engine overheat AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2014 Owners Manual

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dr ipping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself . Let the engine
cool off first until you can no longer see
or hear steam or coo lant escaping.
Q) Note
- Mount ing additional lights or accessories
i n front of the a ir inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator . At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo ile r has been designed to
proper ly distribute the cooling air wh en
t h e veh icle i s moving.
If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld red uce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over ­
heat . Ask yo ur authorized Audi dea ler fo r
ass istance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine R PM drops be low 1 ,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gea r. T he red area
at the end of the sca le indicates maximum
pe rmissib le engine RPM after the break- in pe­
riod. Before reach ing this area, move these­
lector lever to position 0/5 (Drive) or ease
your foot off the accelerator peda l.
(D Note
The tachometer needle should only br iefly
be in the red zone: you cou ld damage your
eng ine! The beginn ing of the red zone var­
ies depending on the operati ng tempera­
ture of the eng ine .
@ For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fuel and reduces en­
gine noise.
@ Tips
The engine speed is limited when the en­
g ine is co ld - the full engine output is not ava
ilable . When the engine is at operating
temperature, the red area in the tachome­
ter moves to a higher RPM range.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge only works when the ignition is
on. If the fue l level drops below 2 .6 gallons
(10 lite rs), the bottom LED turns red and the
indicato r light ~ turns on
¢ page 21 . The
bottom L ED blinks red whe n the fuel level is
very low.
The possible range based on the current fuel level is shown in tab@~
page 23, fig. 4.
(D Note
Neve r run the ta nk completely dry. A n ir­
r egular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter the exha ust
system. The catalytic co nve rter could t hen
ove rheat and be damaged .
Warning/indicator
Lights
Description
The ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or tur n on. They indica te f unct ions or
malfunctions
¢ & .
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
li ghts. A warning signal will sound at t he
same t ime . The indica to r li ghts and messages
i n the center of the displays may be rep lace d
by other disp lays. To show them again, select
the tab for ind icator lights and messages us­
ing the multif unction steering whee l
¢ page 23. If there are several malfunc­
tions, you can display them one at a time us­ i ng the thumbwheel.
Some indicators lights in the d isp lay can turn
on in severa l co lors.
A WARNING
- Failure to heed warning lights and other
important vehicle informat ion may resu lt
IJI,,

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
(USA models): If the warnin g light 1111 and
the warning light
EiJ appear together, imme­
d iate ly contact your authorized Aud i dea ler or
qua lified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 20 .
When t he light comes on, an audib le warning
signal is also given .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 213, before opening the hood
and checking the brake fluid.
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada
mode ls) brake system indicator light
tu rns on together with the ABS and ESC
indicator lights, the ABS/ESC regu lating
function may have failed. Functions tha t
stabilize the ve hicl e are no longer availa­
ble. This cou ld cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the risk of sliding .
Drive carefully to the nearest a uth orized
Audi dealer or other qualified workshop
and have the malfunction corrected.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are drivi ng, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low .
If you
b elieve that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
autho riz ed Au di d ealer o r qualifie d re pair
f acili ty and have the bra ke system in­
spected.
- Always kee p in m ind tha t afte r several
brake applicat ions, yo u will nee d greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond w ith maxim um stopping power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased braking distances . The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK!< ®> Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light- (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set . If the park ing brake is set when the
ignition is off, the indicator light turns off af­
te r abo ut 20 seconds.
The warning/indic ator light will go out when
the parking brake is re leased .
-(USA models ) ,. (Canada models )
Caut ion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator light b links and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing. The brakes have
overheated. The vehicle could roll away even
o n a small incl ine .
Press brake pedal to release parking brake
To re lease the par king brake, press the brake
peda l and press the button ~ or start driv ing
with starting assist at the same time
¢ page 78.
Pl eas e r elease parking brake
To re lease the park ing b rake manually , press
the b rake peda l and press the button~ at the
same time. The parking b ra ke only releases
a ut omat ica lly if the d river 's sa fe ty belt is fas­
tened.
