ASTM D7320-07 - 1.5.2007
 
Significance and Use

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.

The increase in oil viscosity obtained in this test 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.

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.

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

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.

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

5.6.1 Specification D 4485,

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 shall be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are provided for information purposes only. The only exception is where there is no direct SI equivalent such as screw threads, national pipe threads/diameters, and tubing size.

1.3 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 and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use. Specific warning statements are provided in 6.14.1.1 and 7.1.

1.4 This test method is arranged as follows:

Section
Introduction
Scope1
Referenced Documents2
Terminology3
Summary of Test Method4
Significance and Use5
Apparatus6
Laboratory6.1
Drawings6.2
Specified Equipment6.3
Test Engine6.4
Engine Parts6.4.1
Engine Speed and Load Control6.5
Fluid Conditioning Module6.6
Engine Cooling System6.6.1
Flushing Tank6.7
Coolant Mixing Tank6.8
Condenser Cooling Systems6.9
Engine Oil-Cooling System6.10
Fuel System6.11
Induction Air Supply Humidity, Temperature, and Pressure6.12
Temperature Measurement6.13
Thermocouple Location6.13.1
Air-to-Fuel Ratio Determination6.14
Injector Flow Testing6.14.1
Exhaust and Exhaust Back Pressure Systems6.15
Blow by Flow Rate Measurement6.16
Pressure Measurement and Sensor Location6.17
Reagents and Materials7
Test Fuel7.1
Engine and Condenser Coolant7.2
Coolant Additive7.3
Coolant Preparation7.4
Pre-Test Cleaning Materials7.5
Sealing and Anti-seize Compounds7.6
Test Oil Sample Requirements8
Preparation of Apparatus9
Condenser Cleaning9.1
Intake Manifold Cleaning9.2
Cleaning of Engine Parts (other than the block and heads)9.3
Connecting Rod Cleaning9.4
Engine Block Cleaning9.5
Cylinder Head Cleaning9.6
Engine Build-up Procedure9.7
General Information9.7.1
Special Parts9.7.2
Hardware Information9.7.3
Fastener Torque Specifications and Torquing Procedures9.7.4
Main Bearing Cap Bolts9.7.4.1
Cylinder Head Bolts9.7.4.2
Torques for Miscellaneous Bolts, Studs, and Nuts9.7.4.3
Parts Replacement9.8
Engine Block Preparation9.9
Piston Fitting and Numbering9.10
Piston Ring Fitting9.10.1
Pre-Test Camshaft and Lifter Measurements9.11
Camshaft Bearing Installation9.12
Camshaft Installation9.13
Main Bearings9.14
Crankshaft Installation9.14.1
Main Bearing Cap Installation9.14.2
Crankshaft Sprocket9.15
Camshaft Sprocket and Timing Chain9.16
Crankshaft End Play9.17
Piston Pin Installation9.18
Piston Installation9.18.1
Harmonic Balancer9.19
Connecting Rod Bearings9.20
Engine Front Cover9.21
Coolant Inlet Adapter9.22
Oil Dipstick Hole9.23
Oil Pan9.24
Cylinder Head Assembly9.25
Adjustment of Valve Spring Loads9.26
Cylinder Head Installation9.27
Hydraulic Valve Lifters9.28
Pushrods9.29
Valve Train Loading9.30
Intake Manifold9.31
Rocker Covers9.32
Water Inlet Adapter9.33
Condenser9.34
Coolant Outlet Adapter9.35
Oil Filter Adapter9.36
Oil Sample Valve9.37
Ignition System9.38
Throttle Body9.39
Accessory Drive Units9.40
Exhaust Manifolds, Water-Cooled9.41
Engine Flywheel9.42
Pressure Checking of Engine Coolant System9.43
Lifting of Assembled Engines9.44
Mounting the Engine on the Test Stand9.45
External Cooling System Cleaning9.46
Engine Coolant Jacket Cleaning (Flushing)9.47
Coolant Charging9.48
Test Oil Charging9.49
Engine Oil Pump Priming9.50
Calibration10
Laboratory and Engine Test Stand Calibration10.1
Testing of Reference Oils10.2
Reference Oil Test Frequency10.3
Reporting of Reference Oil Test Results10.4
Evaluation of Reference Oil Test Results10.5
Status of Non-Reference Oil Tests Relative to Reference Oil Test10.6
Status of Test Stands Used for Non-Standard Tests10.7
Data Acquisition and Control10.8
Sample Rate10.8.1
Measurement Accuracy10.8.2
Temperature10.8.3
Pressure10.8.4
Flow10.8.5
Speed10.8.6
Load10.8.7
Measurement Resolution18.8.8
System Time Response10.8.9
Quality Index10.8.10
Engine Operating Procedure11
Dipstick and Hole Plug11.1
Dipstick Hole O-ring11.2
Engine Start-up and Shutdown Procedures11.3
Start-up11.4
Scheduled Shutdown11.5
Non-Scheduled Shutdowns11.6
Oil Sampling11.7
Oil Leveling11.8
Air-to-Fuel-Ratio Measurement and Control11.9
Air-to-Fuel Ratio Verification11.10
Blowby Flow Rate Measurement11.11
NOx Determinations11.12
Data Recording11.13
Initial run (10 min)11.14
Engine Oil Quality Testing (100 h)11.15
Test Termination11.16
Determination of Test Results12
Engine Disassembly12.2
Preparation of Parts for Rating of Sticking, Deposits, and Plugging12.3
Piston Deposit Rating12.4
Post-Test Camshaft and Lifter Wear Measurements12.5
Viscosity Test12.6
Testing Oil Samples for Wear Metals12.7
Blowby Flow Rate Measurements12.8
Oil Consumption Computation12.9
Photographs of Test Parts12.10
Retention of Representative Test Parts12.11
Severity Adjustments12.12
Determination of Operational Validity12.13
Report13
Report Forms13.1
Use of SI Units13.2
Precision of Reported Units13.3
Deviations from Test Operational Limits13.4
Precision and Bias14
Keywords15
The Role of the ASTM Test Monitoring Center (TMC) and the Calibration ProgramAnnex A1
Sequence IIIG Test Parts Replacement GuidelinesAnnex A2
Sequence IIIG Determination Volume of Engine Oilin PanAnnex A3
Sequence IIIG Test Fuel AnalysisAnnex A4
Sequence IIIG Test ReportingAnnex A5
Sequence IIIG Test Air-to-Fuel Ratio Control Flow ChartAnnex A6
Sequence IIIG Test Set Points and Control StatesAnnex A7
Sequence IIIG Quality Index Upper and Lower ValuesAnnex A8
Sequence IIIG Engine Oil Level WorksheetAnnex A9
Blowby Flow Rate DeterminationAnnex A10
Safety HazardsAnnex A11
Sequence IIIG Blueprint ListingAnnex A12
Fluid Condition Module componentsAnnex A13
Engine Build WorksheetsAnnex A14
Sequence IIIGA Test ProcedureAppendix X1
 
