If the garage door opener was going to take a crap on me…..wish it would have done it when the weather was warmer. 
Motor runs but sounds like there is a gear/gears stripped. So does one have it repaired or just go buy a new one? Its a Chamberlin open which is about 15 yrs. old. Has anyone ever replaced gears themself?
You can get parts to repair it, but with it being 15 years old you would be better to buy new now. Big box stores always have them on sale. I just change my main garage door opener out also. All you have to do is change the opener itself. I just left the rail in place. If you go after parts Chamberlin service is very helpful. I have 5 openers and wanted some help with switching button openers to work on certain doors. Good luck on your decision.
Climb up there and take a peek first. It could be just a lost pin or bolt. I had a safety clutch that when out of adjustment when the temps dropped as well.
On the other hand….wifes birthday is Friday. Opener for her birthday and the new remote for Christmas. 
Anyone else need help shopping?
I have changed the plastic gear–u can doit without taking it down–easy and cheap–good luck
I agree with both BK and Fish333. It’s worth a look to see if it’s something simple to fix, but it’s probably best to just get a new one and replace the power head. I have a friend that tried to replace the gears in his opener and could never get it to work properly. It just about drove him CRAZY trying to get it to work, and he’s a psychologist!
Chamberlin makes most (if not all) Sears openers so a Craftsman of the same style drive would also probably hook up to your existing track and wiring.
I don’t know if it will make a difference or not, but I’ve been greasing the gears on ours every couple years. The gears are nylon and if there isn’t enough lube the nylon grinds itself to pieces. A surge protector is also a good idea on an opener. We had two openers fail from lightning storms, but haven’t had a problem since.
Good luck.
Dan
I agree with G. Simple fix. I’ve done multiple of them. 
Looks like G has the right kit, I have done both of mine and as other have said, age and a door that needs to properly setup is what usually ruins the gears.
replaced my gears for about $15 in parts on a 12 year old Chamberlain about 3 years ago. $15 bucks for 3 years is worth it to me.
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Looks like G has the right kit, I have done both of mine and as other have said, age and a door that needs to properly setup is what usually ruins the gears.
I’ll keep the gear replacement kit in mind for if/when ours go out – thanks. The friend that had trouble with replacing his gears got the gears to work fine, but the door would only open and close 6 inches – he didn’t think that was enough. 
He adjusted the tension, the travel settings, etc. and the door was well balanced. He called Chamberlin’s support, but it never did open more than 6 inches until he replaced it.
If you look at a new opener, the gears are lubed. That lube can’t last forever, so a bit of grease now and then can’t hurt. Not to mention a bit of WD-40 on the door hinges and rollers, and some oil on the chain – which reminds me that ours are due for some lube……. 
Dan
I removed the cover and found the large horizonal gear shreaded. The worm type gear looked ok. There were also 2 smaller gears under the large one that looked a little worn. Looks like the gear kit is what I need. Correct me if I am wrong but it looks like the gears are removed through the top of the unit. As for the door, it is balanced and goes up and down very easy. It wasn’t froze to the floor and worked find when we left an hour earlier. Because if clearance above the motor, I might have to drop it from the brackets but that won’t be hard. Thanks for the help.
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