Ill Parking brake!
If the DI indicator lig ht turns on and th is
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfu nction . D rive to your authorized Audi
deal er or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfun ct io n corrected.
-L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible .
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev el liJI,

Homelink
Universal remote
control
General information
Applies to vehicles: with Home link unive rsal remote con­
tro l
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with hand-held transmitters
from existing equipment
With Home link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
lights, etc. comfortably from the inside of you
vehicle.
Homelink makes it possible for you to replace
three different remote controls from devices
in your home with one universal remote . This
feature works for most garage door and exte­ rior door motor signals. Programmi ng the in­
d iv idual remote control for your remote con­
trol takes place near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programming of the sensor must
be performed before you are able to use sys­
tems with Homelink.
A WARNING , .,.
- Never use the Homelink transmitter
with any garage door opener that does
have not the safety stop and reverse fea­
ture as required by federal safety stand­
ards . Th is includes any garage door open ­
er model manufactured before April 1, 1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Us ing a garage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious injury or death.
- For safety reasons
never release the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle .
- A garage door or an estate gate may sometimes be set in motion when the
H ome link 121
Homelink remote control is being pro­
grammed. If the device is repeatedly ac­
tivated, this can overstrain motor and
damage its electrical components -an
overheated motor is a fire hazard!
- To avoid possible injuries or property
damage, please always make absolutely
certa in that no persons or objects are lo­
cated in the range of motion of any
equipment being ope rated.
(D Tips
- If you would like additional information
on the Home link Universal Transce iver
I
Homel ink compatib le products, or to
purchase other accessories such as the
Homelink Lighting Package, please con­
tact Homelink at 1-800-355 -3515 or on
the Internet at www. homelink.com.
- For Declaration of Comp liance to United
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula­
tions~
page 2 76.
- For security reasons, we recommend that
you clear the programmed buttons be­
fore selling the vehicle .
Operation
Applies to vehicles: with Homelink
Fig. 144 Headliner : cont rols
Req uirement: The bu ttons must be program­
med
~ page 122.
.,. To open the garage door, press the program­
med button . The LED @ will light up or
flash.
... To close the garage door , press the button
again .
II>

190 Intelligent technology
differential lock (EDL), dynamic steering* and
selective whee l torque control. ESC is switch­
ed on all the t ime. In certa in situations when
you need less traction, you can switch off ASR
by pressing the button
[ill c> page 191,
fig. 180. Be sure to switch ASR on again when
you no longe r need less traction .
Anti-loc k br ak ing system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered
even during hard brak ing. Apply steady pres­
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped­
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal ind icates that
the system is he lp ing you to b rake the vehicle.
B rake as sist sys tem
The brake assist system can decrease braking
d istance. It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quick ly in emer ­
gency situations. You must p ress and hold the
b rake pedal until the situation is over. I n
vehicles w ith adaptive cru ise cont rol*, the
b rake assist system is more sens it ive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
smal l.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engi ne power when the d rive
wheels begin to spin and ad apts the fo rce to
the road condit ions. This makes i t easier to
start, accelerate and drive up hills .
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the d rive powe r to the other d rive
wheel o r whee ls if the vehi cle is equipped wi th
a ll-w hee l drive* . This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases, ED L automat ica lly swit ches
off to help keep the brake o n the braked whee l
from overheating . EDL wi ll switch on again au­
tomatically when conditions have returned to
norma l.
Dynamic steering*
On vehi cles w ith dy namic stee ring*, ESC helps
stabilize the steering i n critical s ituations.
Selective wheel torque control
T he sele ctive whee l torq ue con trol ope rates
when driving through c urves . The front whee l
on the inside of th e curve o r both wheels on
the inside of the curve are braked selectively
as needed. This minimizes sliding in the front
whee ls and allows for more precise driving
t hr ough curves. The appl icable system may
not act ivate when dr iv ing in wet or snowy con­
ditions .
,&. WARNING
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, dy namic steeri ng*
and the select ive wheel torq ue con trol
c a nnot ove rcome the laws of physics.
