KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2490:2022 
ICS 67.08 0.20 
Second Edition  
 
 © KEBS 2022  
 Automatic transmission fluid — 
Specification  
 
 
 DKS 2 490:2022 
ii © KEBS 2022 – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
BASF E.A.  
D.T. Dobie  
Diverse Management Consultancy Ltd.  
Gulf Energy  
Heller Petroleum Ltd.  
Inspectorate E.A. Ltd.  
Intertek  
ISUZU E.A  
African Gas and Oil Company Ltd  
Rubis  Energy (K) Ltd.  
Kenya Accreditation Services  
Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited  
Kenya Pipeline Company  
Kurrent Technogies Ltd.  
Lacheka Lubricants Ltd.  
Lubricants  
National Environment Management Authority  
OLA Energy  
Optimum  
Petroleum Institute of East Af rica 
Sepyana Oil E.A  
SGS  
EPRA  
Simba Corp Ltd.  
Supply Cor  
Synergy Lubricants  
Total K Ltd.  
Vivo Energy  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to  keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions for 
improvements to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, are 
welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2022 
Copyrigh t. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, copyright subsists 
in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bureau of Sta ndards 
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior permission in writing f rom the 
Managing Director.   KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2 490:2022 
ICS 67.08 0.20 
Second  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2021  – All rights reserved  iii 
  Automatic transmission fluid — Specification  
 
Kenya Bureau of Standards,  Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)  
  
DKS 2 490:2022 
iv © KEBS 2022 – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Petroleum and Petroleum Products Technical Committee under the 
guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, and it is in accordance with the procedures of the Kenya Bureau 
of Standards.  
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (KS 2490 :2013), which ha s been technically revised. 
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:  
 
— The requirement s for Viscosity at 40oC and at 100oC have been revised  from a range to a single 
maximum number;  
— requirement for density has been revised from  a number to ‘to be reported’;  
— additional test method  for density have been included.  
 
 
Automatic transmission fluid lubricates cools and cleans internal components of the transmission. It also helps 
to maintain the hydraulic pressure necessary for the transmission to function. Transmission gears deliver power 
from the engine to the drive wheels, shifting automatically to provide the best power and efficiency for driving  
speed.  
 KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2 490:2022 
 
© KEBS 2021  – All rights reserved  1 
  
Automotive biodiesel fuel — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Kenya Standard covers the specifications and test methods for automatic transmission fluid for use in 
automatic gear boxes and automotive  power steering.  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies . 
ASTM D 92 , Standard test method for flash and fire points by Cleveland open cup tester  
  
ASTM D 97 , Standard test method for pour point of petroleum products  
  
ASTM D 445 , Standard test method for kinematic viscosity of transparent and opaque liquids (and calcula tion 
of dynamic viscosity)  
  
ASTM D  664, Standard test method for acid number of petroleum products by Potentiometric titration   
  
ASTM D1298,  Standard test method for density, relative density, or API gravity of crude petroleum and liquid 
petroleum prod ucts by Hydrometer method  
  
ASTM D 1500 , Standard test method for ASTM Color of petroleum products (ASTM color scale)  
  
ASTM D 2270 , Standard practice for calculating viscosity index from kinematic viscosity at 40 and 100°C  
  
ASTM D 2893  Standard test m ethod for oxidation characteristics of extreme pressure lubrication oils  
  
ASTM D 2983 , Standard test method for low -temperature viscosity of lubricants measured by Brookfield 
viscometer  
ASTM D 4052 , Standard Test Method for Density, Relative Density, an d API Gravity of Liquids by Digital 
Density Meter  
  
KS 2491 , Base oils — Specification  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document , the following terms and definitions apply. 
3.1 
automatic transmission fluids (ATF)  
fluid that lubricates, cools and cleans internal components of the automatic transmission  
 
3.2 
batch  
material from a single mix or in the case of a continuous production process, material from a single day’s 
production  
  
2 © KEBS  2022 – All rights reserved  
 4 Requirements  
4.1  General  
The ATF shall consist of an acceptable lubricant base oil meeting the requirements of KS 2491. The automati c 
transmission fluid shall meet the stipulations in Table 1.  
 
NOTE: Functional additives used for purposes other than transmission may be included. These may include lubricating qualities  such as 
anti-wear additives, rust and corrosion inhibition, deterge nts, dispersants, surfactants (which protect and clean metal surfaces); kinematic 
viscosity and viscosity index improvers and modifiers, seal swell additives and agents (which extend the rotational speed ran ge and 
temperature range of the additives' applic ation); anti -foam additives and anti -oxidation compounds to inhibit oxidation and "boil -off" (which 
extends the life of the additives' application); cold -flow improvers, high -temperature thickeners, gasket conditioners, pour point 
depressant and petroleum dye.  
 
 
4.2 Storage stability   
After conventional undercover storage under normal conditions for a period of 24 months from the date of 
manufacture, the ATF in an unopened container shall still comply with all the other requirements of this 
standard.  
 
Table 1 — Requirements for automotive Transmission fluid  
SL No  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
i)  Viscosity at 40 °C cSt , Max   
39   ASTM D445  
ii)  Viscosity at 100 °C cSt , Max   
7.5  ASTM D445  
iii)  Viscosity index, min.  165  ASTM D2270  
iv)  Color  Shall be distinctively coloured  ASTM D1500  
v)  Brookfield viscosity at -40°C, Mpa.s  <20,000  ASTM D2983  
vi)  Pour Point, ºC   -45  ASTM D97  
vii)  Flash Point, °C min.  208  ASTM D92  
viii)  Density at 20 °C min.   
To be reported  ASTM D1298  
ASTM D 4052  
ix)  Oxidation test, hours  300  ASTM D 2893  
x)  Tan increase, max.  7.00  ASTM D 664  
   DKS 2 490:2022 
© KEBS 2022 – All rights reserved  3 
  
5  Packing  
The condition of each container for the ATF shall be such as to have no detrimental effect on the quality of the 
product during normal transportation and storage. Only containers of the same size filled with ATF from the 
same batch shall be packaged togeth er.  
6  Marking  
The following information shall be clearly marked on the container, or on a label affixed to the container:  
  
a) the name, address and registered trade mark of the manufacturer or supplier;  
  
b) the description of the product;  
  
c) change periods as recommended by the manufacturer or OEM;  
  
d) batch number/identification;  
  
e) date of manufacture and expiry; and  
   
f) quantity  
 DKS 2 490:2022   
 
© KEBS 2022– All rights reserved