service station.
If you choose to change your oil yourself ,
please note the following important informa
tion:
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury if you
must change the engine oil in your vehicle
yourself:
- Wear eye protection.
- To reduce the risk of burns from hot en-
gine oil, let the engine cool down to the
touch.
- When removing the oil drain plug with
your fingers, stay as far away as possible.
Always keep your forearm parallel to the ground to help prevent hot oil from run
ning down your arm.
- Drain the oil into a container designed
for this purpose, one large enough to hold at least the total amount of oil in
your engine .
- Engine oil is poisonous. Keep it well out
of the reach of children.
- Continuous contact with used engine oil
is harmful to your skin. Always protect
your skin by washing oil off thoroughly
with soap and water.
(D Note
Never mix oil additives with your engine
oil. These additives can damage your en
gine and adversely affect your Audi Limit
ed New Vehicle Warranty.
Page 173 of 244
@ For the sake of the environment
-Before changing your oil, first make sure
you know where you can properly dispose
of the used o il.
- Always dispose of used engine oil proper
l y. Do not dump it on garden soi l, wood
ed areas, into open streams or down
sewage dra ins.
- Recycle used engine oil by taking it to a
used engine oil collection facility in your
area, or contact a service station .
Engine cooling system
Coolant
The engine coolant performs two functions: it
keeps the engine from overheating and it pro tects the engine from freezing in the winter.
The cooling system is sea led and generally re
q uir es lit tle atten tion .
The cooling system has been filled at the fac
tory with a pe rmanent coo lant which does not
need to be c hanged. The coolant consists of a
mixture o f spec ial ly conditioned water and the
manuf acturer 's glyco l-basedcoolan t addi -
tiv e G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi
tives (50% for USA models ; 60% for Canadian
mod els) . This mixture both assures the neces
sary
frost protection and p rotects metal com
ponents in the engine's coo ling system from
corrosion and scaling . It a lso raises the boil
i ng point of the coolant .
Do not reduce the concentration o f the coo l
ant in the summer by adding plain water.
The
proportion of coolant add it ive must be at
l e a st 50 % but not mor e than 60 %
to main
tain antifreeze protection and coo ling efficien
cy .
If the coolant frost protect io n is too low,
the coolant cou ld free ze and dam age the veh i
cle heating and eng ine cooling system.
For yea r-round driving, antifreeze is added at
the fac to ry for tempera tures down to:
-- 31°F( -35°C)USA
- -40 °F ( -40 °C) Canada.
Checkin g and fillin g 171
If you must add coo lant, use a mixture of wa
ter and coolant additive . Mix ing the coo lant
additive with distilled water is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before you c heck anything in the engine
compartment, always read and heed a ll
WARNINGS
c> .& in Working in the engine
comportment on page 164.
Q) Note
- Before winter sets in, have the coo lant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli mate condi tions. This is especi ally impor
tan t if you live i n a region wher e th e win
ter is ex treme ly co ld . If necessary, i n
crease t he p ropo rtion of coo lant add itive
to 60% .
- Whe n ad ding coolant additive t o yo ur
c ooling sys tem, reme mbe r:
- We recommend using on ly coolant ad
d itive G12++ or G13 for your vehicle .
This coolant additive is availab le at au
thor ized Audi dealers . O ther types of
a ntifreeze can s ignifica ntly reduc e cor
rosion prote ction. The result ing cor ro
sion can cau se a loss o f coolan t and se
rio us engine d amage .
- Do not add any ty pe of rad iator leak seal
a nt to yo ur vehicle 's engine c oolant .
A dd ing radia tor repair fl uid may adverse
ly affect the f unction and pe rformance of
your coolin g system and co uld resu lt in
damage not covered by your New Ve hicle
L imited Warranty.
-
•
•
Page 174 of 244
172 Checking and filling
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig. 132 Eng ine compartme nt: cover on the coo lant
expansion tank
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lway s read and he ed a ll WARN
ING S o .A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
., Park your vehicle on a level surface.
., Switch the ign ition
off .
., Read the coolant level at the coolant expan
sion tank
opage 166, fig . 128. With a cold
engi ne, it must be above the "min" mark.
With a hot engine, it can be a l ittle above
the indicated range.
The location of the coolant expans ion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus
tration
o page 166.
To obtain an accurate read ing, the eng ine
must be sw itched
off.
The expans ion tank in your vehicle is equipped
with an electric coolant level sensor.
When the coolant level is too low, the warning
light in the Auto-Check System
opage 17will
illum inate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even thoug h
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant leve l
from time to t ime.
