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DEEP CLEAN: P.I. GASOLINE ADDITIVE – More Miles Instantly

Written by Charleen

Deep Clean:

P.I. PERFORMANCE IMPROVER GASOLINE ADDITIVE

P.i. Performance Improver Gasoline Additive (API) now features a new label, formula and capless- compatible bottle. The popular deep-cleaning gasoline additive continues to restore your engine’s power and performance and increase fuel economy.

Maximum Fuel Economy

AMSOIL P.i. (Performance Improver)  is a potent gasoline performance improver featuring concentrated detergents that aggressively clean stubborn, power-robbing deposits from injectors, valves and combustion chambers. It reduces emissions and increases fuel economy up to 5.7 percent. P.i. cleans your entire fuel system in one tank of gasoline and restores engine power and performance.

It’s also our best selling non-motor oil product here in the Sioux Falls (Exit 73) store. Also find it at Stan Houston’s

AMSOIL did their research and worked with the additive suppliers to create this product – thus don’t waste your time with other on the shelf “injector cleaner(s)”. If you have that’s great too as you will have something to compare results.

Deposit Clean-up

GDI injectors are located inside the intense heat and pressure environment of the combustion chamber, making them particularly vulnerable to deposits. Even small amounts of deposits can lead to decreased power and fuel economy. P.i. features improved cleaning power to remove stubborn deposits and keep GDI injectors functioning as they should.

Going Capless

Many new vehicles have replaced traditional fuel caps with capless systems. While adding some convenience at the gas pump, the feature can make using fuel additive bottles a challenge. The threads on most bottles are easily hung up and make treating fuel and removing the bottle difficult. The new P.i. bottle is fully compatible with capless fuel systems.

Formulation Change? Yes. The basic P.i. formula and benefits are the same, but we’ve added to them with new chemistry to better target deposits in direct-injection engines.

New Stock Number? No

New Treat Rate? Yes. Treats up to 30 gallons. Add entire bottle to tank at fill-up.

Pricing Change? No

  • Restores power and performance
  • Reduces need for costly higher-octane fuel
  • Reduces noise from carbon rap and pre-ignition
  • Controls pre-ignition “knock”
  • Maintains the engine efficiency, fuel economy and power of new vehicles
  • Capless compatible

Knocking Out Pre-Ignition

Most cars have “knock” sensors that adjust spark timing to prevent knock. Although audible knock is controlled, power is lost from retarded timing. Higher octane fuels can be used to help prevent knock, an effect called “octane requirement increase.” As a vehicle ages, more-expensive, higher-octane fuel is needed to keep it operating at peak performance. By cleaning combustion chamber deposits, knock is controlled, power is restored and costly higher octane fuel is no longer necessary.

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Common Fixes for a Transmission that Jerks or Hesitates

Written by Charleen

Common Fixes for a Transmission that Jerks or Hesitates

John Baker|

The AMSOIL ATF is one of our best sellers in the Sioux Falls store. Thanks to you many local transmission shops are now suggesting it to their customers. You can pick up here and take to your favorite transmission shop.

Here are a few common reasons why your transmission may shift erratically, jerk or hesitate.

• Low fluid level
• Depleted fluid frictional properties
• Poor cold-temperature fluidity

Start with the easiest fix

There’s an old adage when troubleshooting: start with the least expensive and simplest fix. In this case, check the transmission fluid level first. Low fluid can prevent the transmission from shifting properly. It’s important to find out why the fluid is low and fix any problems. It could be a leaky seal or other mechanical defect. Otherwise, adding new fluid won’t ultimately solve the problem.

Worn fluid equals poor shift quality

Transmission fluid that has aged and lost some of its frictional properties can also lead to poor shift quality. When your vehicle’s computer tells the transmission to shift gears, hydraulic pressure (provided by the fluid) squeezes a series of plates together inside a clutch pack to connect the engine to the transmission output shaft and route power to the wheels. The fluid’s frictional properties play a vital role in ensuring the clutch plates bind together properly and gear shifts occur seamlessly.

Over time, the fluid’s frictional properties can degrade, leading to elongated, jerky or inconsistent shifts. In this case, it’s time for a fluid change.

How do you know for sure the fluid is worn? The only definite way to find out is to conduct used fluid analysis. However, fluid that smells burnt or appears dirty is likely due for a change. It’s best practice to change the fluid before the frictional properties are depleted and you experience poor shifting. Those poor shifts can cause the clutches to wear more rapidly and lead to bigger issues that need mechanical repairs.

Be aware of “adaptive” transmissions

One interesting note affects newer vehicles equipped with adaptive transmissions. These units “learn” your driving habits and the characteristics of the fluid to adjust shifts accordingly. As the fluid loses its frictional properties, the computer compensates and adjusts transmission performance.

** If you’ve recently changed your fluid, the computer may still operate as if old fluid is installed, causing poor shift quality. In these cases, keep driving and eventually the computer will “relearn” your driving habits and the behavior of the new fluid and adjust accordingly. The problem was significant enough on some 2012-2013 Ford F-150s to cause Ford to issue a technical service bulletin (TSB 13-1-10).

What do “frictional properties” look like?

We know what good, crisp shifts feel like. Can we dive in even further and see what they look like?

We can, and they appear as a flat, boring line on a graph. The dark blue line represents the frictional properties of new AMSOIL Signature Series Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid. The light blue line shows the frictional properties of the same fluid after more than 180,000 miles in taxi cabs operating in the intense heat of Las Vegas.

As you can see, the lines are extremely close, with no abrupt spikes or dips. This means, after 180,000 miles of severe service, the fluid continued to deliver crisp, confident shifts.

Granted, it’s not exciting to look at – unless you love driving and want to protect your transmission.

Cold weather can reduce shift quality

When the temperature drops, transmission fluids with poor cold-flow properties can thicken and cause elongated and hard shifts until the fluid has warmed up enough to flow properly. Switching to a high-quality synthetic transmission fluid will help. Synthetics don’t contain waxes, as conventional fluids do, meaning they remain fluid at lower temperatures for improved shifts during cold weather.

The best transmission fluid available won’t fix a broken transmission. But using high-quality synthetic fluid can help improve shift quality and maximize transmission life.

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