5 Automotive Diagnostic Tools From Tractor Supply To Add To Your DIY Kit

While your car's warning lights, such as the check engine light, will tell you something's wrong, they don't always indicate the exact problem. If you don't have a good way to communicate with your troubled ride, then troubleshooting can be very difficult. That's why automotive diagnostic tools are essential to the at-home mechanic's toolbox. These tools help you narrow down and identify problems so you can address them accordingly. The best part is that these tools are relatively affordable and available through consumer-facing retailers like Tractor Supply.

Though the name evokes images of tractors and general farm-specific items, Tractor Supply has its share of automotive tools and equipment. Among the many cool Tractor Supply gadgets you may never have noticed is a range of automotive diagnostic tools for diagnosing car malfunctions. Available at a range of price points, these tools range from simple devices that cover one or two tests to more full-featured offerings that'll offer more detailed information.

If you're interested in DIY car maintenance, you should invest in capable, reliable, and helpful diagnostic tools. These are a few from Tractor Supply that fit that particular bill.

Diagnostics don't have to involve major components or faults. Sometimes, it can be as simple as making sure the lights on your vehicle and trailer, and the wiring connecting them all, are working as they should. Tractor Supply has products like the $16.99 Hopkins Towing Solutions 4-Flat LED Tester for this purpose, one of the cheapest diagnostic tools available. As the name suggests, this tool tests the lights on your vehicle and trailer — making it an essential towing accessory for truck owners — as well as checking the integrity of the wiring that connects the two.

Per its Tractor Supply listing, this LED tester can check multiple lights, including left and right turn signals, brake lights, and running tail lights. The circuit tester supports 6 to 12 volts and has a 24-inch cable for extra reach. The wand features an alligator clip for a sturdy ground connection and a red LED on top that lights up when it detects power. Despite its low price, it has a 90-day warranty that starts the moment you buy it.

A car battery serves multiple functions, including starting the car and powering most various electricals. If the battery is bad, then, you may encounter all sorts of issues. There are several indicators of a dead or failing battery, but one way to know for sure is to check the power output. The Farm and Ranch battery tester, retailing for $49.99 at Tractor Supply, serves that exact purpose. It tests 6- and 12-volt batteries up to 1,000 CCA and displays the results within 10 seconds.

It's also a very simple tool to use. You attach the integrated positive and negative terminal clamps to their respective battery terminals while the vehicle is off. Flip the switch on the front of the case and hold it in the "On" position. The needle will eventually move and, if the battery is good, will settle into the green region on the handheld meter. If it moves beyond that range, you'll know there's something wrong with the battery or the alternator, and you can act accordingly. It can also test the charging system and starter motor, so you should be able to eventually pinpoint the fault if it lies in one of these components. The tool comes with a one-year warranty.

Tractor Supply sells what seems like a ton of diagnostic code readers. They range from simple to complicated, bare-bones to accessory-loaded, so which option delivers a fine compromise for the automotive DIYer? One strong middle-ground choice is the Topdon AD600S OBDII scan tool. It's not the cheapest one available at $230.99, but it's far from the most expensive and still offers all the essential features you'll need from an OBDII reader.

It has full access to the 10 standard OBDII code reader modes, along with eight different reset functions and the full diagnostic trouble code, or DTC, library to translate engine issue codes into readable, understandable problems on its 2.8-inch screen. It supports AutoVIN and is also multilingual. Using it is as simple as connecting the Topdon scanner to your vehicle's ODBII port, starting your vehicle, and waiting for the machine to communicate with its computer. As you might hope for a $200 tool, Topdon covers its scanner with a one-year warranty for repair or replacement.

Typically, the tire pressure light on your dashboard will light up when your tires are low on air. However, that isn't always the case. If your tire pressures seem fine but you're still getting a warning, then you'll want to check your vehicle's tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). Tractor Supply offers just the tool for the job in the form of the $175.99 Gearwrench Universal Tire Pressure Monitoring System Programming and Diagnostic Tool. This tool can program, activate, clear, and relearn the TPMS sensors that might be triggering the tire pressure warning.

This tire pressure monitoring tool claims wide compatibility, supporting 315 and 433 MHz sensors as well as those on virtually all car makes and models through a wired connection to the vehicle. It can read TPMS codes, check specs like sensor ID, position, temperature, and more, and can display information on the 4-inch color display in English, French, and Spanish. Gearwrench offers free lifetime software updates, ensuring it'll remain compatible with new sensors and systems that hit the market in the future. The Tractor Supply product description states that this tool has a two-year warranty.

As mentioned, Tractor Supply has no shortage of code readers available. While many will do a great job, these general-purpose tools can fall short in a few areas. One area is engine and transmission diagnostics, as not all standard OBDII code readers will have access to the transmission control module (TCM) that manages the transmission. Fortunately, Tractor Supply does have a code reader that can read the TCM as well: the $299.99 Wrightmaster OBDII ABS SRS Transmission and Engine Diagnostic Code Reader.

Like a standard OBDII scanner, this has the 10 standard OBDII code reader modes, a full DTC library to look up the codes it pulls, and compatibility with over 10,000 different vehicles. It also has live data streaming and 10 interface languages. Of course, the main selling point is TCM support, which lets users read the transmission temperature and pull error codes if present. Unlike the other tools on this list, Wrightmaster backs this particular code reader with a relatively strong five-year warranty.