In this video I take a look at a garage door opener (Chamberlan Liftmaster Model) that makes noise but the shaft doesn’t turn. The solution is simple and can be fixed for less than $40!

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The Symptoms:

This garage door opener motor is turning (screw type not the belt or chain type) but nothing is happening. I can hear the motor turning but the shaft that actually moves the garage door does not.

Troubleshooting

If you haven’t done this already, make sure you have the same or a similar problem that I have here in this video. If not, this may not help you fix your problem.

  • Ask yourself a few questions first.
  • Does the door try to move? Does the light flash on and off? – If so you may have knocked one of the safety sensors out of adjustment.
  • Check the last known source of power – Does the switch work? Do the garage lights come on? Does the remote work but not the switch? etc… etc..
  • If your garage door makes noise like this one then move on to the next steps – you may have the same issues.

The culprit!

You can probably tell that I started shooting this video without knowing what the problem was first – real world examples for ya! – It was easy to find the broken coupler laying on top of the garage door opener once I got up there. Luckily this part was marked with part numbers and it was easy for me to find locally. If I could have waited a few days for the part then it defiantly would have been more economical to buy online. It’s always good to support local business however, even if their markup is 300% :-O

Old Coupler (Left) – Replacement (Right)

Disassembly

DISCONNECT THE POWER FIRST!

You’ll have to take some of the hardware loose to get enough room for the replacement coupler to slide in. These two shafts are close together and you’ll need to create space here.

At about the 3:45 mark in the video I show you which bolts to take loose (not remove completely), how to protect the sensor wiring, and which bolts you’ll need to pull all the way out.

Before Installing the Coupler

Before you do, check and make sure that the carrier and the trolly are lined up or at least within a few inches of each other. If not, you’ll have to spin the shaft manually to get them to line up. In this case, the release either got disconnected on its own or someone disconnected it when the garage door stopped working. If this difference is extreme, you may not have enough adjustment on the control board to make up for it and you’ll wind up having to take it all apart and do it over again.


If this difference is extreme, you may not have enough adjustment on the control board to make up for it.


Installing the Coupler

This part can be a little tricky. You’ll have to use one hand to hold the opener assembly back out of the way while using the other hand to push the coupler into place. I found it easier to push the coupler onto the motor first and then the drive shaft as you can see in the video. The splines (or teeth) on the motor shaft will have to match up to the groves in the coupler in order for it to go on. You’ll have to turn it a little bit to get it lined up. After one side is done you’ll also have to spin one shaft or the other to get the splines to line up with both sides. Slowly turn the shaft, apply light pressure and it should fall into place.

Re-assembly and Testing

You can now put the bolts back in and tighten them in reverse order. It’s a good idea to get everything snug and lined up before you tighten everything down “gooten-tight.” After you’ve got everything tight DOUBLE CHECK IT! You don’t want this assembly falling on your car, or worse, your head! (I guess that depends on how nice your car is!)

Use the manual release before you actually move the door

Pull the manual release to disengage the door from the opening when you run it for the first time.

Its a good idea to use the manual release for the first few runs. Grab the remote so you’ll be ready to stop the carriage if it decides to go too far in one direction. Remember, the control board “knows” or at least it “knew” where the garage door was when it was working properly. Now that things have changes you’ll have to “teach” it the new open and close positions. This is done by the adjusting the up and down screws usually located on the side or back of the opener.

Open and Close adjustment screws on the Chamberlain LiftMaster

Be conservative on the first couple runs and stop the garage door opener early if you think its going to hit itself. After a few runs the carriage will probably snap into the trolly automatically and grab the garage door for you (like it did for me).
Once you’re comfortable that it’s not going to slam into the ground or jamb into itself you can fine tune the stop positions.

Check the safety sensors

There are two laser beam sensors (ya know the ones you used to Indiana Jones over while sneaking under the closing door when you were a kid). These are located at the sides of each door near the floor. They keep the garage door from closing on anything that trips the sensor. Trip the beam while the garage door is closing to make sure the still work. If you pulled a wire loose in the repair process it’ll be nice to know while you still have the ladder and the tools out!

I Hope that helps – Thanks for the support!