Acea a5 b5 what does it mean. Engine oil marking. Mercedes passenger car approvals

Gasoline engine service classifications

Diesel engine maintenance classification

ACEA - specifications of engine oils for gasoline (A), diesel (B) engines passenger cars, as well as engines equipped with an exhaust gas neutralization system (C).

- A1 / B1: engine oils for gasoline and diesel engines with a lower coefficient of friction and low viscosity.HTHS ( stability of the viscosity characteristics of the oil under extreme conditions, with very high temperature ) with a viscosity of 2.6 to 3.5 mPa.
- A3 / B3: low-viscosity engine oils for gasoline and diesel engines with extended drain intervals for year-round use.HTHS viscosity ≥ 3.5 MPa. Outperforms A1 / B1 and A2 / B2 in piston cleanliness and oxidation resistance.
- A3 / B4: engine oils for gasoline and diesel engines with direct injection.Higher requirements for direct injection diesel engines (designated B4). HTHS viscosity ≥ 3.5 MPa.
- A5 / B5: Engine oils for high performance gasoline and diesel engines with oil change intervals. Designed for low friction and low viscosity oils. HTHS ≥ 2.9.

-C1 : High performance engine oils for use in gasoline and diesel vehicles equipped with particulate filter... Low friction, low viscosity, Low SAPS (sulphated ash, phosphorus, sulfur) and HTHS 2.9 mPa.

- C2: High performance engine oils for use in gasoline and diesel vehicles equipped with a particulate filter. Low friction, low viscosity and HTHS 2.9 mPa.These oils help extend catalyst and filter life.

- C3: High performance engine oils for use in gasoline and diesel vehicles equipped with a particulate filter.These oils help extend catalyst and filter life.

Specification for Diesel Truck Engines

E4 Recommended for diesel engines that meet Euro I - IV emissions. Working under very severe conditions, or highly extended oil change intervals. Suitable for engines without particulate filters.
- E6: High performance engine oils with excellent cleaning properties to prevent wear, soot formation.Recommended for diesel engines that meet Euro I - IV emissions. Working under very harsh conditions and highly extended oil change intervals. They are suitable for engines with and without exhaust systems. Recommended for engines with diesel particulate filter and low sulfur fuel (<50).
- E7 : High performance oils with excellent piston cleanliness control.In addition, they must meet the requirements for a high degree of protection against wear, turbocharger deposits and soot formation. Recommended for diesel engines complying with Euro I - IV, operating under very severe conditions, or with greatly extended oil drain intervals. E7 oils are recommended for engines without particulate filters, for most EGR engines and most engines with SCR NOx systems.
- E9 : Engine oils for engines with / without particulate filter, most EGR engines and most SCR NOx engines.Sulphated ash content max. 1%.

Motor oils, by definition, cannot meet a single standard. Different engines and types of gearboxes, operating conditions - all these factors force the production of technical fluids with different parameters.

So that consumers (car factories and car owners) do not get confused about the compatibility of consumables with units, it was decided to create a system of quality standards.

Oils were originally classified only by viscosity (SAE). Then the API (American Petroleum Institute) quality system was created, which was applied in North America.

Immediately after its implementation, the Association of European Engineers developed a similar classification of ACEA oils for the European market. Both standards exist in parallel without conflicting with each other.

What the standard says

The ACEA engine oil classification was developed to lobby the interests of European car manufacturers. In addition, the "support group" includes several concerns from the United States with branches in Europe.

Here is a partial list of the founders of the standard: BMW, Volkswagen AG, Porshe, Daimler, Land Rover, Jaguar, Fiat, PSA, Renault, Ford-Europe, GM-Europe, Crysler-Europe, Toyota, MAN, Volvo, SAAB-Scania, DAF. How is it deciphered (more precisely, what information does the standard carry)?

What to look for when buying engine oil - video consultation

If the abbreviation SAE speaks only of viscosity, then ACEA contains data on compatibility with specific engines. Moreover, the lists of compatible units are coordinated with automobile concerns - participants in the certification program.

The classification according to the ACEA standard contains the minimum basic requirements for the quality of oils. That is, their observance (in contrast to the selection according to SAE) guarantees the trouble-free operation of the engine or gearbox. In addition, this classification provides information on the following parameters and properties:

• basic framework;
• a set of additional additives;
• chemical composition;
• physical properties;
• purpose (type of fuel, engine load, operating conditions of the unit).

Markings and their meanings

The ACEA engine oil classification can be applied to the packaging along with other standards such as API, ILSAC and GOST.

Important! From the point of view of the consumer, it is this certificate that guarantees high quality. The testing conditions for oils to obtain the ACEA specification are significantly higher in comparison with other standards. European requirements are tougher than North American, Asian and Russian ones.

Despite the compactness of the classifier (for example, ACEA A1 / B1), the abbreviation contains rather voluminous information. During the existence of the standard (since 1996), the layout of symbols has changed several times.