T his is especially important on slippery
or wet roads.
If the systems begin acting
to stabilize your veh icle, yo u should im­
mediately change your speed to match
the road and traffic conditions. Do not
let the increased safety provided by
these systems tempt you to take r isks.
Doing so will increase the risk of a loss of
veh icle cont ro l, collision and ser ious per­
sonal injur ies.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and wea ther conditions. The risk of los­
ing con trol of t he vehicle increases when
d riving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iving too close to vehicles up
ahead. ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys­
tem, ASR, EDL, dynam ic steering* and
the selective wheel torque contro l can­
not prevent collisions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth su rfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow .
The drive wheels can spin eve n w ith
these assistan ce systems that cannot al­
ways he lp to re duce the risk of loss of ve ­
h icle control.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR o nly wo rk correctly when
all four wheels are equipped with identi­
cal tires. D iffe ren t tire si zes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
-
...

194 Intelligent technology
overheat, premature wear and increased
stopping distance.
- Under certain climatic and operating
condit ions such as passing through wa­
ter, driving in heavy ra in or after wash ing
the vehicle, the effect iveness of the
brakes can be reduced. In winter, ice ca n
accumulate on the brake pads, linings ,
discs and d rums . Carefully apply brakes
for a test . B rakes wi ll dry a nd ice coat­
ings will be cleaned off after a few c are­
f ul brake app lications .
- Driv ing fo r an ex tende d pe riod of time on
salt-covere d roads w ithout us ing yo ur
brakes can also affect braking efficiency.
Clean off accumulated salt coating from
brake discs and pads w ith a few caref ul
brake applicat ions.
- If you damage the front spoiler, or if you
install a different spoiler, be sure the air
flow to the front brakes is not obstruct­ ed. Otherwise the brake system could
overheat reducing the effectiveness of
the ent ire brake system .
- Failure of one brake c ircuit will impair
the braking capability res ulting in an in­
creased stopp ing distance. Avoid driv ing
the vehicle and have it towed to t he near­
est Au di dea le r o r q ualified w ork sh o p.
- Never let the vehicle ro ll to a stop w ith
the e ngine shu t off.
- If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal must be p ressed conside ra­
bly harder to make up for the la ck of
booster assistance.
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The electro-mechanical power assist helps
the driver when steering .
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed .
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Stop the vehicle
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on
and t his message appears, the power steering
may have failed.
D o
not con tinue dr iv ing . See your author ized
Audi dealer or other qualified repair facility
for assistance .
'I-lj Steering: Sy stem fault You can continue
driving
If the indicato r light turns on and the mes­
sage appea rs, the stee ring may be more diffi­
cul t to move o r more sens itive th an usua l. The
stee ring wheel may a lso be at an ang le when
driving straight .
D rive slowly to you r authorized Aud i dea le r or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corre cted.
(:rij Dynamic st eering: Initializing
If this driver message appears and the indica­
tor light is f lashing on the instrument panel,
dynam ic steer ing* is being rei nitia lized . Afte r
sta rting the engine, the stee ring wheel will
move s ligh tly. Re- ini tiali zation mig ht be ne c­
essa ry if the stee ring wheel w as moved h ard
to the left and r ight wh ile the vehicle was not
moving . The display goes out as soon as initi ­
alization is complete.
D rive slowly to you r authorized Audi de aler or
qualified wo rkshop to have the ma lf u nct ion
corrected.
_& WARNING
Have t he dynamic stee ring * system mal ­
f u nction repa ired as soon as possible by an
a uthorized Audi dea ler or qua lified wor k­
shop - risk of acc ident !
(D Tips
If the . or (:rij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time, yo u may continue driv­
i ng.
- The dynamic steering * stab ility systems
are not avai lab le in the event of a system
ma lf u nction.
- For add itiona l information on dynamic
steering *, refer to
c> page 96.

200 Driving and en vir onm ent
_& WARNING
The temperature o f the exhaust system is
high, both when driving and after stopping
the engine .
