spec oil gear oils - lubricants online what oil should i... · web viewmany oem are now using their...

www.lubricantsonline.co.za

So what should I buy?Quality Counts! It doesn't matter what sort of fancy marketing goes into an engine oil, or how many naked babes smear it all over their bodies, or how bright and colourful the packaging is, it's what's written on the packaging that counts. Specifications and approvals are everything. There are two established testing bodies. The API (American Petroleum Institute), and the European counterpart, the ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d'Automobiles - which was the CCMC). You've probably never heard of either of them, but their stamp of approval will be seen on the side of every reputable can of engine oil.

The API

The API classifications are different for petrol and diesel engines:

For petrol, listings start with 'S' (meaning Service category, but you can also think of it as Spark-plug ignition), followed by another code to denote standard. 'SN' is the current top grade, which recently replaced 'SM' and 'SL'. 'SH' will be found on most expensive oils, and almost all the new synthetics. It's basically an upgraded 'SG' oil which has been tested more sternly.

For diesel oils, the first letter is 'C' (meaning Commercial category, but you can also think of it as Compression ignition). 'CJ' is the highest grade at the moment, (technically CJ-4 for heavy-duty) but 'CH' is the most popular and is well adequate for passenger vehicle applications.

http://www.api.org/


May-23

Note:

Castrol recently upgraded all their oils and for some reason, Castrol diesels now use the 'S' rating, thus completely negating my little aid-memoir above. So the older CC,CD,CE and CF ratings no longer exist, but have been replaced by an 'SH' grade diesel oil. This link is a service bulletin from Castrol themselves, explaining the situation.

The CCMC/ACEA

The ACEA standards are prefixed with a 'G' for petrol engines and a 'D' or 'PD' for diesel. Coupled with this are numerous approvals by car manufacturers which many oil containers sport with pride. ACEA replaced CCMC in 1996 primarily to allow for greater read-across in test programs (eg. for viscosity, viscosity modifiers and base oil). The CCMC specifications were G (1 to 5) for gasoline, D (1 to 5) or heavy duty diesel and PD1 and PD2 for passenger car diesel. ACEA though have a slightly different nomenclature they can be summarised as A for petrol, B for passenger car diesel and E for heavy duty diesel. The ACEA grades may also be followed by the year of issue which will be either '04 or '07 (current).

http://www.acea.be/

http://www.carbibles.com/castrol.html

http://www.carbibles.com/castrol.html


May-23

The full ACEA specs are: A1 Fuel Economy Petrol † A2 Standard performance level

A3 High performance and / or extended drain

A5 Fuel economy petrol with extended drain capability †

B1 Fuel Economy diesel †

B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)

B3 High performance and / or extended drain

B4 For direct injection passenger car diesel engines

B5 Fuel economy diesel with extended drain capability †

† Not suitable for all engines - should ONLY be used in engines specifying this fuel efficient grade. Refer to the manufacturer handbook of contact your local dealer if you're not sure.

Mineral oils: E1 Non-turbo charged light duty diesel E2 Standard performance level

E3 High performance extended drain

E5 (1999) High performance / long drain plus American/API performances. - This is ACEAs first attempt at a global spec.

E7 Euro 4 engines - exhaust after treatment (EGR / SCR)

Part / full synthetic oils: E4 Higher performance and longer extended drain


May-23

E6 Euro 4 specification - low SAPS for vehicles with PDF (see below)

New low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous, Sulphur)

This oil is a recent introduction for diesel engines fitted with a DPF (Diesel particulate filter). This is effectively a filter unit in the exhaust that takes out the microscopic soot particles. If you don't use a proper low SAPS oil, then the additives can block the filter with ash, which is a bit like putting a potato up your exhaust! New filters are pricey - £1500 isn't unusual.

