ILSAC Oil Specifications

ILSAC, International Lubricants Standardization and Approval Committee, is formed in 1992 by AAMA
(American Automobile Manufacturers Association, representatives of DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor
Company and General Motors Corporation) and JAMA (Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association) to define
the need, parameters, licensing and administration of lubricant specifications. Together with the Tripartite
system (API, SAE and ASTM) the formed EOLCS, the Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System. ILSAC
oils often carry the API Service Symbol (Donut) including the Energy Conserving designation and/or API
Certification Mark (Starburst).

ILSAC GF-1
The ILSAC GF-1 standard indicates the oil meets both API SH and the Energy Conserving II (EC-II)
requirements. It was created in 1990 and upgraded in 1992 and became the minimum requirement for
oil used in American and Japanese automobiles.

ILSAC GF-2
ILSAC GF-2 replaced GF-1 in 1996. The oil must meet both API SJ and EC-II requirements. The GF-2
standards requires 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-20, 5W-30, 5W-40, 5W-50, 10W-30, 10W-40 and 10W-50
motor oils to meet stringent requirements for phosphorus content, low temperature operation, high
temperature deposits and foam control.

ILSAC GF-3
An ILSAC GF-3 an oil must meet both API SL and the EC-II requirements. The GF-3 standard has
more stringent parameters regarding long-term effects of the oil on the vehicle emission system,
improved fuel economy and improved volatility, deposit control and viscosity performance. The
standard also requires less additive degradation and reduced oil consumption rates over the service
life of the oil.

ILSAC GF-4
ILSAC GF-4 is similar to the API SM service category, but it requires an additional sequence VIB Fuel
Economy Test (ASTM D6837).

ILSAC GF-5
Introduced in October 2010 for 2011 and older vehicles, designed to provide improved high
temperature deposit protection for pistons and turbochargers, more stringent sludge control, improved
fuel economy, enhanced emission control system compatibility, seal compatibility, and protection of
engines operating on ethanol-containing fuels up to E85.

ILSAC GF-6
The ILSAC GF-6 specification is currently in development and will probably be divided into two sub-
specifications. ILSAC GF-6A will be fully backward compatible with ILSAC GF-5 but would offer better
fuel economy, better engine protection and improved performance while maintaining durability. ILSAC
GF-6B would deliver similar performance as ILSAC GF-5A but will allow lower viscosity oils like xW-16,
taking advantage of the fuel economy benefits offered by the new SAE 16 viscosity grade. For more
information check out gf-6.com.
 About ACEA
The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (or Association des Constructeurs Europens
d'Automobiles in French, hence the ACEA abbreviation) is an organization that represents the 15 most
important European motor vehicle manufacturers. It's the successor of CCMC (Comit des Constructeurs du
March Commun). According to their statement, ACEA is an advocate for the automobile industry in Europe,
representing manufacturers of passenger cars, vans, trucks and buses with production sites in the EU.
Among many other activities ACEA defines specifications for engine oils so called ACEA Oil Sequences. The
sequences are usually updated every few years to include the latest developments in engine and lubricant
technology. ACEA itself does not approve the oils, they set the standards and oil manufacturer's may make
performance claims for their products if those satisfy the relevant requirements.

The first ACEA oil sequences were introduced in 1996 when they replaced the former CCMC specifications.
New ACEA oil specifications were issued in 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. The 2014
sequences have not yet been introduced. According to ACEA's website they are "delayed" but since it's already
2015 the new sequences will probably not be called 2014 sequences any more. Each version of the ACEA oils
sequences has or had a life cycle:

the 'First allowabe use' defines the earliest date when claims againt this specification can be made
the 'Mandatory for new claims' defines the date from which onward claims for new products can only
be made against the new specification
'Oils with this claim may be marketed until' means that from that date an oil can only claim to meet an
ACEA sequence if it meets the following sequence version since meeting the earlier version does not qualify
any more
The following table defines the relevant dates for the ACEA sequences that were introduced so far:

Issue First allowable Mandatory for new Oils with this claim may be
year use claims marketed until

1996 March 1, 1996 March 1, 1999 March 1, 2000

1998 March 1, 1998 March 1, 2000 March 1, 2002

September 1,
1999 1999 February 1, 2003 February 1, 2004

2002 February 1, 2002 November 1, 2005 November 1, 2006

November 1,
2004 2004 November 1, 2005 December 31, 2009

2007 February 1, 2007 February 1, 2008 December 23, 2010

December 22,
2008 2008 December 22, 2009 December 22, 2012
 Issue First allowable Mandatory for new Oils with this claim may be
year use claims marketed until

December 22,
2010 2010 December 22, 2011 December 22, 2014

December 14,
2012 2012 December 14, 2013 ...

