Alternate way to check engine codes

[pryornfld]

Hello All,
Right now my 1996 2.2L Cavy had the check engine light/ETS Off light being displayed. I want to buy a code reader, but since I would use it very little decided not tobuy it, well not just yet. Anyway, is there another way I can check the codes without buying the reader?

Thanks in advance

[J-Ri]

Many auto parts stores have them and will check codes for free, just don't buy the part that the code indicates until you come back here and post the codes (for how to do the tests)... just replacing the part will fix it about 25% of the time.

[pryornfld]

I live in Canada and I do not know any place that will read codes for free.If you can tell me one, that would be great.If not, how can I read the codes without a reader?
Thanks

[exalteduser]

autozone/orielly's auto parts do it here. dont know if canada has those.
i seem to recall 96 was a funky year where their new scanners couldnt read but the old way of getting codes was bunk too. that was on a lumina though

[PlanetDude]

Alas, as a fellow Canuck, I don`t know of any places that do free scans here.

PartSource/Canadian Tire do sell a wide range of scanners, but IMHO you gotta be doing a lot of scanning to justify that cost.

The plus side, if you have a true 96, is that it`s OBDII, and that`s a standard. You would need to locate an OBDII scanner, but anything 96 and newer has to be compliant.

So if you did buy a scanner or borrow or whatever, it will work with anything 96 and newer.

In the old old days, you could jump the terminals and get codes, but not anymore.

Ryan

[pryornfld]

I was hoping for a little better news, but as I said, I wish we had an AutoZone around here. To pay $75 for a code to be read is stupid. Hopefully I can find someone with a reader and borrow it for a while.