C1 Low SAPS (0.5% ash) fuel efficient C2 Mid SAPS (0.8% ash) fuel efficient, performance

C3 Mid SAPS (0.8% ash)

Many OEM are now using their own specifications to capture this spec. eg. Mercedes 229.31/51, BMW Longlife 04, VW 507 00 etc.There is also a trend now towards manufacturers requiring their own specifications - in this case the OEM specification is the one that needs to be adhered to. If it says BMW Longlife 04, the oil must say this on the pack to be suitable for use.

Typically, these markings will be found in a statement similar to: Meets the requirements of API SH/CD along the label somewhere. Also, you ought to be able to see the API Service Symbol somewhere on the packaging:


May-23

Beware the fake API symbol

Some unscrupulous manufacturers (and there's not many left that do this) will put a symbol on their packaging designed to look like the API symbol without actually being the API symbol. They do this in an effort to pump up the 'quality' of their product by relying on people not really knowing exactly what the proper API symbol should look like. To the left is an example of a fake symbol - it looks similar but as long as you remember what to look for, you won't get taken by this scam.Amsoil are one of the biggest inadvertent offenders of the fake API symbol. Take a look at one of their labels here on the right. See that little starburst that says "Fuel efficient formula SL-CF"? It can say all it likes, but the fact of the matter is that this is absolutely not an API-certified SL or CF oil. To be fair, some Amsoil products are API certified and they do have the correct labelling, but their top-tier products do not. The issue of their lack of API certification on these products caused such a stir at Amsoil that they had to generate a FAQ to answer the most commonly-asked questions. You can find a copy of that here : Amsoil & API

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible_amsoilFAQ.html


May-23

Licensing. It does explain everything logcially and clearly, and it's not scientific doublespeak. Which is nice.

If this is all confusing you, then rest assured that all top oils safely conform to the current standards. What you should treat with caution are the real cheapies and those with nothing but a maker's name on the pack.

A Brief History of API ratingsSome people have asked about the old standards, and although they're not especially relevant, some rampant plagiarism from an API service bulletin means I can bring you all the API ratings right back from when the earth was cooling. the table below to see the ratings.

Petrol Engines Diesel EnginesCategory Status Service Category Status Service

CJ-4 Current Introduced in 2006 for high-speed four-stroke engines. Designed to meet 2007 on-highway exhaust emission standards. CJ-4 oils are compounded for use in all applications with diesel fuels ranging in sulphur content up to 500ppm (0.05% by weight).

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible_amsoilFAQ.html


May-23

However, use of these oils with greater than 15ppm sulfur fuel may impact exhaust

aftertreatment system durability and/or oil drain intervals. CJ-4 oils are effective at sustaining emission control system durability where particulate filters and other advanced aftertreatment systems are used. CJ-4 oils exceed the performance criteria of CF-4, CG-4, CH-4 and CI-4.

SN Current

For all automotive engines presently in use. Introduced in the API service symbol in

CI-4 Current

Introduced in 2002 for high-speed four-stroke engines. Designed to meet 2004 exhaust emission standards


May-23

November 2010

implemented in 2002. CI-4 oils are formulated to sustain engine

durability where exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is used and are intented for use with diesel fuels ranging in sulphur content up to 0.5% weight. Can be used in place of CD, CE, CF-4, CG-4 and CH-4

SM Current

For all automotive engines presently in use. Introduced in the API service symbol in November 2004

CH-4 Current

Introduced in 1998 for high-speed four-stroke engines. CH-4 oils are specifically designed for use with diesel fuels ranging in sulphur content up to 0.5% weight. Can be used in place of CD, CE, CF-4 and CG-4.

SL Still For all CG-4 Current Introduced in


May-23

current but

nearly obsolete

automotive engines

presently in use. Introduced in the API service symbol in 1998

1995 for high-speed four-stroke engines.

CG-4 oils are specifically designed for use with diesel fuels ranging in sulphur content less than 0.5% weight. CG-4 oil needs to be used for engines meeting 1994 emission standards. Can be used in place of CD, CE and CF-4.

SJ

Still current but nearly obsolete

For all automotive engines presently in use. Introduced in the API service symbol in 1996

CF-4 Current

Introduced in 1990 for high-speed four-stroke naturally aspirated and turbo engines. Can be used in place of CD and CE.