2. Referenced Documents

D445-24

Standard Test Method for Kinematic Viscosity of Transparent and Opaque Liquids (and Calculation of Dynamic Viscosity)

D3244-24

Standard Practice for Utilization of Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications

D3338-08

Standard Test Method for Estimation of Net Heat of Combustion of Aviation Fuels

D525-12a(2025)

Standard Test Method for Oxidation Stability of Gasoline (Induction Period Method) (Includes all amendments and changes 12/24/2025).

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

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)

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).

D86-23ae2

Standard Test Method for Distillation of Petroleum Products and Liquid Fuels at Atmospheric Pressure (Includes all amendments and changes 11/4/2024).

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

D130-26

Standard Test Method for Corrosiveness to Copper from Petroleum Products by Copper Strip Test

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

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)

D6984-18e1

Standard Test Method for Evaluation of Automotive Engine Oils in the Sequence IIIF, Spark-Ignition Engine (Includes all amendments and changes 6/23/2022).

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

Lubricating Oil, Internal Combustion Engine, Tactical Service

IEEE/ASTM SI 10

Standard for Use of the International System of Units (SI): The Modern Metric System

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

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

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

D2700-26a

Standard Test Method for Motor Octane Number of Spark-Ignition Engine Fuel (Includes all amendments and changes 6/12/2026).

D3231-25

Standard Test Method for Phosphorus in Gasoline

D3237-22

Standard Test Method for Lead in Gasoline by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy