Garage door opener issues

[widebody911]

The garage door opener at my g/f's house has developed an issue - it won't stay running long enough to complete an open or close operation; it stops at random points and reverses itself. For fun, I disconnected the door from the track, and the motor still only runs a few seconds before stopping.

When I started looking at the problem, the motor itself was mounted from two strips of plumbers tape, so that it bounced around wildly while running. It was running like this since 1999. The first thing I did was set up a proper hanging system to keep the motor from moving. At first, this seemed to fix the problem, but within a few open/close cycles, the problem returned.

I've messed with the sensitivity settings, magic beam alignment, but nothing seems to work. Is it just time to accept that the motor is FUBAR and install a new one? Is there something else I should be looking at?

[billybek]

Mine did that as well. My uncle owns a garage door company and he recommended running the adjustment potentiometers for force and travel through their range top to bottom a bunch of times.
That being said, I ended up replacing mine as I was getting tired of climbing the fence to open my garage door.

[legion]

Check for shorts in the wiring. A short between the switch and the unit or a short between the infrared sensors and the unit could cause this kind of problem.

Check for kids across the street with a garage door opener giggling.

Also, ten years seems to be about the lifespan of these things. I wonder if the bearings in the motor are worn out (or on their way out) and it sometimes has to work harder--which it interprets as coming into contact with something.

Me?

I'd just replace it. It's usually cheaper (and lasts longer) than trying to source and replace just the motor.

[dentist90]

Check also for proper lube in the chain/gear drive. Years of dust and crud might cause excessive friction in the channel. Also ensure that the motor and channel are perpendicular to the front of the garage... no warping or angles. If you've got the lift sensitivity adjusted to max (want's to pull hardest) and the door is released from the chain and it still won't crank something is definitely wrong with the motor.

[ruf-porsche]

Could be the controller board. I replace the controller board at my in-law townhouse. Who made the garage opener?

[widebody911]

The opener is a Genie Intellicode

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by legion

Check for shorts in the wiring. A short between the switch and the unit or a short between the infrared sensors and the unit could cause this kind of problem.

A short or an open?

[legion]

Open.

You know what I meant.

[Jim Bremner]

check for a broken spring on the door.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

check for a broken spring on the door.

Thought of that - the door goes up easily by hand.

[Z-man]

If the motor is attached to the chain drive with a belt, check to see if the belt is slipping. There may be a way of adding a shim to the belt drive to tighten the belt, or you may need to replace the belt altogether.

-Z

[Super_Dave_D]

The genie is crap - you would be lucky to get 5-7 years out of it. The board went bad in mine and it should close if you hold the garage door (wall mount) button down. I had to do this for a month until I got around to replacing it.

[dentist90]

The 'magic beam' or photo sensor system must be working properly in order for the motor to work. Bad wiring here or dirty lenses can mess things up. Check that the lenses are clear and that you have a green light at the sensors at the door openings.

[widebody911]

I replaced the opener this weekend. When I took the old one down, chunks of black, greasy, rubbery stuff came out. I didn't bother to PM it. I left the existing track and just replaced the motor and limit switches.