SH ObsoleteFor model year 1996 and older engines.

CF-2 Current

Introduced in 1994 for severe duty, two stroke motorcycle engines. Can be


May-23

used in place of CD-II.

SG ObsoleteFor model year 1993 and older engines.

CF Current

Introduced in 1994 for off-road, indirect-injected and other diesel engines including those using fuel over0.5% weight sulphur. Can be used in place of CD.

SF ObsoleteFor model year 1988 and older engines.

CE Obsolete

Introduced in 1987 for high-speed four-stroke naturally aspirated and turbo engines. Can be used in place of CC and CD.

SE ObsoleteFor model year 1979 and older engines.

CD-II Obsolete

Introduced in 1987 for two-stroke motorcycle engines.

SD ObsoleteFor model year 1971 and older engines.

CD Obsolete

Introduced in 1955 for certain naturally aspirated and turbo engines.


May-23

SC ObsoleteFor model year 1967 and older engines.

CC ObsoleteIntroduced in 1961 for all diesels.

SB Obsolete

For older engines. Use this only when specifically recommended by the manufacturer.

CB Obsolete

Introduced in 1949 for moderate-duty engines.

SA Obsolete

For much older engines with no performance requirement. Use this only when specifically recommended by the manufacturer.

CA ObsoleteIntroduced in 1940 for light-duty engines.

Grade counts too!The API/ACEA ratings only refer to an oil's quality. For grade, you need to look at the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) ratings. These describe the oil's function and viscosity standard. Viscosity means the substance

http://www.sae.org/


May-23

and clinging properties of the lubricant. When cold, oil can become like treacle so it is important that any lube is kept as thin as possible.

It's cold performance is denoted by the letter 'W', meaning 'winter'.

At the other end of the scale, a scorching hot oil can be as thin as water and about as useful too. So it needs to be as thick as possible when warm. Thin when cold but thick when warm? That's where MultiGrade oil comes in. For ages, good old 20W/50 was the oil to have. But as engines progressed and tolerances decreased, a lighter, thinner oil was required, especially when cold. Thus 15W/50, 15W/40 and even 15W/30 oils are now commonplace. Synthetics can go down as far as 5W which seemed unbeatable until Castrol came up with SLX - a 0W30 formulation! 'Free flowing' just doesn't describe it! It's predominantly a workshop oil retailing at around £10 ($15) a litre, but recommended for use in places like Canada in the winter.

So again: what should I buy? That all depends on your car, your pocket and how you intend to drive and service the car. All brands claim theirs offers the best protection available - until they launch a superior alternative. It's like washing powders - whiter than white until new Super-Nukem-Dazzo comes out. For most motorists and most cars, a quality mainstream oil is the best, like Castrol GTX. Moving up a step, you could look at Duckhams QXR and Castrol Protection Plus and GTX3 Lightec. The latter two of these are designed specifically for engines with catalytic converters. They're also a good choice for GTi's and turbo engines. Go up a step again and you're looking at synthetic oils aimed squarely at the performance market like Mobil-1.To help you through the maze of oils available, there's a site available now (the motor oil evaluator) that aims to lessen the confusion with a relatively balanced scoring system based on published specifications such

http://members.themotoroilevaluator.com/


May-23

as viscosity and pour point. It's a good starting point if you're looking for even more in-depth info.