The first certification options involved separate labeling for gasoline and diesel engines (ACEA A or ACEA B). Since 2004, all oils submitted for approval are simultaneously tested for all fuels.

It makes no sense to memorize abbreviations with mono tolerance, such consumables are no longer produced.

Basic classification of oils according to ACEA standard (including obsolete)

1. Class A - certified for compatibility with petrol-only propulsion systems. The sulfur and sulphated ash content is higher than the current Euro environmental standards.
2. Class B - approval suitable for heavy fuel oil engines. Diesel power unit load class: "Light Duty", that is, light and medium. The percentage of sulphated ash has been reduced to modern standards, the sulfur content is quite high.
3. Class C - the standard is developed for a fairly large line of motors. Works with gasoline engines equipped with a catalytic converter, as well as with diesel engines equipped with a particulate filter. It is characterized by a medium and low content of sulphated ash and sulfur, the oil meets high environmental safety requirements.
4. Class E - Quite a narrow standard designed for powerful diesel engines operating in heavy duty "Heavy Duty".

Detailed classification according to ACEA

After 2012, ACEA introduced many additional subclasses:

• For passenger cars with diesel and gasoline engines. Assumes light to medium load. 4 categories of ACEA engine oil: A3 / B4, A1 / B1, A3 / B3, A5 / B5;
• For commercial diesel vehicles and heavy duty trucks from C1 to C4, the engine must comply with Euro 4 environmental standards;
• For engines operating on any fuel, if there are exhaust gas purification systems (catalyst, DPF) in the design, there are 4 more categories: E4, E6, E7, E9.

The last digit denotes a consistent increase in the quality and compatibility class. If ACEA A3 / B3 oil is prescribed in the power plant, then it can be filled with ACEA A5 / B5. There is no backward compatibility.

ACEA classes in detail - video

The most demanded categories with decoding:

• A1 / B1 - Resistant to oil separation, designed for extended drain intervals. Low friction loss. The main application is gasoline and diesel engines operating at low loads. The classifier is not universal - you should study the tolerances of the car manufacturer.
• A3 / B3 - Designed for gasoline engines with a high degree of boost, including turbocharged ones. When operating with diesel fuel, on the contrary, they are used on lightly loaded internal combustion engines. Versatile weather performance, extended drain intervals.
• A3 / B4 - Development of the previous specification: operation on turbocharged diesel engines with high boost is allowed. Backward compatible with A3 / B3.
• A5 / B5 is a relatively fresh standard that has incorporated the advantages (more precisely, the requirements) of the previous classifications. In addition to environmental tolerances, the oil is classified as highly economical. In addition, the lubricant is practically not consumed "for waste". Backward compatible with previous classes. The only exception is the lack of compatibility with specific engines (indicated in the instructions for routine maintenance).

Important! If there are several quality standards on the packaging with engine oil, it is better to focus on ACEA.

This is the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. This organization was created to lobby the interests of car manufacturers. One of the activities of ACEA was the issuance of requirements for the use of motor oils in engines of companies belonging to this organization.
Today its membership is very impressive: BMW, DAF, Daimler-Crysler, Fiat, Ford, GM-Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, MAN, Porshe, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault, SAAB-Scania, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo.

The last revision of the ACEA motor oils classification was adopted in 2004. From this year on, motor oils for diesel and gasoline engines of passenger cars have been combined by ACEA into one category. But, due to the fact that not all the newest motor oils, which are classified according to the new edition of ACEA, can be used in engines of earlier years of production, manufacturers of motor oils still often write on the packaging of engine oil the previously assigned quality classes according to the previous edition of 2002 ...

Please note that any manufacturer of motor oils that uses ACEA standards in their advertisements and on their packaging must carry out the necessary tests in accordance with the requirements of the organization responsible for the quality of motor oils to ACEA standards.

What do numbers and letters mean in ACEA classes?

In the latest edition of ACEA (2004), motor oils are divided into three categories:

A / B- motor oils for gasoline and diesel engines. This category includes all previously developed classes A and B (until 2004, A - motor oils for gasoline engines, B - for diesel engines). Today there are four classes in this category: A1 / B1-04, A3 / B3-04, A3 / B4-04, A5 / B5-04.

WITH- a new class - motor oils for diesel and gasoline engines that meet the latest toughened Euro-4 emission standards (as amended in 2005). These engine oils are compatible with catalysts and particulate filters. Actually, it was the innovations in the European environmental requirements that became the reason for the reconstruction of the ACEA classification. Today there are three classes in this new category: C1-04, C2-04, C3-04.

E- motor oils for heavy duty diesel engines loaded. This category has existed since the very introduction of the classification (since 1995). In 2004, cosmetic changes were made, 2 new classes E6 and E7 were added, and two other, obsolete classes were excluded.

Description of classes and categories