Is safe to use engine oil that has one specification for the engine but another one not for it?

Gnmurga

I have a 2013 Renault Duster/Dacia 1.6 16v gasoline, the owner´s manual has as engine oil specs 15W-40 with approvals ACEA A3 or API SL. I went to an oil shop and show them the manual, they gave me a EUROL 15W-40 Synthetic for Diesel truck. I´m not really sure to use this oil because first of all is for diesel and my car is gas but, the engine has as approvals API SN which I have read is better than API SL so no problem there but also has ACEA E9 which differs with the one in the manual that specifies ACEA A3. Can someone help me by guiding me as if I can use this oil for the service or if it´s better that I buy another one that has both specs the API SL/SN and ACEA A3?


Owner´s manual.


The oil iÍ have doubt about.

kyfdx

@thecardoc3 Any insight?

thecardoc3

@Gnmurga Your car should do fine with that oil. Your car requires a high HTHS oil (the A3 in the specification). E9 is a high HTHS that meets the European standards which are a much thicker oil at 150C (302f) than the North American specifications would be. The E9 is formulated to have both excellent mechanical protection but it also exceeds previous emissions protection requirements. The API SL is an obsolete specification replaced by SN, which itself is considered obsolete for North American new car standards. API grades always supersede previous standards with some caveats. SL would have much higher levels of zinc, zinc phosphates, sulfated ash and phosphorus (SAPS) than an SN would. High SAPS additives provide great protection from mechanical wear but poison catalytic convertors. An SN reduces those additives and in some cases might fail to protect the camshaft and followers.

An explanation of the ACEA ratings might also help here. The ACEA ratings are much more stringent than the API ratings. In North America the oil companies set the oil specifications. In most of the rest of the world the automobile manufacturers (ACEA) sets the oil standards.

https://www.oilspecifications.org/acea.php

An "A3/B3" or A3/B4 oil in the ACEA standards is best understood as part of it being the gasoline engine standard the "A", while the diesel standard is the "B". ACEA realized that there was no need to have two different standards for the gasoline and diesel engines when the only real difference between them was that the diesel oil had to have greater resistance to crankcase acid production so they combined the standards. So an A3/B3 is both a gasoline and diesel engine oil as you can see in the link that I provided.

ACEA E9 is relatively new specification. From the above link. "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.

Here is a link to the Globence product information. https://eurol.com/en/products/eurol-globence-sa-15w-40/