Home Automation - Can't Close Garage Door with Remote

I have a Sears GDO that I installed 14 years ago. Chain drive. Worked fine. But now, all of a sudden, it will not close with the remote control. It will open with the remote, and it opens and closes with the wall switch.

I tried the 2nd remote, same problem. Installed new battery in boty. I can open the door from 100 feet away, but cannot close it with the remote even if I stand directly under the control head.

Suggestions? Looks like the electronics died.

Does the main light flash 10 times and the door reverse to the open position when you try to close it with the remote? If so you have a door sensor problem. Each of them has a small light that has to be lit for them to work properly. If they are not pointed at one another one of the lights will be out. Tweak them and see if you can get the lights to come on. If not you either have bad sensors or the wiring to them.

14 y/o opener may not have sensors.....well...hmmm when were they required?

Anyway..if it does have sensors..do as Donald said.

Do you have to hold the interior button or just push it once and it goes down? Holding it def means a sensor issue.

If adjusting sensors doesn't help...try unplugging the unit for about 15 min or so..then reconnecting. You shouldn't have to do any reprogramming..your unit probably uses DIP switches inside the remote and motor unit.

Sensors were required on all door openers in 1991.

thx Donald...I was thinking maybe '93....good to know.

Hey..I just searched...seems it was '93...though they may have been included earlier by some makers.

Anyway....lets see if we hear back about the problem...

Gunguy you are correct it was 1993. I've been wrong for a long time now.

No, the safety system works fine. I lower the door uwing the hard-wired wall switch and the door comes down. It does reverse if I break the sensor beam or physically hold the door from closing.

My guess it's a problem with the internal electronics. And if so, guess I'm in the market for a new opener. Maybe I can find one with just the head...

Other ideas what the problem could be?

Did you try unplugging it for a period of time? What about holding vs pushing the interior button?

All the remote does is send a signal..it doesn't know whether the door is up or down. If it opens..it should also close.

That said..a 14 y/o opener is pretty old..it sure wouldn't hurt to replace it. The newer ones are safer and have more features.

We seem to be going around in circles. What I would like for you to do is try closing the door with your remote and let us know what happens. Just the facts.

The garage door will always open with the remote even from 100 feet away.

It will not close with the remote no matter how close I am to the housing. I tried two remotes with new batteries.

I unplugged the opener for an hour and then plugged it back in as suggested. Same problem.

Thanks for helping out!

You say it won't close. What does it do? Any noise? Does it start to run and then reverse? Something must be happening. Will it close when you use the wall control? Do you have to hold the button? Do you have door sensors? The electronics didn't die or it wouldn't open. Any clues will help us help you.

I have the same problem. I programmed my car's garage door remote button to open and close my garage door. It's been working for about a year. All of a sudden now, I can open the door and close it sometimes, but the majority of the time, I open it in the morning with the car button, then have to get out and run in the garage and hit the button on the wall and run out without the sensors catching me. When I get home later, it opens with the car button, but then sometimes will or won't close with it. I still have the hand held remote the opener came with, and that sometimes works or doesn't, like the car button. It's so frustrating. Mine is a Lift-Master brand. Can someone help? ! Thanks

First, check that the antenna wire on the opener is not shorted, bunched up, or otherwise blocked by the opener. Second, reprogram the opener. If those don't cure it, the receiver may have a partial loss of a of it's rf circuitry. This can happen if there was a close lightening strike in the area. You will then need to replace the receiver.

UPDATE:

Well, the thing is really on it's death throws. Now I have to hold the remote inside the light housing right next to the circuit board to get the door to close OR open from the remote.

Circuit board = $90 + 9% tax.

New belt drive opener = $180 +0% tax.

I'm now in the process of installing the new opener.

Well, it lasted 14 years, not bad. Probably cost about the price they are now asking for the circuit board. I think you will enjoy your belt drive.