# Craftsman Garage Door Opener Motor Not Working, Clicking Sound



## firehawkmph

That's a strange one Hammer.
When that light was blinking and you heard the clicking, the amount of blinking refers to a trouble code. I have never had one correct itself just by unplugging and replugging like you did. Did you have a solid green light on both eyes? I have had plenty of service calls with misaligned eyes or dirty lenses causing the eyes not to see each other. The other thing that happens occasionally had to due with a bright sunny day on a fresh blanket of snow with a door that faces south. The bright sunlight reflects off the snow and washes out the eyes. Moving the eyes back inside the opening takes care of that. Well, if it's working for now, keep and eye on it, no pun intended and see if it acts up again and get back to us.
Mike Hawkins


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## gregzoll

Go get the Bicycle bearing grease in the green tube from your local bike shop, and apply to the two gears inside the housing (The worm and sprocket). The clicking is usually the gear teeth slipping also.


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## hammerlane

firehawkmph said:


> That's a strange one Hammer.
> Did you have a solid green light on both eyes? I have had plenty of service calls with misaligned eyes or dirty lenses causing the eyes not to see each other. The other thing that happens occasionally had to due with a bright sunny day on a fresh blanket of snow with a door that faces south. The bright sunlight reflects off the snow and washes out the eyes. Moving the eyes back inside the opening takes care of that. Well, if it's working for now, keep and eye on it, no pun intended and see if it acts up again and get back to us.
> Mike Hawkins


Yes solid green on both eyes. No snow on ground yesterday, weather here in Ohio has been unseasonably warm. 

As much as I can recall, I believe that indicator light was blinking constantly. I did not notice any pattern. But I wouldnt bet the farm on that as far as my memory goes.

What is the red button directly to the left of the indicator light for? When I would push that in, the blinking would stop momentarily, but then would it(the blinking) would start again.

Maybe this had nothing to do with it but when I was in driveway and hit "OPEN" button on the remote, I think as door was starting to open I may have hit the button to the right of the "OPEN" button on the remote.

ANyway I had to show others in the house how to disconnect and lift the door in case this happens again when someone is trying to leave.


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## hammerlane

gregzoll said:


> The clicking is usually the gear teeth slipping also.


Greg...the clicking sound was not coming from any gear teeth slipping because the motor was not working at all during this period of time.

Before I took the cover off the opener, I assumed it was the motor clicking. But as I stated in the first post, after removing the cover, the clicking sound appeared to be coming from the circuit board area.


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## gregzoll

Regardless, it still appears that there is not any grease on the gears, I would still grease them to keep them from wearing prematurely.


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## hammerlane

gregzoll said:


> Regardless, it still appears that there is not any grease on the gears, I would still grease them to keep them from wearing prematurely.


Gotcha.


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## ddawg16

That clicking is the relay for the lights....it is 'trying' to tell you that something is blocking the photo eyes.


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## hammerlane

ddawg16 said:


> That clicking is the relay for the lights....it is 'trying' to tell you that something is blocking the photo eyes.


Nothing was blocking the sensors. I had green lights on both of them.

In the past when the sensors(photo eyes) were obstructed while the door was opening or closing, yes the clicking sound would be heard but also the 60 watt light bulbs on the opener unit would flash. 

Yesterday the light bulbs were not flashing while the clicking noise was sounding.

I knew it was a shot in the dark posing this scenario on a forum.

Thanks for suggestions


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## fixrite

I had that exact same problem with mine. I had to take both of mine down to do an overhaul on the shop. When they were put back in place and that clicking sound happened with no lights flashing I found it was still an obstruction, actually it was a bug on the lens, which just happen to catch my eye as it crawled away. Could be the same problem you had, just a suggestion. It was frustrating as I did not want to leave until I was sure it was fixed.


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## firehawkmph

Ham,
that red button is the learn code button for programming the remotes. If you had a new remote or one that needed to be programmed, you press the red button, the little led next to it starts to blink. Press the button on your remote and the opener should reply with a couple of clicks and light blinks. Then when you press the remote button again, the door should operate. If you want to clear the codes in the opener and start over again, press and hold the red button till the opener clicks and blinks once. Then go ahead and program your remotes.
Mike Hawkins


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## hammerlane

firehawkmph said:


> Ham,
> that red button is the learn code button for programming the remotes. If you had a new remote or one that needed to be programmed, you press the red button, the little led next to it starts to blink. Press the button on your remote and the opener should reply with a couple of clicks and light blinks. Then when you press the remote button again, the door should operate. If you want to clear the codes in the opener and start over again, press and hold the red button till the opener clicks and blinks once. Then go ahead and program your remotes.
> Mike Hawkins


I found a manual online. Thanks for that info.


