ASTM D6984-18e1

ASTM D6984-18e1 - 1.4.2018

Significance and Use

5.1 This test method was developed to evaluate automotive engine oils for protection against oil thickening and engine wear during moderately high-speed, high-temperature service.

5.2 The increase in oil viscosity obtained in this test method indicates the tendency of an oil to thicken because of oxidation. In automotive service, such thickening can cause oil pump starvation and resultant catastrophic engine failures.

5.3 The deposit ratings for an oil indicate the tendency for the formation of deposits throughout the engine, including those that can cause sticking of the piston rings in their grooves. This can be involved in the loss of compression pressures in the engine.

5.4 The camshaft and lifter wear values obtained in this test method provide a measure of the anti-wear quality of an oil under conditions of high unit pressure mechanical contact.

5.5 The test method was developed to correlate with oils of known good and poor protection against oil thickening and engine wear. Specially formulated oils that produce less than desirable results with unleaded fuels were also used during the development of this test method.

5.6 The Sequence IIIF engine oil test has replaced the Sequence IIIE test and can be used in specifications and classifications of engine lubricating oils, such as:

5.6.1 Specification D4485,

5.6.2 Military Specification MIL-PRF-2104, and

5.6.3 SAE Classification J183.

1. Scope

1.1 This test method covers an engine test procedure for evaluating automotive engine oils for certain high-temperature performance characteristics, including oil thickening, varnish deposition, oil consumption, as well as engine wear. Such oils include both single viscosity grade and multiviscosity grade oils that are used in both spark-ignition, gasoline-fueled engines, as well as in diesel engines.

Note 1: Companion test methods used to evaluate engine oil performance for specification requirements are discussed in SAE J304.

1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.2.1 Exceptions—The values stated in inches for ring gap measurements are to be regarded as standard, and where there is no direct SI equivalent such as screw threads, National Pipe Threads/diameters, tubing size, or single source supply equipment specifications.

1.3 This test method is arranged as follows:

Subject

Section

Scope

Referenced Documents

Terminology

Summary of Test Method

Significance and Use

Apparatus

Laboratory

6.1

Drawings

6.2

Specified Equipment

6.3

Test Engine

6.4

Engine Parts

6.4.1

Engine Speed and Torque Control

6.5

Sequence IIIF Fluid Conditioning Module

6.6

Engine Cooling System

6.6.1

Flushing Tank

6.7

Coolant Mixing Tank

6.8

Condenser Cooling Systems

6.9

Engine Oil-Cooling System

6.10

Fuel System

6.11

Induction Air Supply Humidity, Temperature, and Pressure

6.12

Temperature Measurement

6.13

Thermocouple Location

6.13.1

Air-to-Fuel Ratio Determination

6.14

Injector Flow Testing

6.14.1

Exhaust and Exhaust Back Pressure Systems

6.15

Blowby Flow Rate Measurement

6.16

Pressure Measurement and Pressure Sensor Location

6.17

Reagents and Materials

Test Fuel

7.1

Engine and Condenser Coolant

7.2

Coolant Additive

7.3

Coolant Preparation

7.4

Pre-Test Cleaning Materials

7.5

Sealing and Anti-seize Compounds

7.6

Test Oil Sample Requirements

Preparation of Apparatus

Condenser Cleaning

9.1

Intake Manifold Cleaning

9.3

Cleaning of Engine Parts (other than the block and heads)

