LUBRICATION GLOSSARY

Consult all the terms related to the lubricants that your vehicle can use.

Any force opposing the relative movement of two surfaces in contact.

ACEA is the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. It sets the most modern quality standards for automotive lubricants, which are mainly focused on European vehicles. These quality levels replace the previous CCMC, and are: A1, A3 and A5 for gasoline passenger cars; B1, B3 and B5 for diesel passenger cars; E4, E6, E7 and E9 for heavy diesel vehicles.

Compounds incorporated in small quantities into base oils to obtain a finished lubricant with the desired characteristics and performance.

Quality that an oil has to remove air trapped in it. Aeroemulsion is very important in turbine oils and, increasingly, in high severity hydraulic oils. It is an intrinsic property of the base oil and cannot be corrected with additives.

Additive preventing water vapor from combustion or atmospheric condensation from forming rust on parts of the engine.

Additive that causes the oil to degrade slower, as it reduces its oxidation.

Additive that attempts to reduce the friction between moving parts.

API is the American Petroleum Institute. It sets quality standards for automotive lubricants, mainly aimed at American manufacturers. Quality levels are identified with two letters. Those starting with S refer to gasoline vehicles, and those starting with C they relate to diesel vehicles. The second letter after the S or C indicates the quality level, in increasing order, API SM being, for example, the highest quality standard for gasoline vehicles and the CI-4 and CJ-4 the highest for diesel.

In engines, the lubricant keeps the engine clean by removing all the waste produced by combustion.

Small utilities with displacement up to 1.4 liters and power up to 75 HP. Examples: Citroen AX, Fiat Punto, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 205, Renault Twingo, Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 106, etc.

Vehicles with displacement between 1.4-1.9 liters and power between 75-110 HP. Examples: Citroen ZX, Fiat Tempra, Nissan Sunny, Peugeot 306, Renault Megane, Ford Escort, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Golf, Seat Córdoba, etc.

1.9 to 1.4 liter displacement vehicles and power between 75-110 HP. Examples: Citroen ZX, Fiat Tempra, Nissan Sunny, Peugeot 306, Renault Megane, Ford Escort, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Golf, Seat Córdoba, etc.

In engines, lubricant cools bearings, cylinder walls and inner piston parts; places that the conventional engine cooling system does not access.

It measures the capacity of an oil to separate from an equal volume of water, after being mixed.

It is the weight of a substance per volume unit. It should not be confused with viscosity. For example, water is denser than oil, (weighs more) but it is more fluid (less viscous). Measured according to ASTM-D-4052.

It is the characteristic/quality of the oil that prevents the engine from getting dirty and forming acid products that wear down parts of it. We could define it in an engine as the ability of the lubricant to remove impurities and waste from metal surfaces produced in combustion.

Additive preventing carbon residues resulting from combustion and lacquers and varnishes due to oil degradation to attach to metal surfaces.

It is the quality that allows the oil to avoid accumulations of insoluble combustion waste products, keeping them finely scattered throughout the system.

Additive preventing particles from sticking together, forming mud and precipitate within the lubricant itself.

Property that allows two surfaces, which are placed at high workload, to not become "welded". This property is very important for motor and industrial gearing.

It follows the flash point, when the temperature is reached at which the oil continues to burn for at least 5 seconds. Described in the ASTM-D-92 standard.

Indicates the temperature to which an oil be heated without risk of ignition (that a flash occurs) in a free flame presence. Described in ASTM-D-92, when it is made in an open glass.

Additive preventing the solidification or lack of flow of the lubricant at extremely low temperatures.

High-end and sport gasoline vehicles. Offer high speed performances and a greater specific power. All have semi-injection technology and are increasingly often equipped with turbo.

In addition to the SAE viscosity scale, used primarily for motor oils (engine, gear boxes, transmissions, etc.), there is another viscosity scale applied for industrial lubricants (hydraulic, turbines, compressors, pneumatic tools, industrial gears, heat transmission, dielectric, etc.). This viscosity scale is the I.S.O. (International Standard Organization) and is described in DIN 51519 and ISO 3448 standards. It is responsible for measuring the viscosity in centistokes at 40°C and defines tolerances within each ISO grade.

Any solid, semisolid or liquid substance of any origin that serves to reduce the friction between moving parts and mechanisms.

Liquid lubricant obtained from oil distillation or complex transformations. It is the raw material from which lubricants are manufactured.

Reducing abrasion and friction between two metallic pieces in contact, by inserting a lubricant film.

Science that studies procedures to reduce the friction between two surfaces in relative movement, its environment and its consequences.

High-performance vehicles, usually more than four cylinders, multi-valve, with displacement exceeding 2.5 liters and power exceeding 150 HP. Examples: Audi 100, BMW Series 5, Opel Omega, Peugeot 605, Renault Safrane, Volvo Series 800, Mercedes Class E, etc.

Vehicles that are frequently built with multi-valve and turbo systems with a displacement ranging between 1.8-2.2 liters and power between 90-150 HP. Examples: Audi 80, BMW Series 3, Citroen Xantia, Ford Mondeo, Nissan Primera, Opel Calibra, Peugeot 406, Renault Laguna, Seat Toledo, Volkswagen Passat, etc.

Manufactured with lubricant bases obtained directly from oil distillation.

Lubricants made with mixtures of mineral and synthetic bases.

This applies to the wide range of motor lubricants that ensure suitable lubrication both in gasoline passenger cars and in diesel passenger cars.

Oils whose variations of viscosity require changes to be made according to seasons of the year.