Coolant lo ss
Coolant loss may indicate a leak in the cooling
system. In the event of coolant loss, the cool
ing system should be inspected immediately by your authorized Audi dea
ler .
It is not
enough merely to add coo lant .
In a
seal ed system, losses can occu r on ly if
the boi ling po int o f the coo lan t is exceeded as
a res ult of overheating.
(D Note
Do n ot add any type o f radiator leak se al
ant to your veh icle's engine coo lant. Add
i ng radiator repa ir fl uid may adverse ly af
fect the functio n and performance of you r
cooling system and could result in damage
not cove red by your New Veh icle l imited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com
partment,
a lways read and heed all WARN
INGS o .A in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
Req uirement: There m ust be a res idual
amount of coo lant in the expansio n tank
o (D .
., Tur n off the engi ne .
., le t t he eng ine cool down.
., Place a thick rag ove r the coolant expansion
tank
o page 172, fig. 132 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise o _A .
., Add coolant m ixed in the correct ratio
o page 171, Coolant up to the MAX mark
ing.
.. Make sure that the flu id level remains sta-
b le. Add more coo lant if necessary.
., Twi st the cap o n aga in
tightly.
Replacement engine coo lant must conform to
exact spec ificat ions
o page 171, Coolant .
We recommend using only coolant addit ive
Gl2++, Gl3 or in an emergency Gl2+. Do
not
use a different add itive . In an emergency use
plain water until you can get the co rrect addi
t ive and can resto re the correct ratio. This
sho uld be done as soon as poss ib le.
Page 175 of 244
If you have lost a consi derable amount of
coolant, then you should add co ld antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is co ld .
Always use
new engine coolant when refi lling.
D o not fi ll coolant above the "MAX " mark . Ex
cess coolant will be forced out th rough the
p ress ure rel ief valve in the cap when the en
g ine becomes hot .
A WARNING ,_________
- The cooling system is under press ure and
can get very hot . Reduce the risk of
sca ld ing from hot coo lant by following
these steps.
- Tur n
off the eng ine and a llow itto cool
down.
- P rotect your face, hands and arms from
escap ing f lu id a nd steam by cover ing
the cap wi th a la rge, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slow ly and very ca refully
in a cou nte r-clockw ise d irect ion while
a pply ing ligh t, downw ard p ress ure on
the to p of the cap.
- T o avo id being burned, do no t sp ill an
tifreeze or coolan t on the exhaust sys
tem or hot engine parts . U nder certa in
conditions, the ethylene glyco l in en
gine coolant can catc h fire .
- Antifreeze is poisonous . Always store an
tifreeze in its original container and we ll
o ut o f the reach of children.
- If you drain the coolant , it must be
caught and safely stored in a proper con
tainer clearly marked "poison".
@ Note
- Do not add coolant if the expansion tank
i s empty . Ai r could enter the cooling sys
tem and damage the engine. If this is
the case, do not continue driving. Seek professional assistance.
- Coolant po llutes the env ironment and
could cause a n engine fire. Excess coo l
ant wi ll be f orced out through the pres
su re re lief valve in the cap when the en
gine becomes hot.
Checkin g and fillin g 173
- If, in an eme rgency, on ly wate r can be
added, the co rrect ratio between water
and antifreeze ¢
page 171 must be re
stored as soon as possible.
@) For the sake of the environment
Drained coolant sho uld not be reused. A l
ways d ispose of used coolant while observ
i ng a ll environmental regulations.
, Radiator fan
The radiator fan switches on automatically by
itself .
The electric radiator fan is controlled by ther
moswitches that switch on and
off depending
on coo lant and eng ine compartment tempera
tures.
An a uxiliary electric radiato r fan* sw itches on
and
off depending on coolant temperature
and othe r vehicle ope rat ion conditions .
After yo u switch the eng ine off, the aux iliary
f an can continu e running for up to 10 m inut es
- even with the ignition off. It can even switch
on again later by itself¢ & , if
- t he temperatu re of the engine coo lant rises
due to the hea t build -up from the engine in
the engine compa rtment, or
- the engine compa rtment heats up because
the vehicle is parked in intense sunlig ht.
A WARNING ~
- To reduce the risk of persona l in ju ry nev-
er touch the radiator fan .
- The a uxiliary electric fan is tempe rat ure
contro lled and can switch on suddenly
even when the engine is not running.
