Craftsman door stops while closing

[Vikingtu]

I have a Craftsman 1/2 HP garage door opener with a model number of 139.53985DM manufactured on 7/8/08. The problem I am having is the door will stop while closing. If I push the button again it will continue to close. A few times I had to hit the button a twice. I readjusted the close sensitivity and the problem stopped for a while. I then had to adjust the sensitivity again until now it is as far as I can adjust it. I checked the track and wheels and lubricated them. They appear OK. The spring is intact and both cables are fine. The chain is the same tension it has always been and is not biding. Is there a circuit board that can go bad? Is this a common issue with Craftsman? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Rick

[jeffkellen]

Hello!

This sounds like you might have a short, or like you said a problem with the circuit board. I dont think it's a common problem on any particular garage door opener, at least not that I am aware of. In any case, if the problem was in fact related to the "sensitivity/force" levels you have been adjusting, then the door would actually reverse itself after it stopped, and then it would give you some kind of indication that it hit something or had some kind of problem while the door was closing (usually the light on the motor will flash a couple of times to indicate this. this will also be the case if the "photo eyes" are tripped/activated by someone walking under the door)

The opener is designed to reverse when it encounters a problem just in case it is closing the garage door on a person or object. It doesnt sound like your door is reversing, so neither the sensitivity/force adjustment or the photo eyes are the issue. (I would turn the force level down to a safer, mid-range level in case something does get stuck under the door in the future.)

I would make sure the plug is securely inserted into the outlet first, then perhaps remove the motor cover and take a look to see if there is anything obviously wrong with the circuit board or the wiring. i.e. wires barely making contact or even hanging off. You probably wont see anything but its worth a shot. Craftsman should offer a lifetime warranty on this opener, so I would give them a call and they can probably direct you to a local garage door company that can send someone out and take a look. Sounds like something will need to be replaced. Hard to troubleshoot an issue like this without being there, but hopefully this helps in some way. Good luck!

[Vikingtu]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I will try your suggestions.

[stampdoorparts]

It is probably a photo eye issue here. Check the wiring to both the photo eyes and the back of the motor.

To overide the photo eyes safety feature press and HOLD the wall button. Just make sure there is nothing underneath the door. If this works then you have an issue with the photo eyes.

Mike
Stamps Garage Doors
Garage Door Parts

[Vikingtu]

Craftsman Garage Door Opener

Thanks again for your response. I'm not sure what is doing on with door opener but it's a real pain! What it has evolved into doing the following. When I close the door sometimes it will stop ..... no light flashing or anything of the kind. It just stops. If I hit the button again it will start. But now it does something new. There is no power to the unit for a few moments. No lights, electronic eyes, the inside door button is not glowing green. After 15 to 45 seconds or so the light will come back on and I can hit the button again and the door will close further. So this seems to be electrical.... I am not sure if the capacitor can shut off the power like this or is this the circuit board? Any suggestions..... Sears (Crafnsman) is useless and the opener only has a 2 year warrenty. Thanks Rick

Hello!

This sounds like you might have a short, or like you said a problem with the circuit board. I dont think it's a common problem on any particular garage door opener, at least not that I am aware of. In any case, if the problem was in fact related to the "sensitivity/force" levels you have been adjusting, then the door would actually reverse itself after it stopped, and then it would give you some kind of indication that it hit something or had some kind of problem while the door was closing (usually the light on the motor will flash a couple of times to indicate this. this will also be the case if the "photo eyes" are tripped/activated by someone walking under the door)

The opener is designed to reverse when it encounters a problem just in case it is closing the garage door on a person or object. It doesnt sound like your door is reversing, so neither the sensitivity/force adjustment or the photo eyes are the issue. (I would turn the force level down to a safer, mid-range level in case something does get stuck under the door in the future.)

I would make sure the plug is securely inserted into the outlet first, then perhaps remove the motor cover and take a look to see if there is anything obviously wrong with the circuit board or the wiring. i.e. wires barely making contact or even hanging off. You probably wont see anything but its worth a shot. Craftsman should offer a lifetime warranty on this opener, so I would give them a call and they can probably direct you to a local garage door company that can send someone out and take a look. Sounds like something will need to be replaced. Hard to troubleshoot an issue like this without being there, but hopefully this helps in some way. Good luck!

[jeffkellen]

Hmmmm..That is weird, and I have never seen an opener do this. Try switching outlets that the opener is plugged into, thus eliminating a problem with that particular power source. If you still have the problem, then obviously it's a problem internally with the opener. I have never heard of a capaciter shutting it down like that, and if it did, I dont imagine it would turn itself back on. There are some surge and heat protection on newer motors that will shut the motor down if it gets too hot (caused by running it many times in a row without a break to cool down) but I doubt that is your problem. It sounds like you might be looking at getting a new opener, you might have simply purchased one that was flawed. I know it sucks to have to do that after only a few years (usually an opener will last you about 10-12 years) the good news is that they are relatively inexpensive. you can pick up a new 1/2 horse Chain driven Chamberlain for $138. And Craftsman will have pretty good deals every once in a while if you check the ads at sears. Dont be discouraged by Craftsman openers, it has been my experience that they are pretty reliable, you just got the fluke. Just FYI, Craftsman, Chamberlain and LiftMaster are owned by the same company, and are essentially the same opener so any of them should be a good product. I almost exclusively use and reccomend these brands and they usually come with a lifetime warranty on the motor. Sorry to hear about your problem, hopefully you can find a solution or simply be done with it when you get a new one. Let me know if you have any other questions I can help you with.

[Vikingtu]

Thanks for taking the time to write. You are correct.... I am not happy the opener only lasted 2/1/2 years.....Ps. I did try a new power sources and it still did the same thing. Must be the board. I can't find any information on the capacitors. If it was that it would be a easy $20.00 fix. Thanks again!