Craftsman 1/2 HP GDO stopped working

15 years ago

I have a 1/2 hp Craftsman GDO, which is probably older, maybe 15 years or so. This morning I pushed the button inside the garage and it opened up just fine. When I got in my car and pushed the button, nothing happened. So, I tried from the panel on the outside, still nothing. When I went inside the garage and pushed the button, I heard a "humming" sound - like power was going to the unit and trying to operate it but no movement whatsoever. I checked to make sure the track was clean, no obstructions to the sensors, manually opened and closed the door several times but it's the same thing, just a power humming for a few seconds.

Could the motor have given out that quickly? As I said, it opened the door just fine but then wouldn't close it. The light doesn't "blink" off and on like there's a problem. In fact, the light comes on just as it should, then goes off after a minute or two - just as it should. I unplugged it and then plugged it back in to no avail.

Is it expensive to have someone look at it, and who would I call anyway? Sears? It's long past warranty to be sure.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,

John

Comments (2)

don_1_2006
15 years ago
It sounds like it could be the start capacitor or the drive gear. The cost to repair if you can't DIY is almost the price of a new unit less installation. It's a hard call.
celt101
15 years ago
Sounds like your logic board might be going on the fritz. If you think you might want to replace it yourself, I can tell you where NOT to buy it. I recently bought one from Ontario Supply in New York from their web site for $60. Unfortunately, it has turned out to be defective and they won't refund my purchase price even though I sent the defective unit back at my own cost. So, don't buy from them, they don't deal fairly in my opinion. I think you're best off just calling a local repair service and let them replace the board. If you replace the board yourself and it does not work, you're just going to end up calling a repair service anyway. Ontario Supply operates under the following web sites:

http://www.wholesalegaragedoorparts.com

and

http://www.liftmasterpartsonline.com/

In my opinion, you should avoid this company
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