Acea A3/B3 or Ac3/B4

[WhackySpark]

Hello everyone,

i have a Berlingo 1.9 diesel from 2001 and wanted to do an oil change. Off course everyone here knows that the manual recommends ACEA 10W40 A3/B3 oil but my local supplier said it couldn't hurt to use ACEA A3/B4. I've looked online and read that the only real difference is some wear additives and that there is an backward compatibility but i wanted to check here with the experts.  

Maybe some of you can clarify it some more?

Thanks in advance.

[cancunia]

From looking at the Opie Oils web site, the lower B3 spec oil has a higher ash content, other than that I'd say there's little difference so far as your engine is concerned. The lower B3 spec also has some semi synth oils as opposed to B4 which seems to be all fully synth.

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-2124-acea-a...e-oil.aspx

"ACEA A3 / B3 is a highly sheer stable oil, designed for high performance petrol and diesel engines in cars and light vans with extended drain intervals, this oil is for year round use and is generally of low viscosity, ideal for severe operating conditions. High content of Sulfated Ash. "

I'm fairly sure that I ran my 2.0 HDi on semi-synth oil with no issues.

[WhackySpark]

Thank you Cancunia, for your answer.

Now I am confident to use the b4 oil in my Berlingo.

[cancunia]

You're welcome.

There's also a Total Oil web site that will recommend the correct oil for your car. There are others too like Opie, but Citroen tend to recommend Total, so you'll be able to see the correct spec with some confidence.

https://total-gbr.lubricantadvisor.com/