- The a uxiliary radiator fa n sw itches on a u
tomatically when the engine coo lant
reaches a certai n temperature and will
continue to ru n until the coo lant temper
ature drops. •
•
Page 176 of 244
17 4 Che cking and filling
Brake fluid
Checking brake fluid level
Fig . 133 Engine compa rtment: cove r on the brake fluid
reservo ir
Before you check anything in the engine com
partment,
a lw ays read and h eed all WA RN
ING S ¢&. in Working in the engine compart
ment on page 164.
,.. Read the brake fluid level from the brake
fluid reservoir¢
page 166, fig . 128. T he
brake flu id leve l must be between the "MIN"
and "MAX" markings.
The brake flu id rese rvo ir is located behind the
rear part ition of the eng ine compartment o n
the left side ¢
page 166.
The fluid level may drop slightly after some
time due to the automatic adjustment of the b rake pads . This is not cause for alarm.
If the brake fluid level falls
considerably be
low the "MIN" mark, the brake warning/indi
cator light (U.S. models: . , Canadian mod
e ls: . ) w ill come on
¢page 14. Do not con
tinue to operate the vehicle. The comp lete
brake system shou ld be thoroughly checked
by an authorized A udi dealer or other quali
fied facility and the cause corrected.
If the
brake fluid level is too low, the brake warn ing/
indicator light w ill illuminate. Contact an au
thor ized Audi dealer
imm ediatel y.
Changing brake fluid
Have the brake fluid changed by an experi
enced technician .
Brake fluid absorbs moisture from the air. If
the water content in the brake fluid is too high, corrosion in the brake system may result
after a period of time . The boiling point of the
brake flu id will also decrease conside rably and
decrease braking pe rformance.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be changed
eve ry two y ears. Always use new brake flu id
which conforms to Federal Motor Veh icle
Standard "F MVSS 116 DOT 4".
The brake fluid reservoir can be diff icult to
reach, therefore, we recommend that you
have the brake fluid changed by your author
ized
Audi dealer . Your dealer has the correct
tools, the right brake fl uid and the know -how
to do this for you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous . It must be stor
ed only in the closed original container
out of the reach of children!
- Brake failure can resu lt from o ld or inap
propriate brake flu id. Observe these pre
cautions:
- Use only brake f luid that meets SA E
specifica tion
J 1 7 03 and conforms to
Federa l Moto r Ve hicl e Standard 1 16.
Always check with yo ur authorized Aud i
dealer to make sure yo u are using the
correct brake fluid. The correct type of brake f lu id is also ind icated on the
brake flu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use
of the brakes can cause a vapor lock if
the brake fluid is left in the system too
l ong. This can seriously affect the effi
c iency of the brakes as well as your
safety. This cou ld resu lt in an accident.
(D Note
Brake fluid will damage the paint of your
vehicle .
Page 177 of 244
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper disposa l
of brake flu id as we ll as the special tools
requ ired and the necessary expert ise, we
recommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer .
Battery
General information
Your vehicle is equipped with a special bat
tery, an
ACM battery. This battery is located
in the luggage compartment and must be re
p laced w ith an original equipment battery .
Under normal operati ng conditions, the bat
tery is
maint enan ce -fre e.
Have the battery checked when you take your
ve hicle in for service. You are well adv ised to
replace a battery that is older than
5 years.
Di sconn ect ing the battery terminal s
Some vehicle functions (power window regu
lators, for example) are lost if the battery ter
minals are d isconnected. These functions have
to be re learned after the battery terminals are
connected again . To prevent this, the battery
should only be d isconnected from the vehicle
e lectr ica l system when absolutely necessary
for repairs .
Vehicles not driven for l ong period s
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer per iod
c::> page 146. Some of the convenience func
tions may not operate, s uch as the interior
lights or power seat adjustment. The conven
ience functions will be avai lab le again when
you switch on the ignition and start the en g ine.
Winter operation
D uring the winter months, ba tte ry capaci ty
tends to decrease as temperatures d rop. This
is because more powe r is also consumed while
Checkin g and fillin g 175
starting, and the headlights, rear window de
fogger, etc ., are used more often .
Avoid unnecess ary powe r consumpt io n, p ar
t icu lar ly in city traffic o r when traveling only
sho rt distances. Let your authorized A udi
dealer check the capacity of the vehicle bat
tery before winter sets in
c::> page 178. A well
charged battery will not on ly prevent starting
problems when the weather is cold, but will
also last longer .
Replacing battery
The new battery must ha ve the same capaci
ty, voltage (12 volts), amperage, construction
and plug sea ling, as the original battery. Spec
ifications are listed o n the battery housing.
Batter ies spec ia lly developed by Audi fulfill
the maintenance, outp ut, and safety require
ments.
When installing the battery, make sure the ig nition and a ll electrical consumers are switch
ed off
c::> (D .
We recommend that you use maintenance
free or
cycle -res istant /leak-proof batter ies
accord ing to the standards TL 825 06 (from
Apr il 2008) and VW 7 50 73 (from Ap ril
2010).
Rep lacing the battery should be carried by a
qualified workshop. Please fo llow the instruc
tions on the battery cover.
([) Note
-All work on the battery requ ires techn i
cal know ledge. P lease contact an Audi
deale rship o r anot her au tho rized fac ility
for questions abo ut the batte ry -dang er
of a cid b urns and exp losion ha zard!
- T he battery must not be opened! Do not
try to cha nge the battery 's liquid level,
ot herwise de tona ting gas will esc ape
from the ba ttery -explosion ha zard!
- T he AGM battery in the l uggage com
p artment cannot leak, because the elec
tro lyte for this battery is abso rbed into a
special glass mat. This lea k-p roof battery
Iii>
•
•
Page 178 of 244
176 Check ing and filling
must not be replace with a conventional
battery .
- Make sure the ventilat ion hose on the
side of the battery is connected, other
wise fumes or battery acid can leak out.
- Battery ho lder and terminals a lways
have to be secured cor rectly.
- Befo re a ll work on the battery fo llow the
warning s below c::, & in Working on the
battery on page 176.
@ For the sake of the environment
Because of the problem of proper d isposa l
of a battery, we recommend your author
ized Au di dealer change the battery for
you. Batter ies contain su lf u ric ac id and
lead and m ust always be disposed of prop
erly in compliance w ith all environmental
regulations . D isposing of vehicle batteries
improperly is very dangerous to the envi
ronment. Make sure that the removed bat
t ery cannot overbalan ce, o therw ise sulfu
r ic acid mig ht escape!
Q Tips
If you r vehicle is left standing for severa l
weeks at extremely low tempe rat ures, t he
veh icle b attery should be remove d and
sto red whe re it will not freeze . This w ill
prevent it from being damage d and hav ing
to be replaced .
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery!
T he ba tte ry is loca ted in the luggage compart
men t under the floor . Before yo u work on or
near the battery,
read and heed all WARN
INGS
c::, ,& .
Always heed the sa fet y warning s, when wor k
ing on the vehicle battery o r the ve hicle elec
trica l system to preve nt injury.
The following WARNINGS are very
i mportant when working on the battery :
Alway s heed the followin g WARNING SYM·
BOLS and safety precaution s when working
on the battery.
®
Always wear eye protection .
~
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid . Al-
ways w ear glov es and eye prot ection.
@
No
- spa rks
- flames
- smo king.
~
When a batter y is charged, it produ ce s
hydrogen gas which is ex plosive and
could cau se pe rsonal injury.
®
Always keep the batt ery well out of
reach of childr en.
& WARNING ~ -
Wheneve r working on t he battery o r on
the electrical system, there is t he risk of
injury, accident and even fire . Read and
heed the following WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection. Do not let
battery ac id or any lead particles get on
your skin or clothing. Shield you r eyes.
Exp losive gases can cause blindness or
other injury.
- Battery acid conta ins sulfuric acid. Sulfu
ric acid can ca use blindness and severe
burns.
- Always wear g loves and eye prote ction.
Do no t tilt the ba ttery because acid
could leak out of the ventilation open
ings .
- If you get battery ac id in your eyes or
on your skin, immediately rinse with
cold water for several minutes and get
med ica l attent ion.
- If you shou ld ingest any battery acid,
seek medical attention immediately .
- Do not expose the battery to an open
flame, e lectr ic sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke .
Page 179 of 244
-Do not interchange the positive and neg
ative cables .
- When working on the battery , be sure
not to short-circuit the terminals with
tools or other metal objects. This would cause the battery to heat up very quickly,
which could lead to damage or explosion and personal injury.
- When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury .
- Always keep the battery well out of the reach of children .
- Before work is done on the electrical sys
tem, disconnect the negative ground ca
ble .
- Before performing any work on the elec
trical system , switch off the engine and
ignition as well as any electrical equip
ment. The negative cable on the battery
must be disconnected. If you are just go
ing to replace a light bulb, then it is
enough to switch off the lights.
- Before disconnecting the battery , switch
off the anti-theft alarm system! Other
wise you will set off the alarm.
- When disconnecting the battery, first
disconnect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
- Before reconnecting the battery, make
sure all electrical consumers are switch
ed off. Reconnect the positive cable first
and then the negative cable. Never inter
change the cables - this could start a fire!
