Garage door does not open (trolley stuck?)

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alu2007 said:
The adjustment bolt is there...I have attached a photo. When I shot that video with my phone it was initially inverted and I had to rotate it to straighten it out. So I dont know what happened there.

But video # 3 is what puzzles me. With the chain loose (droop), and pressing the wall switch, I would still expect the trolley to reverse since there is no load (garage door is disengaged). However, the opener attempts to start and the chain on one side tightens up. Other side is still drooping. It is as if something in the motor or gear is locking up or does not have enough juice to rotate it
trolleywAdjBolt_zps47581338.jpg
Click to expand...
Looking at this pic, which side of the chain gets tight when you hit the button? The side in the pic that is attached to the adjustment bolt should be the side tightening up, pulling the trolley back towards the opener head. If the other side is tighening up, then the chain position and the opener are out of sync.
Mike Hawkins
 
Yes the side with the adjustment bolt tightens. So basically should I remove the chain and let the motor run without the chain until it hits the other end of the limt and then put the chain back and try.

I ordered the capacitor but based on what you said, it appears that it may be an out of sync issue. The original capacitor had no visible signs of failure and seemed to show change in resistance per some test instructions I read eleswhere. I ordered it in any case though.
 
This is quite puzzling. The side with the adjustment bolt in the pic should be the one to tighten. By that I mean the chain should be pulling the adjustment bolt side of the trolley towards the opener. If it is trying to pull it in the other direction, then I would take the chain off and cycle the opener once and put it back on. Someone else mentioned the capicitor. When they go, you'll usually see a puff of smoke come out of the motorhead, and then the motor won't start after that. You'll just get a click sound with no motion. You may have something more internal going on, worn clutch, bad motherboard, etc. May be time for a new opener. What happens when you hit the button and the chain tightens up, does the motor shut off when everything gets tight, or does it reverse itself and start turning in the other direction?
Mike Hawkins:)
 
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The gears rotate fine with the chain off. They rotate completely clockwise and anticlockwise and hit the limit switches as in the first video

With the chain on and with some slack, when I press the wall switch the chain tightens up (the side opposite the adjustment bolt)

When I press the wall switch a second, third time, it just clicks and light on the GDO starts blinking 5 times and repeats over and over. It does not reverse.

The first and second attempt are in the second video.

Thx
 
Alu,
after watching the videos again, here's what we know:
1: with the chain disconnected from the motorhead sprocket, the chain moves the trolley by hand in both directions freely.
2: With the chain disconnected from the motorhead, the motorhead cycles back and forth ok.
3: In the last video you posted the youtube link for, the chain that tightens up and stops is the wrong side. It's trying to pull the trolley into the garage door, which won't happen, so the chain just tightens up and stops.
4: It is definitely 180 degrees out of sync as far as the chain is concerned.

If you were to disconnect the chain off the motorhead sprocket, slide the trolley back up to the motorhead and then reconnect the chain, when you hit the button, the chain on the right side of the track as pictured in your last video should be doing the pulling and the trolley should move towards the garage door. Next time you hit the button, the chain should reverse direction and the trolley should move back towards the motorhead.
At this point, if it is working now, reconnect the door and check its travel limits in both directions. You should be pretty close and adjustments can be made with the two little white plastic screws that are marked with an arrow on each one, one pointing towards the door in the up position, and one pointing down for the door in the down position. By turning either screw in the direction of the arrow, you will either let the door travel up more, or down more, depending on which screw you turn.
Mike Hawkins:)
 
It looks like it is trying to close the door, so are you sure you are going the right direction? It looks like you could disconnect the chain and run the motor once putting it in the closed position and rehook the chain, so the motor will pull it toward the open position.
 
Thanks Mike and nealtw. I will give this a try tomorrow (Friday) and post back. Have been opening and closing the garage door manually for the past two weeks.
 
