LM8500 Wall Controller Failure.

Dakota00 · Jul 12, 2017

Had a random issue where my jack shaft opener stopped working. Traced it back to the wall controller (LM888). Contacted LiftMaster and a new controller is on its way. Great customer service!

Now, after doing a bit of reading on the cause. Lucky for me my controller stopped working and the door stayed in the closed position the whole day. What I've been reading some people were experiencing weird issues with the door opening and staying open or closing by itself at random times. Apparently LiftMaster is well aware of the high numbers of failures or flaw in the design. And isn't doing anything about it in regards to coming up with a permanent fix.

Failure of these controllers usually occur around the 2-3yr mark. Mine failed exactly after 3yrs.

With that said, I know many of you guys are running the same opener. Has anyone here had the same problem? Has anyone dissected the circuit board and found out what the heck is causing the issue that's keeping these controllers to constantly trigger on by itself?

Thanks!

zeeway · Jul 12, 2017

I live in a retirement community where nearly everyone has Liftmaster openers. My door was opening at random times. After some research, I found that that I had to reprogram everything including the remotes...based on the idea that some neighbor had inadvertently operated his door while the initial programming on my door was done, and so accidentally captured my codes in his door. Anyway, that seemed to have fixed my phantom door openings. I also set an auto feature to close my door every night at 10 pm as an added safety. So far, so good.

ducksface · Jul 12, 2017

Mine finally fixed itself.
Totally flipped out.
Partial open and closes, lots of flashing lights, just got totally stupid.
It's better now.
No reprogramming.
But:the jackals at lift master decided, for no reason, to ruin their phone app and to, somehow make the app incompatibile with all but the newest Droid phones(i don't know about Apple.)

No app, and freaking out controllers AND the very loud tranformers. They did send me a new tranformers just for the asking.
Mine was almost three years to the day on it's install.

offcamber · Jul 12, 2017

Same exact problem here. unit was 4ish years old. My door stopped working entirely and then about a week later it started opening and closing randomly at like 2 am. Scared the **** out of me until i figured out what was going on.

I called Liftmaster and they sent a new wall panel for free, same as you. Great customer service.

I did not try to troubleshoot the old unit.

Dick in Wisconsin · Jul 12, 2017

I'm coming up on three years this fall. So far no weird stuff. Garage/shop is detached and we don't have a window that looks at the door. So if something funky is happening at 2am I wouldn't know it. I hope Lifemaster jumps all over these problems.

kwschumm · Jul 12, 2017

Not about the 8500 or wall controller but I bought a Liftmaster 3-button remote for our 3 opener garage. Programmed it and all seemed well. After a day or two a door or two would randomly open. I reset the openers and remote and reprogrammed all. Still the doors would randomly open. Removed the battery from the new remote and the randomness stopped. Bought a different Liftmaster 3 button remote, programmed it, and no such weirdness (yet anyway). I'm not sure I want to use Liftmaster in our new build, this is pretty basic stuff. How hard is it not to transmit a code without a button being pressed? Maybe their input circuit is acting like an antenna and receiving noise which seems like phantom pulses but there is no way a design like that should have made it to production.

ducksface · Jul 12, 2017

The above reminded me that I took the battery out of the keypad. My thought in doing it was that a button had become stuck.
That seems to be when it finally stuttered a few times and fixed itself.
Battery is back in now... So far so good.

wssix99 · Jul 12, 2017

Subscribed.

Worrying...

southview · Jul 12, 2017

Have replaced 2 out of 4 so far for same problem. After reaserching on internet. I found the problem is 2 0.99cent capacitors that go bad. First time it happened it was making a high pitched squealing noise from the controller then just didn't work. I called LM and they sent me out a new one no problem. The openers where all installed 4 years ago.
2nd time. I woke up in the morning with the garage door halfway open. App on iPhone never alerted me that night. I called LM and the girl wanted me to find a bunch of numbers off the motor mounted on my 12 1/2' ceiling. I told her just 4 months before I had the first one go bad. She claims that this was the first they had heard of this problem. I explained if she googled it, she would be surprised at the complaints. She refused to send a new one out until I got here the serial# of the motors. I told here this was a new house build and not everyone has a 12' ladder at their disposal. Send the damn controller or have a supervisor get on the phone!
After being put on hold for another 5 minutes she informed they would be sending a control pad out. 2 day shipping! Took 5 days to get it

This was the garage that was open all night.

