Replace or Repair Garage Door Opener?

[Finman]

I have a Liftmaster Garage Door Opener that was installed in 1999. Today it stopped working properly. Upon further inspection, it appears the drive gear has worn down to the point that the worm gear will not mesh with the drive gear to function properly. There are lots of white plastic shavings in the opener housing. I am not sure if this has happened over time, or a result of something binding and causing the worm gear to destroy the drive gear. Since the unit is 13 years old am I better off trying to replace the drive gear at $10, or just replace the entire unit because it is probably near the end of its "life cycle" anyway. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

[bob haller]

for 10 bucks i would try replacing the gear.

doors get hard to move pretty often, when your doing the lifting and it gets hard smart people lube adjust and repair door.

with a opener often you have no way to know the door needs serviced,''\ \\

before you do anything service the door, when was the last time it was lubed?

[HeyBub]

I replaced the Nylon gear set on my Liftmaster, oh, eight years ago. It's probably ready for another gear replacement.

Spend the ten dollars.

[Robert Neville]

If you can get the part for $10 and install it yourself in an hour or less, why not? If you have to pay a service guy $50 to install the gear, I'd probably buy a replacement unit. They are rated for a certain number of cycles, but you are replacing the main part that wears out.

[Finman]

I have never lubed the gear. The door was serviced last year. Somehow, the track was bent and had to be replaced.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, I'd fix it if part is available. Make sure spring is balanced so it won't stress the opener moving the dorr up/down.

[clare]

The repair kits are widely available, and at varying but usually reasonable prices. Half an hour's work for a good handiman or an hour of cursing for a less adept person makes it good as new. Just follow the (simple) instructions closely - particularly in regard to the application of the supplied lubricant.

[Ed Pawlowski]

If the gear is $10, you can easily get another 5 to 15 years from the opener. If the gear ends up being $50, buy a new lift.

While you are working on it, be sure the springs are balancing properly so as not to strain and wear parts out faster than needed.

[Stormin Mormon]

I think they meant to lube the rollers, and the track. If the rollers, and track dry up, the machine has to work harder. Lube the chain, or cable also.

BTW, I'd buy TWO sets of the rollers and gears. You never know if the company will stay in business. With the state of economy in the USA. Take the second set, put in envelope, and label the envelope with marker. Staple that to the beam next to the opener.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

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[Nil]

On 13 Jan 2012, "Stormin Mormon" wrote in alt.home.repair:

Good idea. I had to replace my 25-year old Sears garage door opener last year because, even though the motor worked fine, the teflon gear was shredded to bits. I spent days combing stores and the internet looking for a replacement, but the part hasn't been manufactured for years and all stock seems to have dried up.

The new opener wasn't all that expensive, and it's quieter than the old one, but I would have been happier buying a $10 gear. I should buy a spare or two for the new one.

[Stormin Mormon]

I may end up retiring my Kenmore floor carpet extractor, same deal. Can't find replacement nozzle.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

Good idea. I had to replace my 25-year old Sears garage door opener last year because, even though the motor worked fine, the teflon gear was shredded to bits. I spent days combing stores and the internet looking for a replacement, but the part hasn't been manufactured for years and all stock seems to have dried up.

The new opener wasn't all that expensive, and it's quieter than the old one, but I would have been happier buying a $10 gear. I should buy a spare or two for the new one.

[clare]

And then you'll find the FIXED the gear problem and something ELSE will fail in 3 years - and not be available for replacement, and you'll have 2 sets of gears to throw away with the opener......

[larry moe 'n curly]

Lubing gears can help a lot, even if they're plastic gears that supposedly don't need grease. If possible, get NLGI #1 lithium grease, not the usual thicker #2 lithium, especially if you're in a cold climate. Don't mix different types of grease because that can sometimes form a hard crusty material. You should be OK using lithium grease.

Lubricating the door rollers is good, but never lubricate the door tracks. OTOH with Liftmaster/Chamberlain/Sears openers, the "T" rail has to be greased, as does the trolley on the bottom side of that rail.

[Dan Espen]

I replaced the plastic gear and got many more years out of one.

[Justin Time]

Ironically, been there done that about two weeks ago. I think the shavings from the worn gear mostly happen during their last efforts of trying to grip into each other, only to slip more and more.

I have a Chamberlain (Liftmaster Product) and the exact same thing happened. I bought the kit containing the gears and replaced them all. It was easy as long as you lake your time. The kit cost me $40 and IMO, much better than spending $150 plus for another opener, then taking the time to remove the old and install the new.

[HeyBub]

Huh? Sears, Chamberlin, Craftsman, and Liftmaster are all the same. At least ONE of them should have an interchangeable part...

[Finman]

THANK YOU everyone for the helpful feedback! I ordered a replacement gear and lube for $8 delivered. Hopefully this will buy me at least a few more years.

[Nil]

On 13 Jan 2012, "HeyBub" wrote in alt.home.repair:

Yes, I know they are, but this particular gear was nowhere to be found. A compatible part has not been made for many years. My only hope would have been to find someone with old stock, but I couldn't find any.

I even discussed it here. You participated in the discussion.

[Nil]

On 13 Jan 2012, [e-mail] wrote in alt.home.repair:

You're probably right. I doubt many appliances bought today will still be working in 25 years.

I have a 48-year-old kitchen blender that's still going strong. My 24- year-old washing machine is getting a little rusty, but the mechanics still work perfectly. I dread the day when I will have to replace it with something that's mostly plastic and is full of non-repairable, unreliable computerized components. I may replace my 38-year-old oven in the next year or so, mostly for cosmetic reasons. It's kinda worn and ugly, but it works perfectly. If I could find a new faceplate for it (the paint has worn off it) I might keep it longer.

[Stormin Mormon]

I'd take that chance. What, for ten bucks more? Heck, yah!

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

.

And then you'll find the FIXED the gear problem and something ELSE will fail in 3 years - and not be available for replacement, and you'll have 2 sets of gears to throw away with the opener......