Garage Door Opener Doesn't Work...
- Thread starter Warstud
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open ceiling, or finished? can you see down into it from above?
when our antiquated(probably late 80's) craftsman opener failed a few years back it turned out all that failed, was a plastic gear in the chain drive had finally shredded itself, and would have been very visible from above.
the new unit (2006-ish?) looked to use the same system.
had we known, we could have just replaced that gear....
when our antiquated(probably late 80's) craftsman opener failed a few years back it turned out all that failed, was a plastic gear in the chain drive had finally shredded itself, and would have been very visible from above.
the new unit (2006-ish?) looked to use the same system.
had we known, we could have just replaced that gear....
Is that opener like really, really old? I had a 30 plus year old Genie I replaced with a Genie Excelerator about 12 years ago. The extra money I spent on the Excelerator model was well worth it.
Start by making sure the switch is working. Just short where the wires from the switch attach. Then check to make sure there is power at the opener end of the cord (Does the light come on?) Check to see if there is a reset button.
I had one that had a large capacitor go out, sorta like a HVAC capacitor. It was sudden like that: worked one day and did not the next. $10 capacitor fixed it. I don't remember what it was, maybe a Liftmaster.
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Some type of thermal overload? Maybe try googling that make/model for ideas.
Kestas
Staff member
I once fixed my garage door opener by fixing the cracked solder joints. The unit sees a lot of vibration.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Open Ceiling. Seems if the gear was worn....you would still hear it run. Mine doesn't make a sound.
How old is the unit? The newer ones (last 15 years) use plastic gears. When mine gave out there was a pile of white plastic saw dust in the housing.
Time to replace with a new unit.
Open Ceiling. Seems if the gear was worn....you would still hear it run. Mine doesn't make a sound.
How old is the unit? The newer ones (last 15 years) use plastic gears. When mine gave out there was a pile of white plastic saw dust in the housing.
Time to replace with a new unit.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Came home from work to find that my Garage Door Opener... Genie Model 450 doesn't work...There is power at the outlet....what else do I check?
If it's still making noise but not working then open it up and find out what is broken. If it's not making any noise then you get your multimeter out and start checking everything downstream from the known working outlet until you find the issue.
Came home from work to find that my Garage Door Opener... Genie Model 450 doesn't work...There is power at the outlet....what else do I check?
If it's still making noise but not working then open it up and find out what is broken. If it's not making any noise then you get your multimeter out and start checking everything downstream from the known working outlet until you find the issue.
I rebuilt an older model Craftsman opener for a friend. Craftsman is made by Chamberlain as is Liftmaster. I got a $30 gear kit. The things use plastic gears as sacrificial components to avoid burning out the expensive motor. To replace them you must completely disassemble the opener. It's about a two hour job and at the end you're just sure it won't work.
Basically, if I can afford a new one I'll never do that again.
Basically, if I can afford a new one I'll never do that again.
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Originally Posted By: CT8
It is smarter to just buy a new one. Be done with it.
Your alot of help...This is a DIY website plus these older door openers are better built then the newer ones.
I hate to point out, but if your first step of troubleshooting is to ask a forum what's wrong instead of checking over the unit yourself and letting us know what you've already ruled out, maybe replacing the unit as a whole IS the best choice of options for you.
We don't know your strong points and weak points when it comes to electronics troubleshooting, so if you aren't willing to share what you have done so far, the simplest solution is for you to replace the whole unit, or call in a professional who can take the heavy lifting out of your hands, entirely.
To be honest, a garage door opener has the potential of being a danger to property and life, so its important that the person who works on it is capable of doing so safely.
BC.
Originally Posted By: CT8
It is smarter to just buy a new one. Be done with it.
Your alot of help...This is a DIY website plus these older door openers are better built then the newer ones.
I hate to point out, but if your first step of troubleshooting is to ask a forum what's wrong instead of checking over the unit yourself and letting us know what you've already ruled out, maybe replacing the unit as a whole IS the best choice of options for you.
We don't know your strong points and weak points when it comes to electronics troubleshooting, so if you aren't willing to share what you have done so far, the simplest solution is for you to replace the whole unit, or call in a professional who can take the heavy lifting out of your hands, entirely.
To be honest, a garage door opener has the potential of being a danger to property and life, so its important that the person who works on it is capable of doing so safely.
BC.
Originally Posted By: Bladecutter
so if you aren't willing to share what you have done so far
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Wasn't the capacitor...I got a new one and it still doesn't work.
Only four posts ahead of yours and I'm not willing to share what I've done so far?
so if you aren't willing to share what you have done so far
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Wasn't the capacitor...I got a new one and it still doesn't work.
Only four posts ahead of yours and I'm not willing to share what I've done so far?
Scrap your opener and get a Liftmaster 8500. That's the advice I got here when I asked about garage door openers, and I'm glad I listened. It's by far the best residential garage door opener out there, even good enough for light commercial use. It also has some really nice optional features which I'm not currently using, but may in the future. It's actually a pretty easy DIY install, too.
Oops, that video cuts out about halfway through. Here's the full version.
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