- Never charge a fro zen or a thawed-out
battery. It could explode! If a battery has
frozen, then it must be replaced. A dis
charged battery can freeze over at 32 °F
(0 °C) .
-Make sure the vent hose is always attach
ed to the opening on the side of the bat
tery.
- Never use batteries which are damaged.
Danger of explosion! Always replace a
damaged battery.
Checking and filling 177
A WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts, terminals and related ac cessories contain lead and lead com
pounds, chemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc
tive problems . Wash hands after han
dling.
Q) Note
- Do not disconnect the vehicle battery
when the ignition is switched on or when
the engine is running, otherwise , you will
damage electronic components in the
electrical system.
- If your vehicle is going to stand for a
long period of time without being driven,
protect the battery from "freezing", oth
erwise it will be damaged and will then
have to be replaced.
Checking the battery acid level on magic
eye batteries*
The battery acid level in the battery can be
checked through the clear inspection window .
Fig. 134 Lugg age compar tme nt: Battery w ith mag ic
e ye .
On top of the battery, there is a round "win
dow". This window (magic eye) changes color
as the battery charge and acid level change.
.,. Read and heed all WARNINGS
~.&_ in
Working on the battery on page 176
.. Read the acid level from the window on the
battery ~
fig. 134. Ill>-
Page 180 of 244
178 Checking and filling
Ai r bubbles in the window can cause an inac
curate reading. Carefully tap on the side of
the w indow.
- If the window is gr ee n, the battery ac id leve l
is correct.
- If the window has no c olo r or is brigh t yel
low ,
the battery acid leve l is too low . Have
the battery tested by your authorized A udi
dealer or a qualified workshop .
- If the window is
black , then the batte ry is
insufficiently charged. Recharge the battery
as soon as possible ¢
page 178.
@ Note
Do not overfill the battery, otherwise bat
tery acid will overflow through the vent
opening. This can damage the paint and
cause corros ion.
Charging of battery
Starting the engine requires a well charged
battery.
• Alw ay s rea d and heed all WARNING S be
low ¢
A and ¢ A in Working on the bat
tery on page 176.
• Switch off the ignit ion and all electrical con
sumers.
• Make sure the area is well vent ilated when
you charge the battery .
• Connect charger cables.
ALW AYS conn ect
c harg er cab les POSITIVE
G) to POSITIVE
G) ; NEGATIVE Qto NEGATIVE Q.
• Switch on the charger .
•T urnoff the charger ¢,& .
• Disconnect the charger cables.
• Connect both battery cables to the battery if
necessary-
first plus, then m inus.
When charging at
low voltages (e.g . with a
tri ckle char ger), the battery cables do not
have to be d isconnected first. Before charging
at
high voltages, i.e. "fa st charg ing ", you
must disconnect both cables. In e ither case,
follow the instruct ions from the manufacturer
of the charger. Fastcharging a battery is
dangerou
s ¢.&. in
Working on the battery on page 176 .
It re
quires special charging equipment and the
knowledge to go with it. We recommend hav
ing your battery fast charged only by a quali
fied workshop .
A d ischarged battery can
freeze at tempera
tures of only
32 °F (0 °C). Allow a frozen bat
tery to thaw completely before attempting to
charge it¢,&.. However, we recommend not
us ing a thawed battery aga in because the bat
tery casing can be cracked due to ice fo rma
t ion and can leak battery acid.
Do not open the battery caps when charging
the battery .
A WARNING ,..__ -
Charging a battery can be dangerous.
- Never charge a frozen battery . It may ex
p lode because of gas trapped in the ice .
Allow a frozen battery to thaw out first.
- Do not reuse batteries wh ich were fro
zen. The battery hous ing may have
cracked and weakened when the battery
fro ze.
- Cha rge t he battery in a well venti lated
area. Keep away from open flame or elec
tr ica l spar k. Do not smo ke. Hyd rogen gas
genera ted by the battery is explos ive .
- To reduce the danger of explosion, never
connect or d isconnect charger cab les
while the charger is operating.
- Fast charging a ba ttery is dange rous and
should only be at tempted by a compe
tent technician with the proper equip
ment.
- Battery acid tha t may sp ill dur ing cha rg
ing should be washed off with a solution
of warm water and baking soda to neu
tralize the ac id.
(D Note
Neve r use a fast charger as a booster to
start the engine. This wi ll seriously dam
age sensit ive e lectronic components, such
as contro l units, re lays, radio, etc., as well
as the battery charger.