Filling the money pit

kw: home maintenance

It isn't hard to see what is inside a garage door opener. Just unplug it and remove four screws (from this model at least) and the cover drops off. I've been swamped with a lot of home maintenance stuff, and this was the last for a little while. The garage door opener jammed a few days ago, and I knew I was out of my depth, so I called in a repairman.

Boy, howdy would I have been out of my depth, trying to do this one! First, the gentleman used a pair of pliers to turn the motor back so the rail wasn't jammed any more, then he removed the limit switch assembly.

Some navigation aids: the motor is the biggest thing in the case, or course, set at an angle. The ring gear that it drives is partially visible at lower center. On the plate that holds the ring gear, you can see the limit switch assembly: three threaded nylon rods with the switches on them, and some wires attached.

Here is the limit switch assembly close up. A gear drives the middle screw, which carries the switch actuator. One switch is at top left, at the end of the "upper" nylon rod, and the other is near bottom right, on the other rod. You can see the holes where one may stick a screwdriver to adjust these things.

The old assembly was badly worn, so I'm glad it is replaced. There are three wires the repairman removed and attached to the new unit, each a different color. I'd probably have gotten them back in the wrong order! For a job like this, I don't mind that the labor costs 90% of the total bill. It was worth it.