Oils whose viscosity variation with temperature is minimal. These oils respond simultaneously to the requirements for the use of high temperatures and low temperatures and can be used throughout the year. A MULTI-GRADE SAE oil is the one that simultaneously meets two SAE scales (e. g. 80W90; 15W40; 10W30, etc.).

One of the great innovations in engine engineering has been the conception of multi-valve engines. Engine performance is considerably improved to power, "breathing" more and better. We can find vehicles with: 4 valves per cylinder (two inlet and two exhaust per piston):
* 16 valves (engine with 4 cylinders). Examples: Peugeot 406 2.0 16VST, Renault Laguna 2.0 S RXE, Ford Mondeo Ghia 2.0 16V, Citroen Xantia 2.0 16V SX and Volkswagen Golf Gti.
* 24 valves (engine with 5 cylinders). Examples: Alfa Romeo 164 3.0 Super V6 24V, Citroen XM V6 24V Exclusive, etc. 5 valves per cylinder (3 inlet and 2 exhaust per piston)
* 20 valves (4 cylinders engine). Examples: Volkswagen Passat 90 CV TDi, Audi A4 1.8,
* 30 valves (engine with 6 cylinders). Examples: Volkswagen Corrado V6 2.8 l 193 CV, Audi A8 4.0 l, etc. Due to the complicated structure of these multi-valve systems, a high-performance lubricant is required to ensure a perfect balance between fluidity and wear control.

This is not a fundamental property, nor does it indicate the quality of a lubricant. It is measured according to a scale described in the ASTM-D-1500 standard, and assigns low numbers to clear oils and high numbers to dark oils. The scale ranges from: less than 0.5 to 8 (clearer to darker). The colors of basic oils can be altered by the incorporation of additives, so the color of a finished oil will be determined by these two variables.

This is the minimum temperature that a particular oil is able to remain fluid. Of course, it is desirable that the pour point for a motor oil be as low as possible. Described in the ASTM-D-97 standard.

Oil and gasoline are blended from the beginning, using the gasoline tank for this purpose. This system is typical of conventional mopeds, motorcycles and scooters (produced before 1995) and other 2-stroke engines like Water pumps, Electric current machinery, Gardening equipment: lawn mowers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, Chainsaws, Motorized plows, etc.

The lubricant protects the engine mechanisms from corrosion due to combustion and other agents.

It is a reference of a viscosity scale followed worldwide established by the American Society of Automotive Engineers for all automotive oils. This classification has the SAE engine grades: 0W, 5W, 10W, 15W, 20W, 25W, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60. For manual gearboxes, differentials or transmissions, it assigns SAE 70W, 75W, 80W, 85W, 90, 140, 250. Viscosity values in SAE degrees are measured at 100°C. If they are followed by a W, they indicate that they have been measured below 0°C. Example: 20W-50 PROCESSES The 20W tells us the cold viscosity and 50 indicates the hot viscosity.

In engines, the lubricant helps to seal the combustion chamber by preventing the escape of gases to the crankcase to maintain adequate compression.

Since 1995, all scooters, mopeds and motorcycles have incorporated into almost all their designs an independent line for the oil, with its own tank and pump. The capacity of the tank varies, depending on the manufacturer between 1 and 1.3 liters. The oil is released from a tank by means of a pump that sends it directly to the air/gasoline after the carburetor.

Manufactured with mixtures of mineral and synthetic bases.

Lubricants made with bases obtained directly from oil distillation.

Since 1995, all the scooters, mopeds and motorcycles have incorporated in almost all their designs an independent system for the oil, with its own tank and pump. The capacity of the tank varies, depending on the manufacturer between 1 and 1.3 liters. The oil is released from a tank by means of a pump that sends it directly to the air/gasoline after the carburetor.

Measures the tendency of a oil to form foam. This test, which is provided in standard ASTM-D-892, indicates how an oil would perform when it is beaten or sustains air inputs.

Super Tractor Oil Universal. Concept used between manufacturers and users of agricultural machinery that applies to multi-functional lubricants, developed to lubricate various agricultural machinery systems: diesel engine (atmospheric and turbocharged), end drives, transmissions, hydraulic systems, oil-immersed brakes.

Lubricants made with bases resulting from complex changes or synthesis.

Manufactured with bases that come from complex transformations or synthesis.

Abbreviation of Total Basic Number. It is expressed in mg KOH/g of sample and indicates the power to neutralize acids resulting from combustion.

These are modern high-end diesel vehicles, direct injection turbocharged. They offer robust accelerations and high peak speed, reaching 200 km/h. They offer very qualities similar to their gasoline counterparts (in displacement and power).

Small utilities with displacement up to 1.4 liters and power up to 75 HP. Examples: Citroen AX, Fiat Punto, Nissan Micra, Peugeot 205, Renault Twingo, Seat Ibiza, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Opel Corsa, Peugeot 106, etc.

Universal Transmission Tractor Oil. This concept used between manufacturers and users of agricultural machinery, which applies for those lubricants formulated for the lubrication of agricultural transmission machinery, hydraulic systems and oil-immersed brakes.

This is the most important property of a lubricant. It can be defined as the measure of the resistance that oil has to flow. Viscosity varies with temperature, but this variation is not the same for all oils. When temperature increases, the viscosity decreases. Lowering the temperature increases viscosity. The less the viscosity of an oil in relation to temperature, the better its behavior. Viscosity is measured according to ASTM-D-445 and is expressed in centistokes at 40°C or 100°C.

Additive which manages to keep the oil fluid at low temperatures and sufficiently viscous at motor system temperatures. Maintains the viscosity of the lubricant at different system temperatures.