I am still trying to find a scan tool to purchase these days in the $200 to $300.00 price range that will read my 1994 series Saturn SC2 engine control computer.
Each and every one that I have looked at has included the statement that they would not work on a SATURN OBD-I system.
Maybe I do not know the right questions to ask when I contact a manufacturer, but when I do I get some form of generic statement that pretty much says they will not work.
Now maybe they will "Sort of" work or just have the capability to do "Some things" but not others.
To me a Scan tool is a luxury purchase as many OBD-I systems will feed scan code data to you if you diddle with the ignition key and read the blinking check engine light. Which for the most part has been effective enough for my purposes.
I own two cars that having that capability would be handy and one of them has been acting up to the point now that I would like to have better analytical data than that method can give me.
The other is my Saturn. The other is my Fuel Injection modified 1980 AMC Spirit and it uses a fuel injection package that is 94/95 Jeep compatible as manufactured by Chrysler. It is flagging a MAP Sensor error that would be handy to be able to monitor in real time. It for example is a problem that can be pretty much tracked using the minimal error code data and some basic electronic testing tools and that says, again for example, the MAP sensor actually is doing it's job correctly. The engine is not running correct at that moment and is causing a problem that shows up as an intake manifold vacuum discrepancy and the MAP sensor is reacting to it. If I could have tracked it real time using a Scan tool I could have determined that for a fact, it is an assumption based on minimal available data and replacing it as a guess cost me $60.00 to prove nothing.
That is $60.00 towards a tool that might be able to track the O2 sensor BUT will not work on my Saturn.
To me that is a waste of money.
Does anyone know for sure that they have a scan tool that will work on an OBD-1 series Saturn and can they give me a name of it AND a model number so I can both find and verify what the manufacturer says it can do? I can not give that information on tools that I have checked on but the local O'Reily's store scan tool tells me that it will not work as does the Craftman's offerings.
Contacting the manufacture has informed me that at about $2000.00 they have a model that will work.
There of course are different capabilities but for the most part a $200.00 ish tool will satisfy my needs and be program up-datable to boot as technology changes.
Also I can justify and afford that much for a tool.

 

Im sure any OBD I scanner will work on the Saturn. Goto a parts store and ask to have them hook theirs up to you car. Dont listen to what other people say, most likely, they do not own a Saturn.

 

I think you missed the point here, I look at the information that is supplied with the tool and it says it will not work,
I contact customer support for the manufacturer and they say it will not work.
I'm not about to fork out 2 or 3 hundred dollars for a tool that says on the box "This tool will not work on Saturns"

 

john, i have this reader here ,not sure how deep you need to get into your computer but this little gem gives real time live data on sensors,fuel trims, reads codes and gives details on those codes,reads data stream .

works on obd1 and obdII systems and more .have had this for years and been very happy with it .light up blue display too .


http://www.diydiagnostics.com/advancedReader.html


ps- they have more advanced readers too for just a few bucks more .

http://www.diydiagnostics.com/

the one i posted first works on my saturn (2002 with obdII) and has worked on every vehicle i have owned since i bought it many years ago .

 

@JohnDoe
Thanks for the information! That information was about as important as anything else I have run across.
The data sheet along with the testimonial explained some of the protocols involved that things I have looked up did not explain.
And I am going to print that one out to do more checking against.
Apparently the problem I am trying to resolve is to get something compatible with OBD-I AND with a 1994 Saturn which is OBD-I and some variation of the protocols used in 1994. While this is an OBD-II tool the data sheet made mention of the previous communications soft ware which gives me further names of things not ever in my vocabulary before I started looking.
The transition from OBD-I to OBD-II was 1996 which is pretty universal I think although there may have been an odd "hanger on" from some manufacturer or another.
In the mean time I have been fortunate to borrow a professional level scan tool from that era that is OBD-I and OBD-ii that I can try to use if I can get some time to read the instructon manual, about the size of a "Pocket" book
And the problem in trying to understand the instructions on it is a total lack of knowledge on my part as never even ever using a scan tool of any kind, much ever one of this complexity.
I am pretty sure this will not work on my 94 Saturn, it gives me more information that I have been able to glean so far and it is appreciated.

 

I was able to borrow a Snap-On professional grade scan tool from a friend who manages Wiesies Customs:
http://wesiescustoms.com/
and have spent the last couple of days using it.
WOW. I have never used a scan tool before and I have learned more about the fuel injection I installed in about an hours worth of run time than I have in the 13 years it has been on the car.
I am still looking for one that will do OBD-1 and OBD-II AND play nice with the Saturn but I am under the impression that Josh has replaced this one with a newer model. I don't know if it is for sale or not, but the yearly software upgrades are about a grand a piece. This one is good for I think some where around 1998 which lets me to extensive work on the older F.I. cars and of course those are the ones that need the work. I wonder what he might sell this for if he would?