ACEA TIMETABLE FOR OIL SEQUENCES

Every ACEA specification is made of a letter or letters that indicate the class (e.g. E stands for the heavy duty
class) and a number that defines the category (e.g. the 9 in E9). There are separate categories for oils with
different purposes or for different applications within the same class. If the ACEA sequence's implementation
year is specified then it follows the spec's name after a dash (like ACEA E9-12).

There are ACEA specifications for passenges car motor oils (the A/B class) for catalyst compatible motor oils
(the C class) and for heavy duty diesel engine oils (the E class). The classes are further devided into categories
to meet the requirements of different engines. The A/B class's A1/B1 and A5/B5 oils have lower HTHS
viscosities, which means that they provide better fuel economy but they may not provide adequate protection in
engines that are not designed for them. ACEA A3/B3 and A3/B4 on the other hand require oils with higher
HTHS viscosities that may not provide as good fuel economy as an A1/B1 or A5/B5 oil but may offer better
engine protection in certain engine designs. The categories within the C class are devided along SAPS limits
and along HTHS viscosities. C1 and C4 are low-SAPS oils, while C2 and C3 are mid-SAPS oils. On the other
hand C1 and C2 oils have lower HTHS viscosities, while C3 and C4 oils have higher HTHS viscosities. In case
of the E class the SAPS content and the drain interval make the difference. E4 and E6 oils offer longer drain
intervals where the engine manufacturer allows it while E7 and E9 are designed for medium drain applications.
E6 and E9 have limited SAPS content so they can be used in engines that require this including Euro VI
engines.

Below we are presenting the ACEA categories in "Consumer Language".

A/B: gasoline and diesel engine oils

ACEA A1/B1 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use at extended drain intervals in gasoline engines and car
& light van diesel engines specifically designed to be capable of using low friction low viscosity oils with a high
temperature / high shear rate viscosity of 2.6 mPa*s for xW/20 and 2.9 to 3.5 mPa.s for all other viscosity
grades. These oils are unsuitable for use in some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.
ACEA A3/B3 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline engines and car & light
van diesel engines and/or for extended drain intervals where specified by the engine manufacturer, and/or for
year-round use of low viscosity oils, and/or for severe operating conditions as defined by the engine
manufacturer.
ACEA A3/B4 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use in high performance gasoline and direct injection diesel
engines, but also suitable for applications described under A3/B3.
ACEA A5/B5 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use at extended drain intervals in high performance gasoline
engines and car & light van diesel engines designed to be capable of using low friction low viscosity oils with a
High temperature / High shear rate (HTHS) viscosity of 2.9 to 3.5 mPa.s. These oils are unsuitable for use in
some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.

C: Catalyst compatibility oils

ACEA C1 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use as catalyst compatible oil in vehicles with DPF and TWC in
high performance car and light van diesel and gasoline engines requiring low friction, low viscosity, low SAPS
oils with a minimum HTHS viscosity of 2.9 mPa.s. These oils will increase the DPF and TWC life and maintain
the vehicles fuel economy. Warning: these oils have the lowest SAPS limits and are unsuitable for use in some
engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.
ACEA C2 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use as catalyst compatible oil in vehicles with DPF and TWC in
high performance car and light van diesel and gasoline engines designed to be capable of using low friction,
low viscosity oils with a minimum HTHS viscosity of 2.9mPa.s. These oils will increase the DPF and TWC life
and maintain the vehicles fuel economy. Warning: these oils are unsuitable for use in some engines. Consult
owner manual or handbook if in doubt.
ACEA C3 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use as catalyst compatible oil in vehicles with DPF and TWC in
high performance car and light van diesel and gasoline engines, with a minimum HTHS viscosity of 3.5mPa.s.
These oils will increase the DPF and TWC life. Warning: these oils are unsuitable for use in some engines.
Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.
ACEA C4 Stable, stay-in-grade oil intended for use as catalyst compatible oil in vehicles with DPF and TWC in
high performance car and light van diesel and gasoline engines requiring low SAPS oil with a minimum HTHS
viscosity of 3.5mPa.s. These oils will increase the DPF and TWC life.Warning: these oils are unsuitable for use
in some engines. Consult owner manual or handbook if in doubt.