Colin Len · Jul 12, 2017

Ooh, I do not like hearing this news - that's a big safety concern if our doors may just open and we aren't alerted. Subscribing.

kwschumm · Jul 12, 2017

southview said:
Have replaced 2 out of 4 so far for same problem. After reaserching on internet. I found the problem is 2 0.99cent capacitors that go bad.

Electrolytic capacitors? Those damn things dry out all the time, especially the cheap a$$ Chinese ones. If it came from China you can't even be sure it's a capacitor, could be just an empty shell.

gnpenning · Jul 12, 2017

Liftmaster makes some very good products. The 3800 the predecessor to the 8500 had some issues. The 8500 was supposed to fix those issues for the most part it did, but still have some failures (even a month or 2 ago) . Everytime I called in the past' I got the "this is the first I've heard that line ". Even though 2 weeks earlier I called with the same problem on a different unit. Liftmaster has taken care of everyone including total replacement of a unit after repeated failures. They do stand behind their products. I left Genie years ago because of a high failure rate and hassle on replacement components. I've brought up on here issues with the 8500 in the past only to be drowned out by John Q homeowners. When they work they work great and for the right situation are the best way to go. They weren't designed for the application many are using them for even though they are working in those situations. That's because Liftmaster makes a great products.

There other openers have such a low failure rate it's amazing. They just work great.

I have 3 I'll be installing next week for a customer. For this application they are NOT the best choice. I made it clear to the customer the issues (he has an friend that has a failed 3800) and he is ok with the potential problems. His long term plan's will be to use them on larger doors anyway. I'm happy to do the installation as long as he's aware of potential issues.

The bottom line is as with all openers keep an eye on things. Liftmaster will take care of you. If it happens to you pull the release and go to manual mode for the few days it takes to get your parts in. The new part should solve the issues from coming back.

Angelfire · Jul 12, 2017

Glad to hear they replaced it although it would be nicer if it never needed replacing anyway. I have a problem with one of mine in that it won't connect to the internet gateway. They had me delete the information from their app and start all over. The first opener connected right away. No go on the second one. I noticed when I pressed the "learn" button on the first wall unit, there was a red LED that shone. No red shining LED on the second wall unit so I called them back. They created a case and said someone would be back in touch. That was last Thursday and I've not heard from them as of yet and find it a little odd that they don't just replace the unit but we'll see what happens I suppose. Not really high on my priority list as I'm headed out on holidays this Friday so that's consuming all my time

Cheers.

Dick in Wisconsin · Jul 12, 2017

gnpenning said:
they work they work great and for the right situation are the best way to go. They weren't designed for the application many are using them for even though they are working in those situations.

Enlighten us. What kind of application weren't they designed for. Many of us are curious. Thanks!

gnpenning · Jul 13, 2017

LHR and small radius tracks.

PCMusicGuy · Jul 13, 2017

gnpenning said:
LHR and small radius tracks.

Can you break that down for the idiots? What does LHR mean and define a small radius?

NewShockerGuy · Jul 13, 2017

I've had this happen to me TWICE. Both times when the wall controller died the garage door went into the open position. I think I wrote an Amazon review about the problem.

Both times liftmaster sent me new ones and were cool with exactly what I told them for the troubleshooting process. But the part that bothers me is that the doors are in the OPEN position. By some type of default they should lock or stay shut.

My fear is that one day we are traveling overseas and the garage door opens while we are gone and stays open...

-Nigel

Dakota00 · Jul 13, 2017

From the reading I've been doing on the LiftMaster forum, the issue is 1 or both capacitors will eventually fail. I'm planning to purchase new capacitors and see if I can cure this issue so I'll have a back up controller for when the new one coming fails.

https://myqcommunity.liftmaster.com...reply-list[settings][page]=1#topic-reply-list

RackMultipart20170122-64274-1dv0be9-IMG_2854_inline.jpg

For those who are planning to travel and nobody will be home, I strongly recommend unplugging your opener if you have a Liftmaster 8500 or the LM888 wall controller (picture below) during that time. This is a HUGE fail on Liftmaster and the problem has not and by the looks of it will not be corrected.

wssix99 · Jul 13, 2017

Dakota00 said:
From the reading I've been doing on the LiftMaster forum, the issue is 1 or both capacitors will eventually fail.

