Betting $200 that a cracked boot is the problem feels like throwing parts at it with extra steps. A can of brake cleaner costs 4 bucks and does the same job for a boost leak, you just watch for the idle to change when you spray the joints. The smoke machine is nice for finding tiny vacuum leaks you can't hear, but 3 days of guessing usually means nobody actually tested anything, and a boot that cracked bad enough to kill power should show up with a flashlight and a wiggle test. Tools don't fix bad diag habits, they just make the bill bigger.

Watched a buddy puke creek water for two days straight.

A dollar bill is not a tool, it is paper, and the fact that it worked once in Kansas City does not mean it works everywhere or that it should be your go to move. Half the time that trick just bends the contacts or leaves a bill covered in grease and crud, and then the next guy who shows up has no clue what happened. Door operators have a service manual for a reason, and resetting them the wrong way can hide an actual problem like a bad sensor or a worn belt that will quit on you at 11pm on a Sunday. Eight years of using a trick that kinda sorta works is eight years of not fixing the real issue. Get a meter out and check the thing properly.