E: Heavy Duty Diesel engine oils

ACEA E4 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing excellent control of piston cleanliness, wear, soot handling and
lubricant stability. It is recommended for highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro I, Euro II, Euro III, Euro IV
and Euro V emission requirements and running under very severe conditions, e.g. significantly extended oil
drain intervals according to the manufacturer's recommendations. It is suitable for engines without particulate
filters, and for some EGR engines and some engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. However,
recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or Dealers shall be
consulted if in doubt.
ACEA E6 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing excellent control of piston cleanliness, wear, soot handling and
lubricant stability. It is recommended for highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro I, Euro II, Euro III, Euro IV,
Euro V and Euro VI emission requirements and running under very severe conditions, e.g. significantly
extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer's recommendations. It is suitable for EGR engines,
with or without particulate filters, and for engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. E6 quality is strongly
recommended for engines fitted with particulate filters and is designed for use in combination with low sulphur
diesel fuel. However, recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or
Dealers shall be consulted if in doubt.
ACEA E7 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing effective control with respect to piston cleanliness and bore
polishing. It further provides excellent wear control, soot handling and lubricant stability. It is recommended for
highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro I, Euro II, Euro III, Euro IV and Euro V emission requirements and
running under severe conditions, e.g. extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer's
recommendations. It is suitable for engines without particulate filters, and for most EGR engines and most
engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. However, recommendations may differ between engine
manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or Dealers shall be consulted if in doubt.
ACEA E9 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing effective control with respect to piston cleanliness and bore
polishing. It further provides excellent wear control, soot handling and lubricant stability. It is recommended for
highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro I, Euro II, Euro III, Euro IV, Euro V and Euro VI emission requirements
and running under severe conditions, e.g. extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer's
recommendations. It is suitable for engines with or without particulate filters, and for most EGR engines and for
most engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. E9 is strongly recommended for engines fitted with
particulate filters and is designed for use in combination with low sulphur diesel fuel. However,
recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Drivers Manuals and/or Dealers should be
consulted if in doubt.

BMW Oil Specifications

BMW Longlife-98 (BMW LL-98)
Special long-life engine oil, approved by BMW. Also meets ACEA A3/B3, API SJ/CD, EC SAE 5W-40.
Usually required for BMWs manufactured before MY 2002. Obsolete since 2009.

BMW Longlife-01 (BMW LL-01)

Special BMW approval for fully synthetic long-life oil. Product meets ACEA A3/B3 and API: SJ/CD EC-
II. Usually required for BMWs built after MY 2002. Can also be used where a BMW Longlife-98 oil is
recommended.

BMW Longlife-01 FE (BMW LL-01 FE)

Fully synthetic long-life oil with fuel economy properties. Oils meeting this specifications must have a
low HTHS viscosity to meet the manufacturer's fuel economy requirements. These oils are only
suitable for the following engines: N1x, N2x, N54, N55, N63, N74.

BMW Longlife-04 (BMW LL-04)

Special BMW approval for fully synthetic long-life oil. Viscosities are SAE 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30 and
5W-40. Usually required for BMWs equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Can also be used
where a BMW Longlife-98 or BMW Longlife-01 oil is recommended.

BMW Longlife-12 (BMW LL-12)

Special motor oil for certain approved gasoline engines and the following diesel engines only: Nx7K1,
Nx7U1, Nx7O1 from model year 2013. Not suitable for engines with 2 or 3 turbos.

BMW Longlife-14+ (BMW LL-14+)

Special motor oil for the following gasoline engines only: N20, Bx8 from model year 2014. Not allowed
for diesel engines.