95 Avalon trans, no forward

95 Avalon, 3.0L. over 100,000 miles. Not my car but thought I would try to help out a friend. Still works in reverse, but not in any of the forward gears. I asked him if there was a check engine light and he says yes. My question, is this an OBDI and can it be read with a paper clip? Since the car won't drive, I hope I can get a clue with the check engine light. He doesn't have a manual, but hope that there is hope for the trans, short of bebuild.

I have not even looked at the car yet, but wanted to get ideas before I visit it. I was planning on checking the condition of the fluid, maybe drop the pan and look for extra metal parts. If there are codes stored in an OBDI system, are some of those codes specific to trans sensors, etc.?

Thanks in advance and sorry I don't have more info at this point. Just looking for a starting point.

Jim