I have a 1995 Firebird and went over to Autozone to get my check engine light checked (they do it for free). But, they said that they can only do 1996 and newer. Does anyone know of a place that'll check older cars for free?
2007-10-03 11:30:07 · 0 answers · asked by Moral Orel 6 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
You can flash the codes yourself with a paper clip by grounding the ALDL connector and counting the CEL flashes. Just look at the connector and you will see the wire ends in the top right that are side by side. jump them with the paper clip and turn the key to run. The cooling fan will come on and the CEL will start to flash. It will flash a code 12 first and then any other codes that are stored.
2007-10-03 12:28:56 · answer #1 · answered by TonynNC 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The reason they can't do it is that by law all cars 1996 and later have the OBDII system (On Board Diagnostic, vers. 2). All cars with that system can be tested with the same generic tester and the connector is usually located next to the steering column under the dash. Most car brands before that date had their own style of connector, as well as connector locations and diagnostic codes and required dedicated testers or a tester that was more advanced, but had swappable input cables. Unless you can find a friend with that kind of tester or buy one from J.C.Whitney or many auto stores, including Sears still (I think), you'd be best off by accessing a Chilton or other manual. Most of the older cars allowed you to jumper a certain connector and I believe GM actually had an "F" shaped tool just for that purpose and you'd read the code by a dash light flashing. Sorry, I'm a Ford guy and have the units to test Ford, but not GM and can't tell you the exact steps other than that.
2007-10-03 11:43:05 · answer #2 · answered by Phil D 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Check with other Autozones. Some of them still have the OBD-1 testers and will test the systems for you. All of the OBD-2 systems have the connector placed under the dash, and are easy to access. The OBD-1 may be located under the hood, and the guys may not want to mess with it. They don't want to take the chance of getting dirty.
If you are planning on keeping the car, then you may want to invest in your own scanner and then you can test it anytime you want. The prices on them should be done, since we don't use them any longer.
good luck.
2007-10-03 11:43:57 · answer #3 · answered by Fordman 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
try advance auto they should have an OBD 1 or if not an adaptor that will work on the OBD II to work on yours. 96 they switched the OBD tester plugs. If you have a good one it comes with both connections that will work for pre and after 95 models.
2007-10-03 12:09:03 · answer #4 · answered by rwings8215 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Batauto.com has info on how to do it yourself and what the codes mean for OBD-I sytems prior to 96...click on the drop down menu on the right upper part of the homepage---trouble codes.
2007-10-03 11:34:16 · answer #5 · answered by paul h 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes they will, just go in and ask. They can read the codes that gave the fault.
2016-03-16 21:48:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