The question of phosphorus and zinc.Phosphorus (a component of ZDDP - Zinc Dialkyl-Dithio-Phosphate) is the key component for valve train protection in an engine and 1600ppm (parts per million) used to be the standard for phosphorus in engine oil. In 1996 the EPA forced that to be dropped to 800ppm and then more recently (2004?) to 400ppm - a quarter of the original spec. Valvetrains and their components are not especially cheap to replace and this drop in phosphorus content has been a problem for many engines (especially those with flat-tappet type cams). So why was the level dropped? Money. Next to lead, it's the second most destructive substance to shove through a catalytic converter. The US government mandated a 150,000 mile liftime on catalytic converters and the quickest way to do that was to drop phosphorous levels and bugger the valvetrain problem. Literally.In the US, Mobil 1 originally came out with the 0W40 as a 'European Formula' as it was always above 1000 ppm. This initially got them out of the 1996 800ppm jam and knowledgeable consumers sought it out for obvious reasons. Their 15W50 has also maintained a very high level of phosphorus and all of the extended life Mobil synthetics now have at least 1000ppm. How do they get away with this? They're not classified as energy/fuel conserving oils and thus do not interfere with the precious government CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) ratings. This also means that they don't get the coveted ratings of other oils but they do protect your valvetrain. The same rule of thumb is true for racing oils like Royal Purple - because they're not classified as energy / fuel conserving, it would seem they still contain good quantities of ZDDP.In fact, as a general rule-of-thumb, staying away from XX-30 oils and going to 10W-40 or higher might be the way to go if you have an older


May-23

engine. 10W-40 and above is generally also not considered to be 'gas saving' and like the Mobil example above, doesn't mess with the CAFE rating.

Marine Diesels and other special considerations.Inland Marine Diesels (and certain road vehicles under special conditions) can (and do) glaze their bores due the low cylinder wall temperatures causing the oil (and more importantly the additive pack) to undergo a chemical change to a varnish-like substance. The low temperature is caused by operating under light load for long periods.This is related to engine design, some engines being nearly immune to it and others susceptible. The old Sherpa van diesel engines were notorious for this problem. The "cure" (such as it is) is to use a low API specification oil, such as CC. Certain engine manufacturers/marinisers are now marketing the API CC oil for this purpose under their own name (and at a premium). You'll find some modern engines where its industrial/vehicle manual states API CF and the marinised manual states API CC/CD. {Thanks to Tony Brooks for this information.}

Marine Oils.

I sometimes get asked "why are marine engine oils so expensive and why can't I just use regular motor oil in my marine engine instead?". Well, the National Marine Manufacturers Association Oil Certification Committee (click here for more info) introduced a four-stroke engine oil test and standard called the 4T certification.

This specification is meant to assist boaters and manufacturers in identifying four-stroke cycle engine oils that have been specially formulated to withstand the rigors of marine engine operation. The

http://nmma.org/certification/programs/oils/


May-23

certification was prompted by the growing influence of four-stroke engines in the marine market and their unique lubrication demands. So the simple answer is that regular road-based engine oil products don't contain rust inhibitors and won't pass the 4T certification.

Lakes, waterways and the sea are a lot more aggressive an environment for an engine to operate around than on land.Note : the NMMA have long had a similar specification for 2-stroke oils destined for marine use, called the TC-W3® certification.

Motor oil shelf life

Engine Oil Shelf Life.I couldn't decide whether to put this in the FAQ or the main page, so it's in both, because I get asked this question a lot. Typically, the question is along the lines of "GenericAutoSuperStore are having a sale on WickedlySlippy Brand synthetic oil. If I buy it now, how long can I keep if before I use it?"In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf life of the lubricants. (an increase of 10°C doubles oxidation which halves the shelf life) ie. don't leave it in the sun with the lid off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.

Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years. However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The specs get updated


May-23

regularly based on new scientific testing procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer engine.

If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a double-edged sword.

As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected conditions - indoors at about 20°C:

Product Shelf LifeBase Oils, Process Oils 3 yearsHydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils, General Purpose Lubricating Oils 2 years

Engine Oils and Transmission Oils 3 yearsIndustrial and Automotive Gear Oils 2 yearsMetal Working and Cutting Oils 1 year

The following are signs of storage instability in a lubricant:

Settling out of the additives as a gel or sticky liquid Floc or haze

Precipitates/solid material


May-23

Colour change or haziness

Water contamination in a lubricant can be detected by a "milky" appearance of the product.

spec oil gear oils - lubricants online what oil should i... · web viewmany oem are now using their...

Documents