ACEA A3 B4-23

ACEA A3/B4 oils are Upper Mainline lubricants. They are designed for a use in high performance gasoline and light duty diesel engines and are typically used in newer vehicles as they provide the minimum performance demanded by many OEM specifications. 

ACEA A3/B4 oils are probably seen in the widest range of viscosity grades. The most common being: 

SAE 10W-40 based on a mix of API Group I and Group III, or API Group II base oils.
SAE 5W-30 and SAE 5W-40 based on API Group III base oils.

The main physical and chemical requirements for ACEA A3/B4 are shown below:

Requirement	Method	Unit	Limit
HTHS viscosity	CEC L-36-A-90	mPa.s	≥ 3.5
Sulphated Ash	ASTM D874	%m/m	≤ 1.0 and ≤ 1.6
Phosphorus	ASTM D5185 ASTM D4951	%m/m	Report
Sulphur	ASTM D5185 or ASTM D4951	%m/m	Report
Evaporation loss (NOACK)	CEC L-40-93	%	≤ 13
Total Base Number	ASTM D2896 ASTM D4739	mgKOH/g	≥ 10.0 Report

Depending upon the viscosity grade blended, ACEA A3/B4 is usually coupled with a range of OEM specifications including:

SAE 10W-40/30

Daimler MB-Approval 229.3
Volkswagen VW50101
Volkswagen VW50200
Volkswagen VW50500

SAE 5W-40

Daimler MB-Approval 229.3
Daimler MB-Approval 229.5
Volkswagen VW50200
Volkswagen VW50500
BMW Longlife 01
Porsche A40
PSA B71 2296
Renault RN0700/710

SAE 5W-30

Daimler MB-Approval 229.3
Daimler MB-Approval 229.5
Volkswagen VW50200
Volkswagen VW50500
BMW Longlife 01
Renault RN0700/710

ACEA A3/B4 was first introduced into the ACEA Oil Sequences in 2004, however, it is based upon the original ACEA A3 and ACEA B4 sequences that were introduced in 1996 and 1998 respectively. 

For ACEA 2021 several changes to the requirements for ACEA A3/B4 have been made which raise the performance levels required for A3/B4 approvals. The inclusion of the M271 EVO Sludge aligns testing to include Gasoline Direct Injection engines, now an increasingly common hardware solution. 

Additionally, the VW TDI3 is bought in to replace the VW TDI2 test for piston cleanliness. Utilising a Euro 6 engine this enables testing representative of current and future hardware trends, including the anticipated increased in use of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valves and the resulting increased soot levels. 

The changes for ACEA 2021 are summarised below: 

Test	Change for ACEA 2021
CEC L-107-19	M271 Evo Black Sludge
CEC L-117-20	VW TDI Piston Cleanliness (TDI3)
ASTM D8256 Sequence VH	Low Temperature Sludge
ASTM D8350 Sequence IVB	Valvetrain Wear

For a deeper dive into specifications, see the Lubrizol Ready Reference Guide, the industry's go-to resource for understanding fuel and lubricant performance principles and requirements.