2nd Craftsman Opener Broken

[Idoitall]

Just like the last post on GDO's, I just didn't want to hijack that post.

I have two of the Craftsman 1/2 HP chain drive openers, each on a 7x9 wood door with two springs. These units are about 8 years old or so.

A month or so ago one stopped raising/lowering but the motor was running. So, as a DIY guy, I removed the cover and found the 3" drive gear stripped out and plenty of the white stuff inside. I got the replacement kit from Sears and changed it out. Surprisingly, the instructions were included and pretty accurate. It operated fine for a month and now has stripped it again. I should mention that one of the springs was stretched a bit, so I replaced them both and the door is well balanced and easily opens/closes by hand.

As if this wasn't enough, the other door stopped today and I found the exact same thing, a stripped gear. The springs are fine and the door is well balanced and opens/closes easily by hand.

I'm reluctant to replace both at $32 each without understanding what the real problem is here. I can see the gear wearing over the life of the units since the covers have never been off, but not stripping out in a month.

I'm hoping that you may have some things to check or an idea what may be the cause.

[gdoorpro]

gear kit

Some things to remember.

1 - make sure the roll pin is reinstalled on the bottom of the plastic gear replaced.

2- replace the worm gear as well, this is on the shaft the motor turns.

3- lubricate the gears with the grease provided or another low temperature grease.

4- Check the chain sprocket to make sure it is not worn and holding the sprocket shaft perpendicular to the sprocket. sometimes the collar by the chain sprocket wears out and eats into the collar and housing underneath the sprocket. I have seen them be totally broken off of the shaft. If there is any silver metallic dust on top of the operator or the big white plastic gear, replace the whole drive shaft.

My recommendation is when buying a garage door operator, that paying a little more for a DC motor and unit with enclosed gear lubrication, will pay off over time. Examples are LiftMaster Elite Series

Ryan
Garage Door Pro

[Idoitall]

Thanks for the reply. I replaced the entire assembly and not just the gear itself. As such, the shaft, bushings, and sprocket are new.

There was no grease pack included in the kit and no mention of it. As a long time DIY I wanted to apply a small amount grease but decided that since it wasn't included or mentioned it might not be the right thing to do on the plastic gears.

I thinking that I will replace them too. I have never liked Sears and do not like going in the store, so I'll be looking at other openers.

I suspect there may be a market for these used units on Craig's List, especially the electronics since they do go bad.

Again thanks for the ideas and recommendations. Time to go shopping.

[RandomIan]

Thanks for the reply. I replaced the entire assembly and not just the gear itself. As such, the shaft, bushings, and sprocket are new.

There was no grease pack included in the kit and no mention of it. As a long time DIY I wanted to apply a small amount grease but decided that since it wasn't included or mentioned it might not be the right thing to do on the plastic gears.

I thinking that I will replace them too. I have never liked Sears and do not like going in the store, so I'll be looking at other openers.

I suspect there may be a market for these used units on Craig's List, especially the electronics since they do go bad.

Again thanks for the ideas and recommendations. Time to go shopping.

I would check the balance on your door, and I would bet that the door itself is the cause for your operator problems.

Disconnect the door from the operator and try to lift the door manually. You shouldnt have any problem lifting it and it should be able to be done with one hand. Lift the door half way in the opening and let go, a perfectly balanced door should stay in one spot.

My guess is that your door will be heavy to lift and will drop when you move your hands away. This indicated that there isnt enough tension on the springs or that you have a broken spring. You should take care of this before getting a new operator and you might just get some more life out of your old one.

CHEERS

-Ian

[Idoitall]

On the 1st door, the one that I had replaced the gear assembly, I also replaced both springs, and moved up in the spring load. The door moves up and down easily by hand, and will stay in place about half-way. These are 9x7 wood doors and are pretty heavy.

I went ahead and replaced that one with a Chamberlain Whisper Drive (Belt) and it working OK. I removed the cover the other day to observe the gear and it looks good so far. The internals and some of the parts look almost exactly like the Craftsman. Imagine that.

I got a good deal from HD and it had 2 remotes, a keypad, and even a lamp controller for use in the house. Even has a motion sensor so the light comes on when you walk into the garage. Nice when going to the fridge for a cold one.

Thanks for the input and we'll see how this one performs before I replace the 2nd one. That side is mostly storage anyway.

[RandomIan]

I would just check everything over once every 3 months or so, and lube all the moving parts, but lube with Garage Door Lube (GDL). Springs, rollers, hinges, and that sort of thing. This will just help extend the life of your doors. Since its a wood door, they will take on moisture and sweat and expand and such and put extra strain on the springs. So you will just have to keep your eyes open to all of that and it will help your gears last longer.

-CHEERS

-Ian

[gdoorpro]

garage door operator brands

It should be noted that Chamberain is the parent company of Liftmaster, which also makes Sears Craftsman operators. So the guts are pretty much the same. Usually the differences are limited to the parts included in the box, such as # of remotes and accessories. Liftmaster is usually a little more expensive and only sold through door dealers. It comes with one piece rails, making shipping a little more expensive.

A few door companies private label chamberlain operators so you could find Raynor garage door operators, which are just private labeled Liftmaster/Chamberlain operators.

Genie operators are duplicates of Overhead Door Company, since OHD bought out Genie many years ago. These can also be found private labled.

ryan