Garage Door Opener On The Fritz



Question:
I have a Craftsman 1/2 HP GDO that is about 5 years old. Recently, it has started acting up on me. I will not open or close on one keypress. Garage door opener troubleshooting did not help much. It would go a few feet and then simply stop. I would try again, it would go some more feet and then stop again. Other times, it would open almost all the way and then simply stop. The same thing happens on the way down. I took it apart and can see that the gears are all fine and it stops before the carriage makes contact with the upper limit switch. I tested adjusting the tourque to their max, but that doesn't help. I also know its not the door itself causing the problem as the problem repros with the emergency cable pulled. The GDO is not flashing any fault codes either. I'm suspecting the capacitor, rpm sensor, or the circuit board itself. The photocells are fine and the wallmount button is fine too. If I unplug the opener and let it sit for 10-15 minutes, it will work fine for 5 or 6 opens, then it will start doing the same thing again. Sometimes, it simply won't work the first time, and then will work fine for 5 or 6 opens or closes and then stop again.

Answer:
It sounds like the chain is too tight (should be 1/2" sag at mid point w/ the door disconnected) or the operator rail is too dry. The operator rail should be greased w/ a light weight grease. The other part to check is where the chain drive shaft comes thru the motor head. Remove the chain and check the shaft to see if it is held fairly rigid. If it moves back & forth the bushing is bad & you need a new drive assembly that has the mounting plate, bushing, drive shaft w/ chain sprocket, the plastic drive gear, & the limit gear. Remove the 3 screws holding the plate & the plastic limit gear at bottom of shaft & the whole assembly will pull out thru the top. If it was the rpm sensor the opener would only move exactly 4" in either direction. The capacitor gives the motor its starting power, when it is bad the motor will usually hum but not move. A bad capacitor will not usually stop a motor in motion. It doesn't really sound like a bad board either in my opinion.





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