I usually monkey with air conditioning on my cars and figure it out. The last few weeks I've been driving the 27-year-old LeSabre around in miserable heat and humidity turning the blower speed down because it is freezing me out of the car . . . with the compressor and condenser that I installed on it like five years ago.

Just had the newest car have the AC go out, we're short on time, and it'* giving a flashing code on the AC-on light . . . so I decided to take it to a reputable chain that we have used on occasion in the past. The verdict: Leaky Schraeder valves and a failed compressor, ~$2,500.00.

The compressor was working perfectly up until this point, and never made a bad noise etc. I'm under and around this car enough to notice stuff when it'* going bad. They said they tightened the Schraeder valves then recharged the system. The compressor didn't run so they "determined that it failed". This make and model is known for having an issue with the evaporator temp sensor going bad and reporting excessively cool temperatures, therefore refusing to run the compressor. When I asked if they had checked for this, they said "I'm sure they did" yada yada. I had to press to see if they even connected a scanner and looked at it, and they still wouldn't give a straight answer. They couldn't even answer straight when I asked "are the guts bad or is it that the compressor clutch won't engage?"

That should be an easy answer.

So now, what they have done is give me a $2,500.00 budget to find a good bidirectional scanner and fix the car. I've shied away from the expensive scanners because of the price, but this would pay for itself and get me out of having to deal with this kind of haphazard shenanigans.

I've seen that some of the YouTube folks I follow (and respect) use various models of Autel and some others. I don't want to blow the whole $2,500.00 on this obviously. Does anyone have a suggestion of a decent scanner that can do OBD, TCM, CAN, ABS, HVAC, BCM, 4WD, XYZ, 123, etc.? . . . including actuate stuff like call for the compressor clutch to engage like I've seen the YouTube guys do online and read all the little sensors like the evaporator temperature sensor etc.

YouTubers I'm talking about are primarily:

South Main Auto Repair
Rainman Ray'* Repairs
Car Wizard
Dave'* Auto Center

I would just like to be able to command things that the computer commands, and read stuff that the computer reads. Diagnostics would be so much easier on the newer cars this way, and I'd get to see my 2,500 bucks again and again instead of sending it out the window on a bad diagnosis, never to be seen again.

. . . and yes I know, it still could be a bad compressor . . . but when their parts quote is 300% of the actual price for the same kit on the consumer market, I cringe just a little more.

We talking about a 97 LeSabre you can get a scanner that will do all the factory stuff for under 300 and if you want to do others depends on the coverage and what models.

^ He'* right. You have a 97. Not much to scan for and not much bi-directional control to do. If I recall with my 97 Bonneville, probably both the same.

If you really want to play...get HP Tuners. The scanner can do everything you want, with bi-directional control, and you can turn things off like VATS, turn fans on sooner etc. But it doesn't do ABS.

Find a good scanner that can do ABS bleed procedure. That is a must have function.

Thanks!

I'm talking other stuff besides the LeSabre, such as "the newest car" which is a late 20-teens Traverse that flashes the light three times when you turn on the air conditioning. What does three flashes mean? A refusal obviously . . . but also a cry for help. Most of the Internet seems to think three flashes indicates a bad evaporator temperature sensor. Simple way to find out would be to poll it and see what temperature it is reporting. The shop doesn't seem to know how to do this, even though they definitely have the tools. Can't say I blame them when this would be a $200.00 fix and not a $2,500.00 fix. I have a (supposedly) factory manual on the way that might tell me. I'd love to get into the computer'* brain, command the compressor on, and see what happens. I'd also love to know what the evaporator temperature sensor says.

For other projects, I've seen folks (primarily in those channels that I referenced) command solenoids in the transmission, command fans on and off, check gear selector position for the BCM and separately for the TCM in the same 202x Chevy pickup, and do all kinds of other fun stuff.

I want to be able to do this stuff too. I'm weary of shops with all the right tools and few of the right troubleshooting skills telling me to believe what they say and not what I see.

. . . and yes I seldom take a car to a shop, but almost every time I do, I get similar haphazard and expensive results.

I just bought a good scan tool that has real good coverage thru 2015 and it does all the factory stuff for my 2001 LeSabre It was 300.
I bought it from......This guy here sells good stuff at the best prices.

Cool! I'll look into it.