The info below is what is on the SCT website, in the Tech Support section, I just consolidated the info for easy use.


When buying a used SCT device, there are some things to consider. The cost of buying used or buying a new SCT with custom tunes included. There are vendors and authorized SCT tune writers that sell the units new with tunes included in the price.*


You can find used SCT devices on eBay, craigslist, friends/family, and various Ford forums. *Here's a rundown of the SCT devices that will work with the 6.0 powerstroke.*

X-2 *part #9400-- Custom tunes only.

X2 part SF #9415-- Canned tunes only, but can be converted to part #9400. *Once you convert the 9415 to the 9400 you lose the canned tunes to make room for the custom tunes. You need to ask the seller to clarify if the 9415 (canned only) was converted to 9400 (custom only). The conversion is done on SCT website for free.

X3 part #3000-- Here's where it gets confusing. There are two different X3 models, original X-3's and newer X3's. Both have the same part #3000. You will need to look at the device serial # to see which one it is. The original X3's are able to hold canned and custom tunes, the first two letters of the serial # will start with "X3". *The newer style X3's are only capable of holding custom tunes, the first two letters of the serial # will start with "XP". *There are two locations for the serial #, a sticker on the back of the X3 or power up the device, scroll to "device info" to retrieve the serial #.
The serial # tells you which model you have, along with the month/day/year of the device. The first two letters will be either "X3" or "XP", the second pair of numbers will be the month, the third pair of numbers will be the day, and the forth pair of numbers will be the year.*

Example: X3011608XXXXX----------- X3 is device,, 01/16/08 is the date.
X3's sold prior to 7/25/08 are the original X3's.


SF3 part #3015-- Will hold canned tunes and custom tunes.

Livewire part #9600-- Will hold canned and custom tunes.*

TSX part #8900-- Will hold canned and custom tunes.



You need to confirm with the seller if the status/married status of the SCT device is "Locked" or "Unlocked". *If your able to hook the SCT device up to a PC or a Ford OBDII port, go into the "Device info", it will tell you if it is locked or unlocked. *If you can't physically check the status yourself, have the seller confirm "locked or unlocked" with a picture of the screen. The SCT device's will only tune one vehicle at a time.

Status or Married status- Locked means that the SCT device can't be used by you until the seller returns his/her vehicle back to stock. If the seller can't return their vehicle back to stock (sold the vehicle), then the SCT device will need to be sent back to SCT to be unlocked for a fee ($150).

Status or Married status-- Unlocked means that the SCT device is ready to be used on another vehicle.*

You will also need to know from the seller, how many "unlocks" it has left. Depending on the SCT device, it left the SCT factory with either 3 or 5 "unlocks left". As long as it has "1 unlock left" you will be able to use the device on your truck. If the SCT device has "0 unlocks left", then it will need to be sent back to SCT to be reset for a fee ($65). Every time you use a SCT device to tune a different vehicle, it recognizes the different VIN number and uses up one of the "unlocks left". When you power up the SCT device, the amount of "unlocks" will be in the device info screen.


X2 part # 9400 & 9415 look for:
** * * * * Stat=stock, the tuner is half locked and can be fixed using the SCT website.
** * * * * *Stat=aftermarket, the X2 is locked
** * * * * * Stat=unused, the X2 is unlocked

X3 part #3000 & 3015 look for:
** * * * * * * Status: Locked
** * * * * * * Status: Unlocked

Livewire part #9600 look for:
** * * * * *Married Status: Unlocked
** * * * * *Married Status: Locked

TSX part #8900 look for:
** * * * * * * Married status: Unlocked
** * * * * * * Married status: Locked

Once you have the SCT device, the first thing you need to do is download the SCT drivers/software onto your PC and update the SCT device.

Your are now ready to use your SCT device. If your SCT device has canned tunes, your ready to go load a tune into the truck. If you want/required to use custom tunes, you need to go hook up the SCT device up to your truck and write down the truck "Strategy" and contact a authorized SCT custom tune writer with your truck info and SCT device serial #.


Here is a short video of what to look for in the Device Info screen.

 

To sum up all of that:

Truck/car it's coming off of needs to be returned to "stock" with the SCT, and the device itself needs to have some "unlocks" left... They come with 5 initially. Every vehicle you hook it to, it will vinlock to and use a "lock"

Other than that, that's it. I would plan on purchasing new tunes regardless of what it's coming off of.

 

The seller I dealt with had pictures in their Ebay auction of the device displaying four unlocks left and that it wasn't married to anything. You can request these from a seller. Mine came with the USB cable, but not the CD, so I had to download some basic startup stuff from SCT for my desktop. Without this, you can't x-fer tunes to the handheld unit.

Personally, I believe that there are a few things to keep in mind using SCT:
1. You're going to need gauges of some sort, EGT, boost, ECT etc.
2. There are no pre-programmed defuel/detune safeties in place meaning that you can stomp the loud pedal at any time and get full power. Be warned, doing this below 190* coolant temp can damage your motor.
3. SCT will read trouble codes, if there is no internal information available, check with us. The KAM error is common with reprogramming and will go away.

 

Good additions Karl. Also FWIW, when I bought my x-cal 2 brand new it never came with a cd either. It is always recommended to get the software directly from SCT's website, that way you know you're getting the most up to date stuff.

 

Here's another tip, make sure you down load the correct Firmware and/or Tune Revison. Pay close attention to the starting serial number (X3 or XP), this will determine what you need to download.

A copy/paste from SCT.


Solution
You may have noticed that there are several versions of the firmware for the X3 and SF3. Here is a guide to show you which firmware version you need to use when updating the firmware on your tuner.
The first thing we need to check is the Serial Number of the Tuner.

The serial number indicates the manufactured date of the device. All SCT devices come with a 1yr Warranty from the date manufactured. The image below shows how to identify the manufactured date from the serial number:


The serial number may also be found by powering up the programmer and going to the Device Info menu.

Enhanced X3/SF3 vs. Non-Enhanced X3/SF3
Serial numbers starting with XP are Enhanced Devices.
Serial numbers starting with X3 are Non-Enhanced Devices.

Special Note on Non-Enhanced X3's
If the manufactured date on your X3 is older than 072508 (July 25, 2008) then you will need to use the SF3 Non-Enhanced Firmware.


If you used the wrong firmware you may notice that your tuner is now blank blue or you may see a message that states this is the incorrect firmware for this device. In this event, simply put it back into firmware mode (holding down cancel while plugging in) and update to the correct firmware.

 

Important information: When buying a used SCT that has custom tunes written for someone else's truck, not all tunes will work on all trucks. Custom tune compatibility will depend on the PCM/ECU (truck computer) year strategy. The '03 and early '04 trucks have the '03 motor and PCM/ECU, the hex code strategy will start with VXA. The late '04 PCM/ECU will start with VXB. The 05-07 PCM/ECU will start with VXC. Notice the third letter, A,B,C. You can not interchange tunes written for a different year PCM/ECU. An example is, tunes written for a '03-early '04 PCM/ECU with a VXA, will not work on a PCM/ECU that has VXB (late '04). Don't be fooled by just the truck year, you need to know the year PCM/ECM strategy hex code. If you try loading a different year strategy onto a different year PCM/ECM, your truck will be "locked out/no start", and will either have to be towed to a dealer for a reflash, or contact SCT with your issue, so they can send you a "recovery file" to load your stock tune back into the PCM/ECU.