Who in Birmingham, AL does free diagnostic.

SHANDANA

MEMBER
1992 FORD TAURUS
95,000 MILES

Who in Birmingham, AL does free diagnostic scans on older model cars. I recently lost my job and cannot afford to pay for the scan and the repairs. I have a '92 Ford Taurus and when I went to Big 10 tires and they wanted to charge $50, while Autozone said that they only do free scans on 96 or later. Please Help! Thanks in advance.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

'96 models of all brands went to a standardized system of fault codes and that is what the equipment used at auto parts stores read. For '95 and older, Chrysler made reading codes REAL easy, GM is almost as easy, and Fords are very difficult. They are easier to get the codes with a scanner, and those cost $2,000.00 - $6,000.00. That's why shops have to charge to read them. It's to help cover the cost of the equipment and the cost of updating them every year.

If you want to try to get the codes out yourself, try this:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/ford-lincoln-mercury-obd1-1995-and-earlier-diagnostic-trouble-code-definition-and-retrieval

It's a Mickey Mouse system, but if it works, it's free. You might also try asking at a community college that has an Automotive program. They won't do engine diagnostics if they are currently teaching Brakes or Air Conditioning, but if they're studying Engine Performance they may read the codes if they have time.