Introduced in the mid 1990’s, the OBD-II in your car acts as the interface between your car’s engine and the car’s computer. OBD-II stands for on-board diagnostics, and it did not take long for those interested in creating horsepower to realize that they could reprogram an OBD-II to increase engine performance. Today, reprogramming a vehicle computer with your OBD-II is as simple as plugging in an OBD-II scanner.
Explanation
1. Purchase an OBD-II scanner like a Diablo Sport Bully Dog or SCT.
2. Locate the OBD-II port on your car. It is a black port usually located under the dashboard. It is about 2-inches in length and has several square boxes inside the port. These accept the pin on the OBD-II plug. Plug the OBD-II scanner plug into the OBD-II port.
3. Turn the ignition key on but do not start the car. You want your dash lights to illuminate. This allows the OBD-II to adjust the computer settings without the car running. If the car is running when you make the changes, it could damage your engine.
4. Select a setting from the available list. For example, if you want economy, you can select an economy setting that will help you save fuel. If you want performance, you can select a performance setting that will increase horsepower.
5. Select the upload button to reprogram the OBD-II. Wait until the OBD-II programmer tells you it is done before you turn off your car.
Notes:
Most tuners give you the option to manually reprogram individual settings. If you are not sure what those settings do, you should not attempt to manually reprogram your car because it could cause it to run poorly. Many companies like SCT offer customized settings that they will pre-install on your programmer before you get it. Consult your retailer for this option.