My garage door opener died this morning. I can hear the motor working, but the chain doesn't move. Anybody know if it's possible to fix something like this, or if it's better to replace the thing? Anybody have any suggestions for companies either way?
Garage Door Openers
- Thread starter MBulldog
- Start date
- Jun 20, 2006
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You can easily replace the gear and shaft. Look up the model number and part numbers on the manufacturers website (after you have taken it down to see what the issue is).
It might be as simple as the chain housing over the gear has come loose or fallen off causing the chain to 'rise' off of the gear.
If you replace the entire unit you will need to gage how long you plan to live at the house. If 7+ years, go with a chain-less unit (more expensive), otherwise a standard chain WITH steel gear will do the trick.
-keep.
It might be as simple as the chain housing over the gear has come loose or fallen off causing the chain to 'rise' off of the gear.
If you replace the entire unit you will need to gage how long you plan to live at the house. If 7+ years, go with a chain-less unit (more expensive), otherwise a standard chain WITH steel gear will do the trick.
-keep.
Someone hasn't simply disengaged it have they? There is usually a cord that hangs down from the track that will simply disengage the mechanism so the motor will run but it doesn't move the door. Pretty basic, but I thought I'd mention it in case you aren't very familiar with door openers.
If the chain is connected to the sprocket and the sprocket isn't moving but you can still hear the motor going, the internal gears have probably gotten sheared. Most openers have plastic internal gears, if I recall correctly. If you take the casing off of the opener, you'll be able to see the gears and tell what the problem is right away. They won't be too hard to replace, but I'm not sure who carries replacements.
- Jun 20, 2006
- 39,426
- 24,745
- 113
you can order them from manufacturers in most cases. Especially from Chamberlain.
Mine did this awhile back and what fixed mine was cleaning the sensors on both sides of the garage door. the power was there but the sensors prevented it from opening.
This happened to me 2 weeks ago when it was really cold.
Mine is about 3 years old (Wayne dalton) and I called the Home Office customer service department about it. Basically my motor ran but the belt did not move. They diagnosed the issue and sent me free parts in 3 days...The insert from the track that fits into the fiberglass gear on the motor, broke. Once I got the replacement parts, I tore into it and fixed it for free.
Whether to get a new one or fix it yourself will depend as to what is actually wrong with it and how old it is. I replaced my old one with this W/D model.
Z
Mine is about 3 years old (Wayne dalton) and I called the Home Office customer service department about it. Basically my motor ran but the belt did not move. They diagnosed the issue and sent me free parts in 3 days...The insert from the track that fits into the fiberglass gear on the motor, broke. Once I got the replacement parts, I tore into it and fixed it for free.
Whether to get a new one or fix it yourself will depend as to what is actually wrong with it and how old it is. I replaced my old one with this W/D model.
Z
Good advice in here, thanks. I'll have to open the box up a little later and see what the problem is. While moving the door up and down manually, it seemed very hard to move, so I wonder if the tracks are warped (the house is 25 years old, and this is probably the original garage door). If the gears are sheared, I'm guessing the fact that the door is hard to move caused them to shear, which probably means new gears won't last long. I'm thinking I may need to replace the door and opener.
You might have already checked this, but look for bits of ice or other unwanted items either in the tracks or the chain area. There's a bunch of gunk in ours that has slowed down the mechanism, but as long as it continues to work, I'm fine with waiting for warmer weather.
You may want to check if one of your springs broke...they are mounted on the header above the door. If they have I would strongly suggest getting an expert to fix the springs.
S
st8
Guest
I was a service tech for adams door in desmoines when i took time off school a few years ago..
need to know make and model of opener to accurately diagnose your problem, but it sounds like you need a new gear kit, the gears that drive the opener are normally teflon or some tough plastic and wear out after a while, especially if your door doesn't operate well, which sounds like that is the case. you can replace it on your own, but it can be tricky because you will have to reset the limits that determine how far the door goes up and down (can be frustrating if you don't know what your doing and depending on what kind of opener it is)
tracks don't typically "warp". there are a few common problems that may be the case if the door isn't working well. try putting motor oil on all the hinges and in the tracks (particularly in the radius where the door follows the bend in the track) basically any place where metal and metal rub (do not use grease, it will only make your problem worse 30 weight like you put in a car will do just fine) also oil the springs that lift the door (do not by any means attempt to adjust these otherwise if you dont know what you're doing). you could have some rollers that have worn out bearings causing them to drag. would kind of need more info to diagnose any specific problem, is it hard to pull up or down, both?
to change out the gear kit (if that's the problem) in the opener it will cost you probably $120 to have somebody come out and do it, but they will adust your door and make sure everything is working fine as well. an entire new door and opener is gonna run you close to or over $1000 to take your old one out and put the new one in depending on the size and quality.
S
st8
Guest
a screw drive is garbage, not to mention extremely loud. If longevity is what you're after, nothing is better then a chain drive with a solid rail (liftmaster is highest quality). they also now make belt drives which operate just like a chain drive opener but have a belt (like the ones in your car) instead of a chain, they are extremely quiet and very nice but the belt will wear out after a while (5-10) years and will need replaced.
The door is definitely harder to move up than down, but I thought that was because of gravity. There's also a point about a third of the way off the ground where the door seems to catch. I've examined the tracks and rollers at this point, but I can't find anything that it's catching on. $1000 for a new door is doable, especially with a tax return coming sometime, but we've got a two car garage with two single doors so I'm afraid I'd have to replace both doors at one time just for appearances.
S
st8
Guest
if it's hard to raise, you may have an issue with the springs. the door should go up just as easy as it goes down. on a 1 car garage there is usually only 1 spring, unless your door is old enough to were you have extension springs that travel along the outside of each of the tracks that are parallel to the ground. if this/these are broke, you will need to call someone to fix it, these are very dangerous and are capable of seriously injuring someone if you don't know what you're doing (just warning you because i once showed up to a job and the springs were all covered in blood, i later found out that a "do it yourself" type of guy had a little mishap when he thought he knew what he was doing) if your door is 25 years old and you can afford a new one(s), you might want to put a new one(s) in. single doors can run anywhere from 250-500 each depending on if you need insulated or not, if you want glass panels, style, etc. I would highly discourage you from going to menards and getting the easy-set do it yourself kind, these are junk. I would also encourage you to call either overhead door or adams door (they are the two more reputable companies in central iowa and have better selection and better products then most of the other manufactorers)
Same thing happened to me. Once the sensors were cleaned off, things worked great. It cost me a service call, but now I know if it happens again. If this isn't the problem. I recommend Precision in Des Moines.
