I have the check engine light on on my 97 f150 and can't find anyone who won't charge me $50 to scan it. I was considering putting that $50 towards an OBD scanner. I've found them from about $250CDN (about $160 US). I was wondering if anyone has any experience with scanners in this price range. Are they junk or do they work?

 

Hi, I cant help you with your question but I do feel your pain. I live in Canada as well and we dont have an Autozone to read our codes for free. I was promised a code reader for my birthday and I dont know for sure if its worth the money. If you get one, please let us know if its worth it or not. Thanks.

 

I recently played with one that a buddy bought off Ebay for $50. The only drawback is that it flashed the code about five times then cleared it. It worked fine for pulling the code, but if you want to keep the code stored, you will have to buy more advanced unit.

It should work for you.

 

Thanks for the speedy input. I would love to buy a better unit, but they seem to jump in price to the $2000 range.

 

Don't know about Canada, but here in the US, you can buy "Actron" brand for about $130-$150. I've used the Actron model CP9135. They are a decent entry level reader that reads both current trouble codes and pending codes. Also they go for cheaper on Ebay.

 

Anyone have experience with the Equus/Innova 3100?

 

Nothing even comes close:

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/pro_d...re&dir=catalog






Will

 

I've looked at scanners recently. Both the actron and the equus are very nice but do not do the new technolgy that is coming out. I believe it is cam protocol or can protocol. All cars need to switch to it by 2008. The only scanners I've found that has the new protocol cost $300 and up. I think I will wait for a while before buying one.

 

Yeah if you want the "CAN" protocol they will run $300+, I just bought the Auto Xray 4000 which has it. They'll probably start coming down in price in a short while. Actually some vehicles are already using CAN, 2004 F-150 does.

 

Anymore?

 

Autotap makes software for your computer that will pull codes, along with read every sensor on your truck and translate it to an easy to read graph, chart, or gauge. I just purchased it for 200 bucks, and it’s so much better than a handheld scanner. It’s worth every penny! Go to www.autotap.com to check it out.

 

Also, Autotap supports CAN.

Forgot to add that in my first post!