Chevron Oronites Richard H. Lee contended, however,that GF-4 has bogged down because automakers have overridden the interests of additive and oil companies. He said all sides would benefit if the auto industry gave up its demand that new oils be “backward compatible” — able to meet the needs of older engines as well as new ones. He predicted that it will do so – sooner or later.

The biggest impetus for GF-4 was a mandate by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that car companies warrant that emissions control systems function for the life of a vehicle. Members of the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee, representing American and Japanese automakers, said this would require oils with lower levels of phosphorus, which can damage emissions control catalysts.

Expressing dissatisfaction with delays during the drafting of GF-3 – which became the current category, API-SL – automakers pushed through changes in the development process for GF-4, insisting that they have control to make decisions in case of disagreements. The new category was to be drafted by ILSAC/Oil, formed with representatives from the auto, oil and additive industries.

Initially, car companies aimed to adopt the new specification by the spring of 2003 and have oils that meet it commercially available by the fall of that year. Last summer, ILSAC announced that the time table would be delayed by one year because of disagreements concerning phosphorus levels. ILSAC wanted to cap phosphorus levels at 0.05 percent but additive companies said oils meeting that limit would not be backward compatible.

The sides have since compromised on aphosphorus capof 0.08 percent. But a frustrated Olree noted that ILSAC/Oil is still ironing out details of the needs statement, which was scheduled to be completed March 1, 2002.

Is the new process better than the old one? he asked rhetorically. No, not so far. He then offered his explanation for the delays.

Marketers see no benefit to developing GF-4 now,Olree said. When anyone does not want to do something, they can find all kinds of sound reasons not to. When someone wants to do something, all the obstacles are pushed aside.

Lee laid blame with the new process, which gives control to ILSAC. The major problem as we see it is that the process is not a win-win situation, he said. Not only does ILSAC have needs, but the other stakeholders have needs that we feel should also be included.

While acknowledging that automakers need engine oils that protect emissions systems, Lee maintained that additive companies need longer periods of time between upgrades, in order to recoup development costs. Additive companies could formulate oils that meet automaker goals, including a phosphorus cap of 0.05 percent, if ILSAC would give up its demand for backward compatibility, he said.

He acknowledged that a lack of backward compatibility would result in both GF-3 and GF-4 oils being on the market and the need for a broad campaign to educate consumers about which oils to use in their vehicles. But it would be worth the cost of such a campaign, he said, to get state-of-the-art motor oils into the market sooner.

I think that is the approach well take eventually, whether for GF-4 or PC-10, Lee said, referring to the next scheduled upgrade of diesel engine oils. I think some of the OEMs recognize that were likely to have to drop the demand for backward compatibility.

Olree shrugged off Lees proposal, suggesting it differed little from a plan put forward by the American Chemistry Council 20 months ago and rejected by ILSAC. He also raised the question of what will happen if ILSAC fails to reach agreement with its oil and additive partners. In that event, he said, carmakers could develop their own specifications individually, or develop a collective specification and find an organization other than API to administer it, or pursue a combination of both.

He made no apologies for automakers wanting to dictate standards and expecting suppliers to meet them.

Thats our paradigm, he said. Maybe this paradigm is 50 years old and needs to go away, but thats the paradigm were working from at the moment.