hi there i was curious if anyone has had experience with chain driven garage doors? i have my first garage finally but now the door will not open corectly when using button. i do know i can open door manualy just fine, i also checked chain etc seems to me might be in the motor it will open 1/4 then start making noise and the gear in the motor is not working as designed. wondering what i could do etc rather try to fix first before cashing out $$$$$ on something that might not really be need at this time. sears craftsman model an chain driven.any help would be great!!!!!

My Craftsman door opener did that when one of the Nylon gears stripped.
It wasn't too hard to fix it as I recall.
Another time the start capacitor went bad.

Are the counterbalance springs broken?

First make sure the door opens and closes fairly easily manually. If so, check the tension on the chain. Is it too loose and jumping on the gear on the motor?? Its easily adjustable. Or, I also had a Craftsman that the bearing or bushing went bad and the drive gear was all over the place. You can buy parts but I just replaced it since it was old and loud.
If the door is not working good, dont mess around with the springs/cables unless you know what your doing. They can seriously kick your ass!!

No, it is working as designed. It lasted til you got the house, and now it needs you to buy parts or a new one. ;)

K

the door opens fine manualy but if it is fully closed and you press the open button it lifts it about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch and the starts making a weird like binding noise and the gear on top of the unit is not turning. i have checked chain,free play etc i know the problem has to be in the actual unit just not sure if i should try to fix or scrap it.

If it was built in the past ten years, you'll probably be time and money ahead to just buy a new one.

ok guys i found out more info on my garage door opener! i took casing off and found all the gears inside were stripper and made of like plastic, i also foun out it is a 1991 model from sears 1/2 power. my question is should i take time and money to fix or just install a new one? i am leaning toward new one. thanks brandon

Well, since you tore it apart, you might as well check the price on a new gear (if you can get one). Gotta be a lot cheaper than a new operator. I know my Father fixed his quite a few years ago and its still doing fine. Same thing, Craftsman with a bad drive gear.

LiftMaster/Chamderlain makes Craftsmen ( might have in 1991) might have lower cost parts than Sears. check their web site