9.4

Engine Block Cleaning

9.5

Cylinder Head Cleaning

9.6

Engine Build-up Procedure

9.7

General Information

9.7.1

Special Parts

9.7.2

Hardware Information

9.7.3

Fastener Torque Specifications and Torquing Procedures

9.7.4

Parts Replacement

9.8

Engine Block Preparation

9.9

Piston Fitting and Numbering

9.10

Piston Ring Fitting

9.10.1

Pre-Test Camshaft and Lifter Measurements

9.11

Camshaft Bearing Installation

9.12

Camshaft Installation

9.13

Main Bearings

9.14

Crankshaft Installation

9.14.1

Main Bearing Cap Installation

9.14.2

Crankshaft Sprocket

9.15

Camshaft Sprocket and Timing Chain

9.16

Crankshaft End Play

9.17

Piston Pin Installation

9.18

Piston Installation

9.18.1

Harmonic Balancer

9.19

Connecting Rod Bearings

9.20

Engine Front Cover

9.21

Coolant Inlet Adapter

9.22

Oil Dipstick Hole

9.23

Oil Pan

9.24

Cylinder Head Assembly

9.25

Adjustment of Valve Spring Forces

9.26

Cylinder Head Installation

9.27

Hydraulic Valve Lifters

9.28

Pushrods

9.29

Valve Train Loading

9.30

Intake Manifold

9.31

Rocker Covers

9.32

Water Inlet Adapter

9.33

Condenser

9.34

Coolant Outlet Adapter

9.35

External Oil Cooling System

9.36

Oil Sample Valve

9.37

Ignition System

9.38

Throttle Body

9.39

Accessory Drive Units

9.40

Exhaust Manifolds, Water-Cooled

9.41

Engine Flywheel

9.42

Pressure Checking of Engine Coolant System

9.43

Lifting of Assembled Engines

9.44

Mounting the Engine on the Test Stand

9.45

External Cooling System Cleaning

9.46

Engine Coolant Jacket Cleaning (Flushing)

9.47

Coolant Charging

9.48

Test Oil Charging

9.49

Engine Oil Pump Priming

9.50

Calibration

Laboratory and Engine Test Stand Calibration

10.1

Testing of Reference Oils

10.2

Reference Oil Test Frequency

10.3

Evaluation of Reference Oil Test Results

10.4

Status of Non-Reference Oil Tests Relative to Reference
Oil Test

10.5

Status of Test Stands Used for Non-Standard Tests

10.6

Data Acquisition and Control

10.7

Sample Rate

10.7.1

Measurement Accuracy

10.7.2

Temperature

10.7.3

Pressure

10.7.4

Flow

10.7.5

Speed

10.7.6

Mass

10.7.7

Measurement Resolution

10.7.8

System Time Response

10.7.9

Quality Index

10.7.10

Engine Operating Procedure

Dipstick and Hole Plug

11.1

Dipstick Hole O-ring

11.2

Engine Start-up and Shutdown Procedures

11.3

Start-up

11.4

Scheduled Shutdown

11.5

Non-Scheduled Shutdowns

11.6

Oil Sampling

11.7

Oil Leveling

11.8

Air-to-Fuel-Ratio Measurement and Control

11.9

Air-to-Fuel Ratio Verification

11.10

Blowby Flow Rate Measurement

11.11

NO_x Determinations

11.12

Data Recording

11.13

Initial Run (10 min)

11.14

Engine Oil Quality Testing (80 h)

11.15

Test Termination

11.16

Determination of Test Results

Engine Disassembly

12.2

Preparation of Parts for Rating of Sticking, Deposits,
and Plugging

12.3

Piston Deposit Ratings

12.4

Post-Test Camshaft and Lifter Wear Measurements

12.5

End-of Test Used Oil Sample Testing

12.6

Viscosity Test

12.7

Testing Oil Samples for Wear Metals

12.8

Blowby Flow Rate Measurements

12.9

Oil Consumption Computation

12.10

Photographs of Test Parts

12.11

Retention of Representative Test Parts

12.12

Severity Adjustments

12.13

Determination of Operational Validity

12.14

Report

Report Forms

13.1

Precision of Reported Units

13.4

Deviations from Test Operational Limits

13.3

Precision and Bias

Keywords

Annexes

ASTM Test Monitoring Center – Organization

Annex A1

ASTM Test Monitoring Center – Calibration Procedures

Annex A2

ASTM Test Monitoring Center – Maintenance Activities

Annex A3

ASTM Test Monitoring Center – Related Information

Annex A4

Sequence IIIF Test Parts Replacement Guidelines

Annex A5

Sequence IIIF Determination Volume of Engine Oil in Pan

Annex A6

Sequence IIIF Test Fuel Analysis

Annex A7

Sequence IIIF Test Report Forms and Data Dictionary

Annex A8

Sequence IIIF Test Air-to-Fuel Ratio Control Flow Chart

Annex A9

Sequence IIIF Test Set Points and Control States

Annex A10

Sequence IIIF Quality Index Upper and Lower Values

Annex A11

Sequence IIIF Engine Oil Level Worksheet

Annex A12

Engine Build Worksheets

Annex A13

Blowby Flow Rate Determination

Annex A14

Safety Precautions

Annex A15

Sequence IIIF Blueprint Listing

Annex A16

Fluid Conditioning Module Components

Annex A17

Engine Oil Cooling System Configuration

Annex A18

Guidelines For Hardware Subject To First-In/First-Out Criteria

Annex A19

Appendixes

Sequence IIIFHD Test Procedure

Appendix X1

Sequence IIIFVIS Test Procedure

Appendix X2

1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.5 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.