- Never touch the exha ust tail pipes once
they have become hot. This could result in burns .
- Do not park or operate the veh icle in
areas where the hot exhaust system may
come in contact with dry grass, brush,
fuel spill or other material which can cause a fire .
- Do not apply additional undercoating or
rustproofing on or near the exhaust
man ifold , exhaust p ipes, catalytic con ­
verter or heat shie lds. D uri ng d riving, the
substance used for undercoating cou ld
over heat and cause a fire .
(I) Note
- Be aware that just one tank filling with
l eaded fuel will already seriously de­
grade the perfo rmance of the cata lytic
conve rter.
- Do not exceed the correct engine oil leve l
¢page 218.
- Do not d rive until the fuel tank becomes
completely empty. The eng ine could mis­
fire. Unburned f uel could a lso ge t in to
t h e exhaus t sys tem and this could cause
the ca talyt ic converte r to ove rheat.
- Do no t switch off the ign ition wh ile the
vehicle is moving.
- Do no t continue to operate yo ur vehicle
u nder these condi tions, as otherw ise fuel
can reach the catalytic converter . This
could result in overheating of the co n­
verter, req uiring its replacement.
- To assure efficient operation of the Emis ­
sion Control System :
- Have your veh icle maintained properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
&
Ma intenance booklet.
- Lack of proper maintenance as well as
improper use of the vehicle will impa ir the function of the em
ission cont ro l
system and could lead to damage .
~ For the sake of the env ironment
Even when the Emiss ion Con trol Sys tem is
operat ing proper ly, the exha ust gas can
have a sulfur-li ke ex haust gas smell under
some operat ing states . This depends on
the sulfur content of the fuel being used .
Using a different brand of fue l may help,
or filling the tank with lead -free super
grade gasoline .
Shutting down vehicle
If you would like you r vehicle to remain inop­
erative for a longer per iod of t ime, contact an
Audi o r other spec ia lized dealer. They can ad­
v ise you on ne cessa ry precautions e .g. co rro­
s io n preven tion , maintena nce and s to rage.
Pay a ttent ion to addi tional in fo rmat ion con­
cerning the battery. Refer to ¢
page 223 .
Operate your vehicle
economically and
minimize pollution
General
Your p ersonal style of driving will determine
the economy of your vehicle , as well as ex ­
haust and nois e le ve ls .
Fu el economy, environmenta l impact, and
wear on your engine , brakes and tires largely
depend on three factors:
- your personal d riving style
- operati ng conditions
- technical limitat ions
If you an tic ip ate what you need to do next and
drive economically, you can easily cut your
fuel consumpt io n by 10 -15 percent . This sec ­
t ion w ill give you some tips on how you can
help the e nvir onment and your pocketbook .

220 Check ing and filling
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 sealed and generally re­
quires little attention.
The cooling system has been filled at the fac­
tory with a permanent coolant which does not need to be changed. The coolant consists of a
mixture of specially conditioned water and the
manufacturer's glycol-based coolant addi-
tive G13 antifreeze with ant icorros ion addi­
tives (50% for USA models; 60% for Canadian models) . This mixture both assures the neces­
sary frost protection and protects metal com­
ponents in the engine's cooling system from
corrosion and scaling.
It a lso raises the boil­
ing point of the coo lant.
D o not reduce the concentration o f the coo l­
ant in the summer by adding plain water .
The
proportion of coolant add it iv e mu st be at
lea st 50 % but not mo re than 60 %
to main­
tain antifree ze protection and cooling efficien­
cy. If the coolant frost protect ion is too low,
the coolant could freeze and damage the veh i­
cle heating and eng ine cooling system .
For year-round driving, antifree ze is added at
the factory for temperatures down to:
- -31° F(-35°C)USA
- - 40 ° F ( -40 °C) Canada.
I f you must add coo lant, use a m ixture of wa­
ter and coolant addit ive. Mixing the coolant
addit ive wi th dist illed wate r is recommended.
_& WARNING
Before yo u check any thing in the engine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARNINGS
¢ &. in Working in the engine
compartment on page 213.