Excellent post, thank you. I was just thinking about doing this after reading through the posts. I've had many other electronics recently, which have had similar problems. However... their failure mode has not been so dangerous!

Dakota00 said:
For those who are planning to travel and nobody will be home, I strongly recommend unplugging your opener if you have a Liftmaster 8500 or the LM888 wall controller (picture below) during that time.

Another great idea. I'm really thankful I put all my openers on a single breaker, now!

n20junkie · Jul 13, 2017

My boss has 3 8500's about 3 years old and one keypad just took a **** on him as well.

gnpenning · Jul 13, 2017

PCMusicGuy said:
Can you break that down for the idiots? What does LHR mean and define a small radius?

LHR. Low head room. Front or rear.

Small radius anything 12" and under .

They work best for high lift, follow the roof, and full vertical lift for doors that meet the size requirements. Anything else should have pusher springs.

For those leaving the garage unattended for any length of time, were disconnecting the power maybe an issue. You can also pull the manual release and manual lock and unlock the slide lock.

kwschumm · Jul 13, 2017

Dakota00 said:
From the reading I've been doing on the LiftMaster forum, the issue is 1 or both capacitors will eventually fail. I'm planning to purchase new capacitors and see if I can cure this issue so I'll have a back up controller for when the new one coming fails.

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Yep, from the pic it is crappy electrolytics. If you do the repair could you please post a close-up of the labeling on the bad one?

forAK · Jul 13, 2017

gnpenning said:
For those leaving the garage unattended for any length of time, were disconnecting the power maybe an issue. You can also pull the manual release and manual lock and unlock the slide lock.

Thank You for that idea as well. I just installed 3 of them, and after reading this thread got real nervous about going on trips.
What a bummer to hear that a great product could leave you stranded. I'd hate to think that while I'm at work, the door is open and it's minus 20. That could turn into a huge disaster!

nh_yota · Jul 13, 2017

Gone are the days when you could control your garage door opener with a doorbell button.

kwschumm · Jul 13, 2017

forAK said:
Thank You for that idea as well. I just installed 3 of them, and after reading this thread got real nervous about going on trips.
What a bummer to hear that a great product could leave you stranded. I'd hate to think that while I'm at work, the door is open and it's minus 20. That could turn into a huge disaster!

Not sure if you have a flexible security system, if so you might put a set of garage door sensors on each door to notify you when the door opens.

Dakota00 · Jul 13, 2017

kwschumm said:
Yep, from the pic it is crappy electrolytics. If you do the repair could you please post a close-up of the labeling on the bad one?

Here's the labeling on the bad ones.

Can anyone recommend replacement caps or the exact specs needed?

Thanks!

wssix99 · Jul 13, 2017

Dakota00 said:
Here's the labeling on the bad ones.

Can anyone recommend replacement caps or the exact specs needed?

Thanks!

Yea. I did some research on this and will see if I can dig everything up from last time. ... May take me a bit to find it.

wssix99 · Jul 13, 2017

My experience with this before was related to the Capacitor Plague: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

^ My expectation is that this should have gone by the wayside before our units were made. This must be a different type of issue causing the failure.

Dakota00 · Jul 13, 2017

Just called LiftMaster to find out the status on the controller, waiting on a tracking number. They are sending it out tomorrow as they just received 2000 units of these LM 888 controllers. WTF!!!

wssix99 · Jul 14, 2017

I checked back through my notes and I had experience with a computer that had the capacitor plague. I just threw it away and didn't replace the actual capacitors.

Here's the spec sheets for these particular capacitors (the EDLC one): https://www.vina.co.kr/images/Hy-Cap-sheet.zip

They are supposed to last 500,000 cycles. So the likely culprits are either the batch of capacitors that Liftmaster has was defective or their electronics are sending voltages to the capacitors that are too high.

^ It would be really nice to know which one of these is the case and, if the later, if the problem is addressed in the new controls.

kwschumm · Jul 14, 2017

Is there a production date on the label somewhere? It's possible that it was a very old batch when shipped. High temperatures (ambient and in the controller) also reduce lifespans considerably (like a Phoenix summer).

