By David McFall
 
ILSAC – the auto industry’s International Lubricant Specification and Approval Committee – is not letting any grass grow under its feet. It moved this month to put everyone on notice that it expects a new gasoline engine oil quality upgrade to be commercialized in 2009. The first inter-industry meeting to move the new GF-5 category forward is scheduled for Jan. 11 in Detroit, and a full contingent of representatives from vehicle manufacturers, oil marketers, testing laboratories and chemical additive companies almost certainly will be in attendance.
 
ILSAC, which represents U.S. and Japanese automobile manufacturers, formally launched its development efforts for GF-5 by citing three general areas it wants improved: 1) Fuel economy and fuel economy retention; 2) Emission system compatibility; and 3) Robustness of engine oils to provide increased engine durability.
 
These three “needs” are no different than those ILSAC laid out in 2001 for the current GF-4 category, nor those identified for GF-3 in the mid-1990s by a committee of auto, oil and additive manufacturers. But ILSAC also unveiled a list of 22 specific performance issues that it wants GF-5 to tackle, ranging from corrosion to “black sludge” to elastomeric compatibility.
 
In a Dec. 3 letter to the joint ILSAC/Oil Committee that will develop the new specification, ILSAC Chairman Mike McMillan of General Motors stressed that “GF-5 must provide backward compatibility to service older engines” and should include “turbocharged, supercharged, and spark-ignited, direct fuel-injected (SIDI) engines. Diesel engines are excluded.”
 
The specific mention of turbocharged, supercharged and SIDI engines is new for ILSAC. None of these technologies were singled out in earlier GF upgrades.
 
McMillan also pointed out that several new engine tests will be needed for GF-5, “either because of hardware availability issues, or because the significance of the test in evaluating oil performance is now or will be in question during the GF-5 lifetime, 2009 to 2014.
 
“It is imperative that work on replacements for these tests be started soon so they will be ready in 2008,” he emphasized.
 
Among the critical tests needing scrutiny, he said, are the Sequence IIIG which measures valve train wear, viscosity increase and high-temperature, piston-skirt deposit formation; the IVA (valve train wear); the VG (wear, sludge and varnish); and the VIB (engine oil effects on fuel economy).
 
“While the life of some of these tests could possibly be extended past 2009,” McMillan noted, “it is extremely doubtful that any of them would continue to be available in 2014 – ten years from now.”
 
Another highlighted engine test was the Sequence VIII, formerly called the L-38, based on a custom-made single-cylinder engine; it measures copper/lead bearing protection and has been in service for decades. It will need to be retained or replaced by a bench corrosion test, McMillan suggested.
 
McMillan’s letter, which was addressed to ILSAC/Oil Chairman Bob Olree, said nothing about the phosphorus content of GF-5 engine oils, but that issue will likely be a source of contention, as in previous upgrades. Phosphorus is a well-understood, inexpensive and particularly effective antiwear additive, but it has known catalyst-poisoning properties which automakers say can damage their emission systems. A satisfactory engine sequence test to measure this poisoning effect has not been found, however, leading ILSAC to restrict the phosphorus content of engine oils. The phosphorus level has steadily been reduced, from 0.12 percent in GF-1 to 0.10 percent for GF-2 and GF-3. For GF-4, auto manufacturers initially wanted phosphorus cut to 0.05 percent but settled on 0.08 percent.
 
In the absence of an engine sequence test for catalyst compatibility, phosphorus limits are again anticipated for GF-5, but a new test for phosphorus volatility will also be weighed, Olree told Lube Report.
 
Olree, also of GM, has said his company is considering developing a Sequence IIIH replacement for the IIIG test, using its Twin 16-valve Ecotech engine to measure viscosity increase and piston deposits. Ford noted that it is considering extending the life of the Sequence VG.
 
Here is ILSAC’s list of specific GF-5 needs, the performance parameters involved, and the suggested test for each:
 

Possible Tests for ILSAC GF-5
 

Item	Need	Parameter	Test
1	Low temp. corrosion	Rust	Ball Rust Test
2	High temp. corrosion	Cu/Pb bearing leaching	Seq. VIII or bench test
3	High temp. sludge	Black sludge	To be determined
4	Low temp. sludge	Classic sludge	Seq. VG or new 4.6L
5	High temp. deposits	280Ί C deposit weight	TEOST
6	Piston deposits	Weighted piston deposits	Seq. IIIH or VW T4
7	Used low temp. viscosity	Cold crank & MRV	Seq. IIIH or VW T4
8	Oxidation protection	Viscosity increase	Seq. IIIH or VW T4
9	Abrasive wear protection	Soot induced wear	JAMA chain wear
10	Adhesive wear protection	Scuffing wear	Seq. IVA or TU3
11	Catalyst compatibility	Chemical limits	GF-4 tests
12	Catalyst compatibility	Phosphorus volatility	New test
13	Fuel economy	New & used fuel economy	New test or Seq. VIB
14	Turbo protection	Turbo bearing coking	TEOST 33
15	Oil consumption	Volatility	GF-4 tests
16	New oil viscometrics	Viscosities	SAE J 300
17	Shear stability	Sheared viscosity	Seq. VIII or bench
18	Aeration	% aeration, new & used	DEXRON Aeration
19	Foam	Foam height	GF-4 tests
20	Elastomeric compatibility	Durometer, vol., tensile	CI-4 seal test
21	Filter plugging protection	% plugging	GF-4 tests
22	Homogeneity & miscibility	Additive dropout	GF-4 tests
	Any additional needs?