Patent ID: 8160769

Claim:
A method of determining with the aid of instrumentation including a microprocessor whether an engine's rated horsepower has changed; the engine having a rated horsepower; the engine having an associated powertrain control module and an air induction system; the air induction system including at least one sensor used to determine air flow through the engine; the microprocessor being programmed to extract parameter identification data (hereinafter “PID data”), including fuel trim PID data, from the powertrain control module; the microprocessor also being programmed with an algorithm which permits the calculation of the engine's horsepower; the method including the steps of: a. acquiring PID data from the powertrain control module with the instrumentation, the PID data including fuel trim PID data and PID data from the at least one sensor; b. determining the actual air flow through the engine (weight/unit of time) with PID data from the at least one sensor; c. determining the calculated horsepower of the engine with the algorithm, the actual air flow and the fuel trim PID data; and d. comparing the calculated horsepower to the rated horsepower of the engine.