2. Referenced Documents

G40-25a	Standard Terminology Relating to Wear and Erosion (Includes all amendments and changes 12/8/2025).
IEEE/ASTM SI-10	Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System
MIL-PRF-2104
D5453-25	Standard Test Method for Determination of Total Sulfur in Light Hydrocarbons, Spark Ignition Engine Fuel, Diesel Engine Fuel, and Engine Oil by Ultraviolet Fluorescence
D5862-09	Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Engine Oils in Two-Stroke Cycle Turbo-Supercharged 6V92TA Diesel Engine (Withdrawn 2009)
D6557-26	Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Rust Preventive Characteristics of Automotive Engine Oils
D6593-18e1	Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Automotive Engine Oils for Inhibition of Deposit Formation in a Spark-Ignition Internal Combustion Engine Fueled with Gasoline and Operated Under Low-Temperature, Light-Duty Conditions (Includes all amendments and changes 6/22/2022).
D6750-23	Standard Test Methods for Evaluation of Engine Oils in a High-Speed, Single-Cylinder Diesel Engine—1K Procedure (0.4 % Fuel Sulfur) and 1N Procedure (0.04 % Fuel Sulfur)
D7320-18e1	Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Automotive Engine Oils in the Sequence IIIG, Spark-Ignition Engine (Includes all amendments and changes 6/23/2022).
D4684-20a	Standard Test Method for Determination of Yield Stress and Apparent Viscosity of Engine Oils at Low Temperature (Includes all amendments and changes 11/17/2020).
D4815-22	Standard Test Method for Determination of MTBE, ETBE, TAME, DIPE, tertiary-Amyl Alcohol and C1 to C4 Alcohols in Gasoline by Gas Chromatography
D5185-26	Standard Test Method for Multielement Determination of Used and Unused Lubricating Oils and Base Oils by Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)
D5191-22	Standard Test Method for Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels (Mini Method)
D5293-25	Standard Test Method for Apparent Viscosity of Engine Oils and Base Stocks Between –10 °C and –35 °C Using Cold-Cranking Simulator
D5452-23	Standard Test Method for Particulate Contamination in Aviation Fuels by Laboratory Filtration
D235-22	Standard Specification for Mineral Spirits (Petroleum Spirits) (Hydrocarbon Dry Cleaning Solvent)
D240-25	Standard Test Method for Heat of Combustion of Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuels by Bomb Calorimeter
D323-26	Standard Test Method for Vapor Pressure of Petroleum Products (Reid Method)
D381-25	Standard Test Method for Gum Content in Fuels by Jet Evaporation
D445-24	Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)
D525-12a(2025)	Standard Test Method for Oxidation Stability of Gasoline (Induction Period Method) (Includes all amendments and changes 12/24/2025).
D1319-25	Standard Test Method for Hydrocarbon Types in Liquid Petroleum Products by Fluorescent Indicator Adsorption
D2699-25	Standard Test Method for Research Octane Number of Spark-Ignition Engine Fuel
D86-23ae2	Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels at Atmospheric Pressure (Includes all amendments and changes 11/4/2024).
D130-26	Standard Test Method for Corrosiveness to Copper from Petroleum Products by Copper Strip Test
D3237-22	Standard Test Method for Lead in Gasoline by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
D2700-26	Standard Test Method for Motor Octane Number of Spark-Ignition Engine Fuel
D3231-25	Standard Test Method for Phosphorus in Gasoline
D3338-08	Standard Test Method for Estimation of Net Heat of Combustion of Aviation Fuels
D3343-22	Standard Test Method for Estimation of Hydrogen Content of Aviation Fuels
D4052-22	Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, and API Gravity of Liquids by Digital Density Meter
D4175-24e2	Standard Terminology Relating to Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants (Includes all amendments and changes 6/9/2026).
D4485-24	Standard Specification for Performance of Active API Service Category Engine Oils
D7422-25	Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Diesel Engine Oils in T-12 Exhaust Gas Recirculation Diesel Engine
E29-22	Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
E191-64(1999)e1	Standard Specification for Apparatus For Microdetermination of Carbon and Hydrogen in Organic and Organo-Metallic Compounds
E608/E608M-24	Standard Specification for Mineral-Insulated, Metal-Sheathed Base Metal Thermocouples
E1119-23	Standard Specification for Industrial Grade Ethylene Glycol