ILSAC GF-5 will probably be the last ILSAC specification, a General Motors officials presentation declared at the recent ICIS Middle Eastern Base Oils & Lubricants Conference in Dubai.
The presentation, by Eric R. Johnson of GMs Powertrain, Fuels and Lubricants group, noted that ILSAC GF-5, the new passenger car engine oil category which entered commercial service this month, took nearly six years to complete, yet only required development of one new engine test (the ASTM Sequence VID test for fuel efficiency).
Several engine tests in GF-5 will cease to exist by 2014-2015, his Oct. 13 presentation stated, and GM is skeptical the ILSAC/Oil Committee-made up of automakers, oil marketers and additive companies – can create so many tests by then. According to the document, ILSAC/Oil is incapable of developing a new classification by 2014.
As he has before, Johnson listed an array of costly engine performance tests that are about to expire and urgently need replacing. Among others, these include the ASTM Sequence IIIG test for wear and oil thickening; the IVA test for valvetrain wear; and even the spanking new Sequence VID. GM believes replacing these with new engine sequence tests by 2014 will cost some $35 million to $40 million.
To prepare, GM will throw more weight into delivering its own Dexos-trademarked engine oils. Dexos1 is to be available globally for GMs new 2011 gasoline-fueled vehicles, while Dexos2 oils, designed for use in diesel engines, launched last year in Europe. The Dexos specifications use performance tests from ASTM and Europes ACEA, along with some proprietary GM tests.
Johnsons presentation notes that GM is planning for the future, including designing Dexos to be self-funding, and will promote the specification through customer education. The presentation charged that there is no funding mechanism for development of ILSAC engine oil classifications and the tests to support them, and no consumer awareness program.
According to his paper, the expectation is that all Dexos1 licensed products will meet ILSAC GF-5. Not all GF-5 products will be licensed to Dexos. In it, he also claims that corresponding API engine oil categories are confusing to consumers because while API SN Resource Conserving oils are equivalent to ILSAC GF-5, oils meeting API SN alone are not.
Commenting on the GM presentation, Kevin Ferrick, engine oil licensing manager at the American Petroleum Institute in Washington, D.C., told Lube Report, API does not support OEM-developed certification programs for a number of reasons: the potential for harm to consumers; consumer confusion in the marketplace; and the multiplication of engine oil standards and certifications, negatively impacting the standardization effort that automobile manufacturers and oil companies support through APIs Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System and the [auto companies] International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee.
Under the current system for developing engine oils, ILSAC is responsible for creation of passenger car engine oil specifications, while the ILSAC/Oil Committee jointly develops the needed tests and approves the performance requirements. ILSAC includes representatives from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association. Oil consists of representatives from API and the American Chemistry Council.
Lube Report was unable to reach ILSAC/Oil Committee members for comment before this weeks issue closed.