FUELS & LUBES INTERNATIONAL
Quarter Two 2015
50
NEW SPECIFICATIONS FOR
GASOLINE ENGINE OILS:
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND TIMELINES
Fuel economy, emission system compatibility and protection
of engines: these are the needs behind the new engine oil
specifications being developed today. During F+L Week 2015
in Singapore in March, participants heard the latest develop-
ments in new gasoline engine oil specifications. Both ILSAC
GF-6 and the second generation of the dexos1™ specification
from General Motors have unprecedented components this
time around. Partly for this reason, the first license date for
GF-6 has been moved back to January 2018, with mandatory
use one year later.
By Alison Gaines
F E A T U R E
TERI KOWALSKI, SENIOR
principal engineer for Toyota in the
Vehicle Research &Certification
Engineering Department, predicts
that the industry precisionmatrix for
GF-6 tests will begin inMay and will
take at least three months. The preci-
sionmatrix determines if the tests are
repeatable and reproducible across
different labs and across iterations.
Two sub-categories of GF-6
are being developed. GF-6A is
fully backward compatible, whereas
GF-6B is designed for low-viscosity
engine oils. Oils with viscosity grades
lower than SAE 0W-16 will require
approval by the Auto Oil Advisory
Panel (AOAP).
GF-6 is composed of six new
tests, four of which are replacing tests
for the current GF-5 category and
two of which are brand new. Not all
of these tests have been accepted by
AOAP yet, and this will not happen
until after the industry precision
matrix is completed.
The four replacement tests
include a GM-sponsored Oxidation
and Deposit test (GMOD) and the
Chrysler Oxidation and Deposit
Test. Both have been proposed to
replace the current Sequence IIIG
test, and have similar conditions, al-
though they both exclude a wear test
component. The AOAP still has to
decide which of the two will replace
the Sequence IIIG. It is possible that
both will be used.
Ford is sponsoring the Sequence
VH sludge test. It is being developed
to correlate to Sequence VG, and all
test hardware will be compatible for
both. There has been difficulty in
getting this test to be as severe as the
last, Kowalski said. The Sequence VG
was one of the oldest tests in GF-5,
using a 1994 Ford 4.6-L V8 engine,
and the Sequence VH will use a 2013
version of the same engine. New
engine control units (ECU) are being
programmed for this test. Kowalski
also said that new fuel batch specifi-
cations could slow the process.
GM is also sponsoring the
Sequence VIE test to measure fuel
economy. The 2009 3.6-L V6 engine
used for GF-5 tests is out of produc-
tion, so GF-6 will use a 2012 version
of the same engine. Compared to the
VID, this test has a 500 ml greater oil
charge and a longer ageing portion of
the test, as well as longer stabilisa-
tion periods. Concerns with this
test include a shorter engine life and
problems with a specific friction
modifier carry-over effect.
Toyota is sponsoring the
Sequence IVB ValvetrainWear test.
Toyota partnered with Chevron
Oronite to develop this test so that
it would mirror the conditions of
the Sequence IVA test, the hardware
for which is becoming increas-
ingly scarce. They selected a Toyota
2NR 4-cylinder engine based on its
long-term availability, and modi-
fied the intake camshaft, lifters and
valve springs so that wear conditions
would be emphasised. The intake
lifters were found to be the most
sensitive to wear.
With this test, Toyota proposed
and introduced its Golden Stand
concept. Ensuring that all the stands
are identical across the different labs
Teri Kowalski
