Intermittent garage door closing issue

[fourjeepin]

Door will reverse while closing, but not while opening. Sometimes it takes 4 attempts before it will close. Other times, it closes fine. It doesn't appear to be due to sunlight/shadows as it will occur in both bright light and darkness.

Any ideas what could cause this or the best solution? I was thinking of firing parts at it by first replacing the sensors.

Opener is a Chamberlain Liftmaster Professional 1/3 horse. Model 41A5021, dated 04/05.

 

[Dustball]

Try pulling the disconnect rope and moving the garage door up and down by hand to check for hard spots. It's possible you're exceeding the adjustable down force setting.

 

[pioneer1]

Yeah, it's binding somewhere. Could even be a gear on the motor going bad. I would pull the cover and check for that also.

 

[bdbecker]

Because it happens only when closing, I'd start by checking the sensors for cleanliness and alignment, verify the mounts haven't worked loose, and then check the wires for any damage and the connections to ensure they are also tight and not corroded.

 

[66cj225]

You've taken as many salvage cars from the Golden Ray as will fit, now you will have to subtract one and the door will close.

 

[fourjeepin]

You've taken as many salvage cars from the Golden Ray as will fit, now you will have to subtract one and the door will close.

I wish. I'm sure all of those will go to the crusher. I was there in the fall; that ship is impressive

 

[metschers]

I had one do that awhile back. The sensors at the bottom of each track had cobwebs all over them. Cleaned them up and no problem.

 

[dmdc411]

If its a blocked, or partially blocked sensor, the light will flash multiple times. If the light doesn't flash, its the down pressure switch. It may be from binding, or just needing a little more pressure. The manual will say how to set it.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Hot Rod Grampa]

There is an orange light on one sensor, a green on the other. Orange is the sending unit. As the door closes, watch the green light to see if it goes out. If it does, then the issue is with the sensors, their alignment, dirt, or even tracks bowing out as the door closes forcing the eyes out of alignment. If the green light stays illuminated but the door reverses, the issue is likely with the closing pressure The opener is reading. Open and close the door manually, looking for hard spots or extra resistance. Fix those first. Then adjust sown force a little bit at a time until door closes consistently.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I had one do that awhile back. The sensors at the bottom of each track had cobwebs all over them. Cleaned them up and no problem.

They are sensitive, I have this sort of thing happen fairly often - a cobweb, a stray leaf, or today it was melting snow dripping off the roof and then splashing up in front of the sensor.

 

[CJ7VFR]

At what part of the travel does the door reverse back up when it is closing?

Does it reverse right after the bottom edge of the door hits the ground? Or does it reverse back up when it is no where near hitting the ground, like when it has closed like maybe half way or so?

Jim

 

[fourjeepin]

There is an orange light on one sensor, a green on the other. Orange is the sending unit. As the door closes, watch the green light to see if it goes out. If it does, then the issue is with the sensors, their alignment, dirt, or even tracks bowing out as the door closes forcing the eyes out of alignment. If the green light stays illuminated but the door reverses, the issue is likely with the closing pressure The opener is reading. Open and close the door manually, looking for hard spots or extra resistance. Fix those first. Then adjust sown force a little bit at a time until door closes consistently.

I just tried it a few times while watching the green light and of course, it worked fine.

They are sensitive, I have this sort of thing happen fairly often - a cobweb, a stray leaf, or today it was melting snow dripping off the roof and then splashing up in front of the sensor.

I brushed them off before testing and that could have been the culprit. Always check the easy stuff first, right?

At what part of the travel does the door reverse back up when it is closing?

Does it reverse right after the bottom edge of the door hits the ground? Or does it reverse back up when it is no where near hitting the ground, like when it has closed like maybe half way or so?

Jim

It reverses about 1/3 to halfway down. It seems to usually be when I am closing the door from the outside keypad. It almost never does this when closing from the inside button or the Jeep's remote. It's not the keypad though as I replaced it a few days ago and the issue persisted.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I had this problem intermittently and figured out that it was temperature related. The cold weather caused it. I was able to fix it by slightly increasing the downward force dial on the side of the unit. I hope it helps.

 

[ludakris04]

I wanted to offer something, but this one seems weird.

My lift master will close all the way and then open sometimes.. the stops get screwy and I have to re-set them.
Low batteries in the remotes can play havoc on it too.
I would watch the tracks, etc as it goes and see if you can see any binding.