How to Repair Your Electric Garage Door Opener

An electric garage door opener is a convenience that is easy to take for granted when it is working properly. When it fails to work properly you wonder how you ever did without it. A typical chain driven garage door opener can be purchased for under $200. This relatively low price can make it impractical to have a professional attempt to repair it. Given that if your door opener has failed and you're inclined to try to repair it the following tips may help you be successful.

For the purpose of keeping this article short the most common chain drive opener type will be discussed although many of the repair tips can be applied to other types of door openers.

Test the Garage Door

For starters you should test the smoothness of the garage door when opened and closed manually. Do this by pulling on the handle hanging on a cord from the opener carriage that rides along the rail overhead. This disconnects the door and allows manual operation. Make sure the door opens and shuts without obstructions or seizing up. If this happens repair the mechanical problem causing the drag and reengage the door using the cord and determine if the opener works correctly. If it doesn't the safety electric eyes should be checked.

Check the Safety Electric Eyes

On most garage door openers at the bottom of the left and right rail you'll find a small box mounted to the door track or the wall or floor. These boxes are opposite each other and one emits a light beam and the other receives it. If this path is interrupted the door will not function or will reverse direction or stop if in motion when interrupted. To determine if there is a malfunction in this area, first determine if the units are still aligned. On many openers one box will have a steady orange light and the other a green light. The side with the orange light is emitted a beam. The steady green light indicates that box is receiving the light beam signal. If there is no steady green light it is likely the units are not aligned. The repair is to align the box until a steady light appears. Once it is steady, tighten the adjustment and put your hand in front of the box and the green light should go out. If you have located a problem here and corrected it go back and try the door operation. If you can't correct the safety electric eye problem you should investigate replacing one or both of these boxes which will likely repair the problem. If they appear to be working OK double check the wiring that goes from these boxes to the door opener box itself which is usually suspended from the ceiling in the center of the garage. Repair any defective wiring and test the opener again.

Travel Switches Have Their Limits

Assuming the safety electric eyes are functioning properly remove the cover on the opener itself once you have unplugged the unit. This will require removing a handful of machine screws at various points around the case. The metal cover should then be removed and set aside along with the screws that were removed. Often you will see a series of gears, a motor, and a circuit board. Near the bottom you should find a travel limit switch which has two metal fingers and a small carriage that travels along a threaded rod. The location of these fingers is adjustable with a screwdriver. At this point look to see if the fingers may be broken and hanging by a wire. If this is the case you will need to order and replace the limit switch and your problem will likely be solved. If the travel limit switch appears to be intact turn the adjusting screws just slightly to determine that the fingers move in response.

The Opener Motor

It is relatively rare for a garage door opener electric motor to burn out. Often there is a thermal cutout switch that protects it from overheating. If you try to run the opener and the motor runs even for a short time it is probably not the problem. If it hums it could mean the gears or mechanism is jammed thus this possibility should be investigated and repairs made. If you have run the door frequently trying to make adjustments and it suddenly quits wait for a period of time and the thermal limit switch will likely reset itself requiring no further repair.

The Remote Chance of a Remote Problem

If your garage door opener works properly using the manual operation button but not the remote transmitter the problem is likely in the hand held remote transmitter. The battery should be checked first and then you should attempt a reset/relearn by following the procedure given in your Owner's Manual. In some older models a multi-position DIP switch is used and should have the same setting as found on the receiver board in the opener unit itself. If it appears the remote transmitter is defective it should be replaced since a repair is not warranted.

The Logic Circuit Board

This is one of the opener parts most difficult to diagnose. It is often found behind a panel on the backside of the opener enclosure. Many times there will be a colored button used to have the system 'learn' the remote control transmitter code. If the opener quit following a storm with lightning nearby be suspicious that this board has burned out due to the surges caused by the lightning. Routine troubleshooting as outlined in the Owner's Manual should be attempted such as using the reset button as well as determining the blinking diagnostic light if one is present. This can often guide you as to what type of repair is needed so follow the chart closely. If you have determined that power is present and the manual operation switch has no effect on the opener it is reasonably likely that the logic board is burned out and will have to be repaired or replaced. Unfortunately repairing these boards is economically not feasible and ordering a new one from the manufacturer can often cost nearly as much as an entire new door opener. At this point determine the board part number from the back panel or Owner's Manual to have on hand. One approach is to go to an online auction such as eBay and see if you can find a replacement board, either new or used. Used boards, especially if guaranteed by the seller, can be a very cost-effective way of obtaining a replacement. Just make sure the board is identical or a drop in replacement. Often the boards from several manufacturers are interchangeable. An online search for garage door opener compatibility tables will often yield a number of manufacturers part numbers for boards that are interchangeable. In most every case though you will want to make sure the color of the 'learn' button is the same. By spending a little time online it is often possible to find a used replacement for $20-$30 enabling you to make a very economical repair of your door. The same approach can be used to find electric eye boxes, travel limit switches, remote transmitters, and even motors.

While a garage door opener may seem complex at first glance it is often possible to repair it through a methodical testing and troubleshooting approach similar to that discussed in this article.