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+--- Thread: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? (/showthread.php?tid=55941)
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Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - Chupa Chupa - 06-02-2008
My door lift all the sudden refused to go down. (It still goes up). On closer inspection I noticed on of the safety sensors near the ground was not lighting up. No red, no green. Nothing. The other sensor is lit green.
I'm assuming it's a dead sensor BUT could it be a more serious (un-repairable) problem with the door opener unit itself? I can fix the former, but I'll have to have a pro out to replace the unit if its the later. We had a bad storm a few days ago so I'm wondering if that screwed something up. I just hate to waste the gas to go to find a sensor if the entire unit is dead. I'll go nuts without a garage lift much longer so I want to get this done ASAP.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - BigGuynRusty - 06-02-2008
[quote Chupa Chupa]My door lift all the sudden refused to go down. (It still goes up). On closer inspection I noticed on of the safety sensors near the ground was not lighting up. No red, no green. Nothing. The other sensor is lit green.
I'm assuming it's a dead sensor BUT could it be a more serious (un-repairable) problem with the door opener unit itself? I can fix the former, but I'll have to have a pro out to replace the unit if its the later. We had a bad storm a few days ago so I'm wondering if that screwed something up. I just hate to waste the gas to go to find a sensor if the entire unit is dead. I'll go nuts without a garage lift much longer so I want to get this done ASAP. IF The Lift was dead, it would not move.
It is the sensor.
Dead or Misaligned.
BGnR
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - GGD - 06-02-2008
Could possibly be the wiring between the sensors and the motor unit. Often that wiring is exposed and can get yanked when moving stuff in the garage near the sensors, or chewed on by rodents.
Also make sure that nothing is blocking the path between the two sensors, like a broom, rake, or rags.
Also, what happens when you try to lower the door? With my unit, if it's blocked by the sensor, the light bulb in the main unit will flash on and off quickly.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - deckeda - 06-02-2008
[quote GGD]Could possibly be the wiring between the sensors and the motor unit. ...
Another way of saying this is that the logic board is going bad, and if so, there likely isn't a "PRAM" or "CUDA" reset that'll be permanent. Logic boards can be replaced (I think they call them "receiver" or "main" boards in garage opener parlance) but might not be worth the expense. You don't need to hire someone to replace it.
I agree that the symptoms you describe sound like only a bad sensor, but I see some parallels to a situation that happened to mine that you should be aware of.
I have an opener that began to exhibit not responding to the remote but would always work at the wall. There's a reset/programming switch on mine I was instructed to press. Voila, everything worked again.
I was warned however that the problem was likely caused by a storm or brownout, and that the symptom, or others would soon ensue. Now the door won't close with the remote, and the only way to close it at the wall is to hold the button down until the door stops --- there are no obstructions anywhere, and the door is well balanced, and yet it'll act as if there's an obstruction and reverse itself unless the button is held down the whole time.
It's 'lil computer brain is toast, in my case, just not to the point where it's completely failed to run the motor.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - tenders - 06-02-2008
Hey, I just fixed my door last night! (Sears, vintage 1994, "green light" for learning remote codes.) Same symptoms -- there is definitely hope for you.
I had unknowingly spilled some detergent (carpet shampoo, if you must know) on my sensor and over six months it corroded the contacts that supplied power from the motor unit to the sensors. Lights out on the sensors, and a sticky green mess from the corroded copper within.
I replaced the sensors (from Sears - stock item, about $35 for the sender and receiver, sold as a pair) and it still didn't work. I assumed that some fuse had blown out on the motor unit and had delayed tearing it apart for MONTHS. Until yesterday.
There was no fuse whatsoever in there! And nothing that looked burnt or worn.
I have the benefit of having two identical openers on both garage doors so I used my multimeter to establish that the three output terminals had the same voltages across them on both motor units. Conclusion: some sort of power is available to get to the sensors.
This led me to check the connectors that came with the new sensor designed to "help" splice the sensors into the power lines from the motor unit. Handy looking little things -- round circles with a little compressible insert. Put the source and destination wires into two channels pre-filled with a little dielectric goop, squeeze with a pair of pliers, and Bob's your uncle but with no way to check continuity.
I cut the connectors out and twisted the wires together instead. Voila. Lights on the sensors back on again.
I suggest you:
(1) Examine sensor with the light out for misalignment with the other sensor (or excessive dirt/cobwebs), or signs of liquid intrusion from the recent storm
(2) Trace wiring with your eye and/or finger to ensure a clear unfettered path from the motor unit to the sensor
(3) Check the continuity of each wire from motor unit to sensor
(4) Buy a new sensor from Sears and do your own splicing.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - ajakeski - 06-02-2008
Make sure the wires going to the sensors are not damaged. If they're good, try moving one sensor around to get it to "see" the other one. When they "see" each other the lights on the sensor should go on.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - Chupa Chupa - 06-02-2008
Well I popped into Home Depot and was shocked to find they sold replacement sensors (they never seem to have what I need when I need it). I just replaced the dead sensor as a test and whaddya know it worked. I'll have to do the full install w/ new brackets and both sensors tonight but relieve it was such a minor thing. $30 on new sensors is much better than $300 on a whole new unit + install. Thanks for all the comments.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - BigGuynRusty - 06-02-2008
You're Welcome!!
BGnR
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - Black Landlord - 06-03-2008
How do dead sensors prevent the door from going down?
I just fixed one of my doors on Saturday-- much different problem though, but it's good to finally understand how it works and all the adjustments.
Re: Garage Door Lift Sensor Dead...or is it he door lift itself? - Racer X - 06-03-2008
if the sensor is non-functional, it isn't smart enough to actually know it isn't blocked by a helpless 2 week old baby. Thus the door won't come down.