Thank you guys. That was the issue with the trolley. It was out of sync. The trolley moves now..but now seems like it is a limit issue. On the opener end the trolley stops much before it hits the stop bolt. On the garage door end it hits the stop bolt hard and then reverses. I assume now I have to play with the limits? I'll post a video
 
Alu,
the door is traveling too far in the down position. Find the adjustment screw on the side or back that shows a little picture of the door going down and see which way the arrow in the picture is telling you to turn it. If you turn it in the opposite direction, the door will not travel down so far. Try about a half turn at a time. Run the door down and get it to where it just stops short of closing. Now turn the screw the other direction 1/8 of a turn at a time till the door seats nicely. On the other end, when the door goes up, it is NOT supposed to hit the bolt just in front of the motor head. If it is, then it is travelling too far. The adjustment screw for the door going up will have a pic of the door almost in the up position with an arrow pointing in one direction. Turn the screw in the opposite direction the arrow shows to stop the door from traveling so far in the up position. It should stop short of the bolt. You should be checking the bottom of the door when the door is in the up position to see where it is at in the opening. Normally it will be hanging about 1 1/2 - 2" from the top of the opening. The only time it needs to be higher than this is if you really need the extra clearance because you have a tall vehicle. Try the adjustments and see if you can get it dialed in. Now, one more thing, don't operate the door for more than 6 to 8 cycles without stopping and giving it a rest. Electrical parts get warm inside and you don't want to fry your starting capacitor. They only put so much smoke in at the factory, and if you let it all out, it won't work anymore.
Mike Hawkins:)
 
firehawkmph said:
Alu,
the door is traveling too far in the down position. Find the adjustment screw on the side or back that shows a little picture of the door going down and see which way the arrow in the picture is telling you to turn it. If you turn it in the opposite direction, the door will not travel down so far. Try about a half turn at a time. Run the door down and get it to where it just stops short of closing. Now turn the screw the other direction 1/8 of a turn at a time till the door seats nicely. On the other end, when the door goes up, it is NOT supposed to hit the bolt just in front of the motor head. If it is, then it is travelling too far. The adjustment screw for the door going up will have a pic of the door almost in the up position with an arrow pointing in one direction. Turn the screw in the opposite direction the arrow shows to stop the door from traveling so far in the up position. It should stop short of the bolt. You should be checking the bottom of the door when the door is in the up position to see where it is at in the opening. Normally it will be hanging about 1 1/2 - 2" from the top of the opening. The only time it needs to be higher than this is if you really need the extra clearance because you have a tall vehicle. Try the adjustments and see if you can get it dialed in. Now, one more thing, don't operate the door for more than 6 to 8 cycles without stopping and giving it a rest. Electrical parts get warm inside and you don't want to fry your starting capacitor. They only put so much smoke in at the factory, and if you let it all out, it won't work anymore.
Mike Hawkins:)
Click to expand...


Hi Mike,
As you indicated, I have been trying to adjust the limit switches with just the trolley (i.e the door is not connected). . I was able to decrease the down travel limits to position the trolley above the latch which hooks into the garage door. I adjusted the up travel to move the trolley closer to the opener end. However, I find that on each cycle the travel doesnt stay the same. It keeps keeps shifting actually, i.e the trolley moves further in the down direction and the up limit also shifts away from the garage door. On the third cycle it shifts further down and hits the stop bolt on the garage door side and then the trolley reverses. But this time the up travel is only a few inches. There seems to be something going on with the limit switches. However, I dont see any visible issue with the limits contacts. I tried most of the day. Will continue tomorrow and see what else I can find.

Thanks,
Alu
 
alu2007 said:
Hi Mike,
As you indicated, I have been trying to adjust the limit switches with just the trolley (i.e the door is not connected). . I was able to decrease the down travel limits to position the trolley above the latch which hooks into the garage door. I adjusted the up travel to move the trolley closer to the opener end. However, I find that on each cycle the travel doesnt stay the same. It keeps keeps shifting actually, i.e the trolley moves further in the down direction and the up limit also shifts away from the garage door. On the third cycle it shifts further down and hits the stop bolt on the garage door side and then the trolley reverses. But this time the up travel is only a few inches. There seems to be something going on with the limit switches. However, I dont see any visible issue with the limits contacts. I tried most of the day. Will continue tomorrow and see what else I can find.

Thanks,
Alu
Click to expand...


I am trying again this morning. Will post back results
 
Alu,
you should be adjusting the limits with the door hooked up. Never tried to do that without the door being attached. Hard to say exactly what the problem is because I haven't seen what you are doing.
Mike Hawkins
 
Hi Mike,

I think I finally got the limits to work. I was having problems to get the limits to stay. I think it is probably because the garage door is not balanced and may be causing too much drag on the limits. I am going to get the door balanced and post back. For now after a couple of attempts the garage door is connected and limits are holding up. Thanks again for your help. I will post back with more info once door is balanced.

Thanks,
Alu
 
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