(D Note
- Before winter se ts in, have the coolant
checked to see if the coolant additive in
-
your vehicle is sufficient to meet the cli­ mate conditions . This is especia lly impor ­
tant if you live in a reg ion where the win­
ter is extreme ly cold. If necessary, in­
crease the proportion of coolant add itive
to 60% .
- When adding coolant additive to your
cooling system , remember :
- We recommend us ing on ly coolant ad­
d it ive G12 ++ or G1 3 (check the labe l)
for your vehicle . This coolant additive is
avai lable at autho rized Audi dea lers .
Other types of antifreeze can signifi­
cantly reduce corrosion protection. The
resu lting corrosion can cause a loss of
coolant and serious engine damage .
- Do not add any type of rad iator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle's engine coolant.
Add ing radiator repa ir flu id may adverse ­
ly affect the function and performance of
your cooling system and could resu lt in
damage not covered by you r New Ve hicle
Limited War ran ty.
Checking the engine coolant level
The engine coolant level can be checked with
a quick glance.
F ig . 1 91 Engin e compar tmen t: cover o n th e coolant
expans io n tank
Befo re you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment,
always r ead and he ed all WARN­
INGS
¢ &_ in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 213.
.,. Park your vehicle on a level surface .
.,. Switch off the ignition .
.,. Read the engine coo lant level from the coo l­
a nt expansion tank¢
fig . 191, ¢ page 215, ..,.

fig. 188. With a cold engine, the coolant
lev el should be between the "min" and
"max" markings. When the engine is warm,
the level may be slightly above the "max"
marking .
The location of the coolant expansion tank
can be seen in the engine compartment illus ­
t ration
<=> page 215.
To obtain an accurate reading , the engine
must be switched
off.
The expansion 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<=>
page 15 will
illuminate until you add coolant and the level
has been restored to normal. Even though
there is an electric coolant level sensor, we
still recommend you check the coolant level
from time to time .
Coolant loss
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 dealer. It is not
enough merely to add coolant .
In a
sealed system, losses can occur only if
the boiling point of the coolant is exceeded as
a result of overheating.
&_ WARNING
-
The cooling system is under pressure and
can get very hot. Reduce the risk of scald­
ing from hot coolant by following these
steps.
- Turn
off the engine and allow it to cool
down.
- Protect your face, hands and arms from
escaping fluid and steam by covering the
cap with a large, thick rag.
- Turn the cap slowly and very carefully in
a counter-clockwise direction while ap ­
plying light, downward pressure on the
top of the cap.
Checking and filling 221
-To avoid being burned, do not spill anti­
freeze or coolant on the exhaust system
or hot engine parts. Under certain condi­
tions, the ethylene glycol in engine cool­
ant can catch fire .
(D Note
Do not add any type of radiator leak seal­
ant to your vehicle 's engine coolant. Add-
ing radiator repair fluid may adversely af­
fect the function and performance of your
cooling system and could result in damage
not covered by your New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Adding coolant
Be very careful when adding engine coolant.
Before you check anything in the engine com­
partment,
always read and heed all WARN­
INGS <=>.&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 213.
"'Turn off the engine.
"'Let the engine cool down .
"' Place a thick rag over the coolant expansion
tank
<=> page 220, fig. 191 and carefully
twist the cap counter-clockwise <=>_& .
"'Add coolant mixed in the correct ratio
<=> page 220, Coolant.
"'Twist the cap on again tightly.
Replacement engine coolant must conform to
exact specifications <=>
page 220, Coolant.
We recommend using only coolant addi-
tive G12++, G13 or in an emergency G12+. Do
not use a different additive. In an emergency
use plain water until you can get the correct
additive and can restore the correct ratio. This
should be done as soon as possible.
If you have lost a considerable amount of
coolant , then you should add cold antifreeze
and cold water only when the engine is cold.
Always use
new engine coolant when refilling.
Do not fill coolant above the "MAX" mark. Ex -
cess coolant will be forced out through the ..,.
•
•