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While traditional narrow band oxygen sensors are great for determining if an engine is running slightly rich or lean, wideband oxygen sensors bring a new level of precision to engine management. Let's dive into how they work: The Principle: The 'Pumping Cell' Wideband oxygen sensors, like their narrowband counterparts, utilize zirconium dioxide ceramic. However, they add a critical component: a pumping cell. Here's how it operates: The Sensing Chamber: Exhaust gases enter a chamber within the sensor where one side of the zirconia element is exposed. The Pumping Cell: A current flow is carefully controlled to add or subtract oxygen molecules ('pumping')...

Oxygen sensors are vital components in your car's engine management system. They ensure optimal combustions, reduce emissions, and safeguard your vehicle's catalytic converter. The narrow band oxygen sensor is a common type, and here's how it functions: The Heart of the Matter: Zirconia Ceramic The narrow band oxygen sensor relies on a zirconium dioxide (zirconia) ceramic element. This material has a unique property—it generates a voltage when exposed to varying oxygen levels. The sensor is positioned in your car's exhaust stream, allowing it to directly sample burnt gases. One side of the zirconia ceramic is exposed to the exhaust, while the other side...

We recently uploaded a video that had been on our Pro Racer Training video CD that is no longer for sale. It is about 40 minutes+ long and shows you the basics of using SCT's terrific software.  Keep in mind the software version it uses is an older version, but the layout and use are essentially the same. One major difference is it shows programming an Xcalibrator 2 which are no longer made. The procedure is very similar in the latest software, except you click on the 'Program Device' icon on the top toolbar - that takes you to whatever...

LiveLink Demo We often get questions about using LiveLink datalogging software for Fords. So we prepared a very short, very basic YouTube video to help you out. The link is located at the end of this article. The list of PIDs or datalogging items varies by Ford vehicle. It is always best to use the UPPER CASE DMR’s, they may not all be available for your strategy. In that case you can look for lower case generic PIDs or OBD items. You can also mix and match. Just make sure they actually work when you are logging. You may want...

We see a ton of different vehicles. Some from private owners and some from either tuning dealers or dyno shops. Most of the vehicles we see seem to have one thing in common: mechanical issues. No matter who builds the engines or looks over the vehicle, there always seem to be issues. Rare is the vehicle anymore where everything is 100%. It does happen, but those vehicles are the exception. The #1 issue we see are vacuum leaks. If we had a dollar for each time a person assured us there were no vacuum leaks, only to do a smoke...