Garage door opener

Ive got an old sears 1/2 hp opener.

The gears were stripped so I replaced them.

The darn thing will only go up about 8 inches then it goes back down. It does this when the chain is on or off the sprocket.

I can’t adjust it and I don’t have a manual for it.

I gave Sears a call with a few questions but they are worthless.

Has anyone had this problem?

Are there any garage door opener service guys at IDO in the Inver Grove Heights area?

Thanks

Kraig

Great guy and great service at JD’s Garage Door, his name is Jim at 651-459-5505. I just called him and got a message machine, I told him I would post here. The guy came to my house on New Years day, cost me $85 service call to do an unbelievable amount of work, he was here for 3 hours. Maybe if we would have quit shooting the sh*t, it may have been 2 hours! Like I said, good guy and great service.

A friend had the same thing happen when he tried to replace the gears on his opener. It almost drove him crazy battling with it – and he’s a psychologist!

It would probably be easier, and cheaper to just replace the unit. If you get the same type of opener you can probably just replace the “gear box and motor end” and not the chain drive, sensors, etc.

Good luck, and if you do get this one fixed, I’d be curious to hear what the problem was!

Dan

Going through the same thing myself..

Call Jim, honest. You won’t be disappointed or I will never post again! Well, maybe just a post here and there when something really rattles me, is that ok?

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Great guy and great service at JD’s Garage Door, his name is Jim at 651-459-5505. I just called him and got a message machine, I told him I would post here. The guy came to my house on New Years day, cost me $85 service call to do an unbelievable amount of work, he was here for 3 hours. Maybe if we would have quit shooting the sh*t, it may have been 2 hours! Like I said, good guy and great service.

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Thanks Czech.

I’ll have to give him a call.

I don’t have a sears one but have had strange things like this happen on mine when the lock button was engaged.

I just got through fixing my opener this week because it was doing the same thing. The springs needed to be tightened. There was nothing wrong with my opener. Once I tightened my springs it worked like a charm.

A good test is to pull the cord and unhook the opener from the door and try to lift it up manually. It should lift up fairly easily. Also, stop it about half way up and see if it stays where it is or falls. If it falls back down quickly your springs need to be tightened.

If I had to guess your guys’ spring are out of adjustment.

My springs are fine. My chain is intact, and on the sprocket. But then the motor is turned on…the sprocket does not spin and the chain does not move. I think something in the box grenaded.

I dont know about sears but the Chamberlans have a plastic gear that strips out inside.Typically happens in the winter when the door freezes down and puts a lot of stress on it.Do the sears have a tension adjustment screw.Sometimes I have to turn mine up a little in the winter when things get cold and stiff.

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I dont know about sears but the Chamberlans have a plastic gear that strips out inside.

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This is exactly what happened to me over Christmas. I bought another Chamberlan and just replaced the the motor unit. I could have replaced the stripped gears, but I would of had to wait for the parts, and it was during that really cold snap we had.

FDR

I feel your pain- -mine is so full of temporary fixes (hose clamps, wired together parts) that I’m finally going to have to replace it this spring. After 28 years, maybe, just maybe I’ve got my moneys worth out of this guy, ya think? jerr

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I just got through fixing my opener this week because it was doing the same thing. The springs needed to be tightened. There was nothing wrong with my opener. Once I tightened my springs it worked like a charm.

A good test is to pull the cord and unhook the opener from the door and try to lift it up manually. It should lift up fairly easily. Also, stop it about half way up and see if it stays where it is or falls. If it falls back down quickly your springs need to be tightened.

If I had to guess your guys’ spring are out of adjustment.

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The springs are fine. The door lifts manually with little effort.

It wont work weather the drive chain is on the sprocket or if its disconnected.

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I dont know about sears but the Chamberlans have a plastic gear that strips out inside.Typically happens in the winter when the door freezes down and puts a lot of stress on it.Do the sears have a tension adjustment screw.Sometimes I have to turn mine up a little in the winter when things get cold and stiff.

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Hey buddy… you really need to get to some open water…

Reread my first post, second sentence.

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Going through the same thing myself..

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Chris – something else I’ve found:

10. Door starts to open/close only travels 8″ then reverses/stops:

* Forces for up/down set to low. Pull emergency release and check manual door operation. If no obstruction, increase force and retest.
* Interrupter cup not properly seated on motor shaft. Visually inspect the interrupter cup to insure proper installation. Repair or replace if necessary.
* Defective RPM board. Replace and test.
* Defective logic board. Replace and test.

If all else fails go buy a screw drive opener.Problem solved. It took 1 year of fighting with the chain drive to switch. Screw drive 15 years later only had to lube shaft & replace bulbs.

This morning I woke up and read a text from Jami Ritter saying “Guess who else’s door opener took a @#$%?”

I went out and popped the screws out of the back of the unit and sure as shootin’, the nylon gear was lunched. So on Ritter’s recommendation (As he just bought a new one hours before! ) I ended up getting a new Chamberlain Whisper Drive belt driven opener. I used the same optical sensors and button…but also got a new outside code box and a laser pointer that mounts on the ceiling that points down on the dashboard telling you how far you are in…Pretty sweet! That is 5 people I know now in 2 weeks to put a new opener in. So far on this unit. It certainly is whisper quiet.

Oh, and by the way….all openers have nylon or plastic gears internally. So it is just a matter of time. Mine was installed in ’96. So 28 years is awesome!!!!

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Mine was installed in ’96. So 28 years is awesome!!!!

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I think you want to recheck your math there…..

Jami

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Mine was installed in ’96. So 28 years is awesome!!!!

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I think you want to recheck your math there…..

Jami

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I believe that Tuck is referring to the jerr’s garage opener versus his from 1996.

FDR

wow long post. This cold weather will do bad things to garage door openers, mine simply needed more wd40. Then one day a wheel popped out and had to put that back on track. Be nice if that was all yours needed. Check the pully wheels for worn out bearings too. Lightning took out my sensors last summer. Good Luck

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Mine was installed in ’96. So 28 years is awesome!!!!

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I think you want to recheck your math there…..

Jami

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I believe that Tuck is referring to the jerr’s garage opener versus his from 1996.

FDR

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Your right troller, but it won’t hurt to remind him…..

Jami