Manuals
General

SCT X4, Bully Dog BDX & Livewire — Install & Custom Tunes

~8 min

The SCT X4, Bully Dog BDX, and SCT Livewire are handheld tuners that load your custom off-road tunes over the cloud. Your device ships preloaded with your tunes. Read the safety steps below before flashing, then follow the install steps. Questions? Email info@empirediesels.com.

READ BEFORE FLASHING. Put a REAL high-quality battery charger on the truck at 12V / 15A and keep voltage above 12.5V for the entire flash — never use a jump box. If voltage drops below 12.5V, ECM damage can occur; do not flash under 12.5V. Use fresh batteries (under ~12 months old — battery quality has dropped hard since 2020, and older batteries may not hold flashing voltage).

Steps

  1. 1

    Use fresh batteries

    Make sure your batteries are newer — under about 12 months old. Since 2020, the average battery only holds proper tuning voltage for around a year, so older batteries may not sustain the voltage a flash needs.

  2. 2

    Unplug aftermarket accessories

    Unplug any aftermarket accessories and pull their fuses before you begin.

  3. 3

    Put a battery charger on the truck

    Connect a real, high-quality battery charger set to 12V and 15A to keep voltage above 12.5V while flashing. Do not use a jump box. If volts drop below 12.5V, ECM damage can occur — do not flash if under 12.5V.

  4. 4

    Tune before removing any parts

    Always tune the truck before removing parts — don't remove anything until tuning is complete. Be gentle with every hardware and cable connection: don't force anything, make sure each plug is fully seated, and double-check everything before programming.

  5. 5

    Plug in the tuner & connect to Wi-Fi

    Plug the tuner into the truck, then connect it to Wi-Fi — or turn on your phone's hotspot and connect to that. The tuner will update to the truck, which can take roughly 10 to 30 minutes. If the update doesn't complete, download the SCT Update Agent, plug the tuner into a computer, and update it that way (links below).

  6. 6

    Install your off-road delete tune

    Go to Custom Tuning and select your off-road delete tune to install: Single Stock/Tow tune, or SOTF (Switch on the Fly). Only install SOTF if you have already installed the SOTF switch beforehand. The tune will download onto the truck — once it is 100% complete, you're good to go.

  7. 7

    Bought tunes without a tuner? Download them from the cloud

    If you bought tunes without a tuner, the custom tunes are cloud-based — you'll need an internet/Wi-Fi connection (and a PC for the alternate method). Plug the tuner into the truck, go to the Download Tunes section and click Yes, connect to Wi-Fi when prompted, then choose Yes to check the cloud for tunes. You'll get a list of tunes you can download — it's easiest to download all of them now, so you can switch tunes later without Wi-Fi. Alternatively, plug the tuner into your computer, download the SCT Update Agent, open it, and select "Load Cloud Tunes."

  8. 8

    Update your tuner — SCT Device Update Agent

  9. 9

    Update your tuner — Bully Dog Update Agent