Gerald O · Jul 14, 2017

1Farad cap is a very large capacity! (supercap).
These are probably being used as backup power for when there is a power outage.
I'll wager it will be difficult to find a high reliability replacement. Heat could be a factor. How many of you with failures keep your garages air conditioned?

gnpenning · Jul 14, 2017

I just got off the phone with Liftmaster for something else .

The person I was talking with is in the gate opener department. She did look up memos for me. Check your opener low voltage wiring. Needs to be 18 gauge to carry the needed current , not 22 gauge bell wire most are using. Not sure if this is a cure all but, it is common among the pads failing.

manwithtools · Jul 14, 2017

I imagine 22 ga bell wire would be common among the pads failing - that's the damn wire they supply in the box to wire up the controls with. I imagine 99% of LM 8500's installed are using the supplied wire.

BTW, wire gauge has nothing to do with the voltage it can carry (within practical reason), however, it will affect current carrying capacity. But come on, this is a garage remote control we are talking about. With a run of 25 feet or less in most instances too, the bell wire can supply all the voltage and current that it could possibly use. Bad capacitors is the far more plausible explanation and it would also align with the units failing after two-three years of operation.

Dakota00 · Jul 15, 2017

wssix99 said:
I checked back through my notes and I had experience with a computer that had the capacitor plague. I just threw it away and didn't replace the actual capacitors.

Here's the spec sheets for these particular capacitors (the EDLC one): https://www.vina.co.kr/images/Hy-Cap-sheet.zip

They are supposed to last 500,000 cycles. So the likely culprits are either the batch of capacitors that Liftmaster has was defective or their electronics are sending voltages to the capacitors that are too high.

^ It would be really nice to know which one of these is the case and, if the later, if the problem is addressed in the new controls.

Thank you for providing the specs!

Having a hard time sourcing out these capacitors at a reasonable price. Almost not worth fixing the old one.

kwschumm said:
Is there a production date on the label somewhere? It's possible that it was a very old batch when shipped.

I didn't see any date markings.

gnpenning said:
The person I was talking with is in the gate opener department. She did look up memos for me. Check your opener low voltage wiring. Needs to be 18 gauge to carry the needed current , not 22 gauge bell wire most are using. Not sure if this is a cure all but, it is common among the pads failing.

Seeing as I took down the original wire thinking there was a short in the line, while troubleshooting. I know it probably wont make a difference but I might as well run some thicker wire, you never know!

I'm dying to get this new controller and to see if it has the same capacitors in it.

I strongly suggest everyone with this controller to contact LiftMaster and ask them to send you a replacement unit even if your current one is still working fine. (Tell them that it died) This way you'll have a back up and there's no down time, like I'm experiencing now!

gnpenning · Jul 15, 2017

I tried to order a couple yesterday day. They are on back order right now.

Dakota that is a great suggestions. Hopefully it will give some a piece of mind.

I do know some of their products as with most electronic components are very sensitive to voltage requirements. One of the first diagnostic steps is measuring correct input voltage.

It will be interesting to see what they do with the wire size they supply. I'm not a fan of the staples they supply. We find many wires comprised. Most new construction we deal with the electrician has prewired. We carry a roll of wire for when we have to wire.

I wish I would have had more time to ask questions and found out more information. I was more interested in getting my customer up and running.

Dakota00 · Jul 15, 2017

gnpenning said:
I tried to order a couple yesterday day. They are on back order right now.

Seriously?!?! Like I mentioned earlier, the CSR said they just got 2000 units in. They're already gone?

I just placed an order for the caps, probably get here before the new controller shows up.

gnpenning · Jul 15, 2017

They got them in it just ordered 2000????

PoorOwner · Jul 15, 2017

Hi guys. I have the internet gateway thing from chamberlain. As far as I know it is same as LM one. If I install the gateway will I be alerted if the door opened while I am not home? Or even in my bedroom at home. I cannot just have the door open for any period of time.
Can I shut the door again from the app or does a bad wall keypad makes this impossible ?
I do have them plugged in a surge protector so I could just flip the switch if I go on vacation

Dakota00 · Jul 16, 2017

^^^ If your wall controller dies, the internet gateway will not work.

LM8500 Wall Controller Failure.

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