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## hammerlane

I have to restart this thread because now...about a month later....my opener is again not functioning. I've unplugged it like before, waited 10 minutes and plugged it back in and nothing. Not a sound from the motor just what I believe is a relay clicking when I push either the remote control or the wall mounted control.

The safety sensors for the garage door are not blocked...have a steady green light on both.

The amber indicator light shown in post #4 is blinking 5 five times, stops blinking and then repeats for 5 more times stops blinking, blinks five more times...etc. When I push the remote control or wall mounted control to operate the opener, you hear a clicking sound from the unit. I believe the clicking is the relay. But the motor will not work.

I posted a video on youtube showing the clicking sound from the unit when I push the remote control and the amber indicator light.

Starting to believe it is the logic board and its time for a new opener.

Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvXJd-tYCJ0


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## firehawkmph

Time for a new one Hammer. Liftmaster makes the craftsmen openers. They cheapen them up for Sears to be able to sell them at the price points that they do. Get a liftmaster this time. Ideally see if you can get one from a local garage door wholesaler. The steel rails are one piece. Better openers than what they make for the big box stores. I hang a lot of their Elite series, 3/4hp belt drives. Very quiet and smooth running.
Mike Hawkins


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## joecaption

Have you relieced the e handle and check to see if the door opens and closes easy without the motor?


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## hammerlane

firehawkmph said:


> Time for a new one Hammer. Liftmaster makes the craftsmen openers. They cheapen them up for Sears to be able to sell them at the price points that they do. Get a liftmaster this time. Ideally see if you can get one from a local garage door wholesaler. The steel rails are one piece. Better openers than what they make for the big box stores. I hang a lot of their Elite series, 3/4hp belt drives. Very quiet and smooth running.
> Mike Hawkins


Funny because a buddy told me almost the identical quote as your 3rd sentence. He also recommended the Liftmaster.

I called United Door about the Liftmaster 3280
http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/pages/productmodeldetail.aspx?modelId=405

After calling United...I took the logic board off the unit and noticed one of the pins attached to a relay has a bad solder joint. Gonna get this soldered back and see if that was the problem. Even if it is I might replace the unit with the Liftmaster


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## firehawkmph

If it works again Hammer, go ahead and use it till it really breaks, then replace it. Might as well get your money's worth out of it. The last one I do what yours is doing had a bad starting capacitor. 
The 3280 is a good opener. You would be very happy with that one. Just make sure and check your basic door operation as Joe C mentioned. You should be able to raise or lower it with one hand if everything is working properly.
Mike Hawkins


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## hammerlane

firehawkmph said:


> If it works again Hammer, go ahead and use it till it really breaks, then replace it. Might as well get your money's worth out of it. The last one I do what yours is doing had a bad starting capacitor.
> The 3280 is a good opener. You would be very happy with that one. Just make sure and check your basic door operation as Joe C mentioned. You should be able to raise or lower it with one hand if everything is working properly.
> Mike Hawkins


I checked the capacitor and it is still good. I can open the door with one hand.

What I might do is get the Liftmaster for the double door and if this solder fix works on the "crapsman", put it on the single door. Quick question...the 1/2 HP Crapsman will be OK for a single door?


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## ddawg16

If you do get a new opener...go for the 3800 (I think that is the right #). It is a jackshaft drive....which means it connects to the torsion shaft of your door....mounts on the wall next to the door....gets rid of the rails and ugly support straps the traditional opener uses.

I keep hoping my screwdrive opener would die so I could justify the 3800.


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## hammerlane

ddawg16 said:


> If you do get a new opener...go for the 3800 (I think that is the right #). It is a jackshaft drive....which means it connects to the torsion shaft of your door....mounts on the wall next to the door....gets rid of the rails and ugly support straps the traditional opener uses.


I think the 3800 needs a solid torsion bar??

Anyway I reinstalled the logic board and the opener works. I guess that little bit of play on that solder joint was the problem.


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## firehawkmph

Gents,
the 3800 does not need a solid torsion bar. But they are really meant for instances where a normal operator won't work. They basically just turn the shaft. A normal operator physically pulls or pushes the door. I wouldn' recommend a 3800 for an install where a normal operator will do the job. If you use it on a door that is horizontal when in the up position, and everything isn't setup correctly, the shaft may turn and just unwind the cables on the drums while the door stays in the up position. Then you have a mess. The other factor is they cost me almost twice as much as a traditional operator. I have one on one of my doors that has a high lift track the follows just underneath a cathedral ceiling. In this case, a normal operator won't work. The 3800 works fine for this as the door always has weight on it in the up position. Here's a pic. It's hard to see, but it's the little black box to the left or the door. 
Mike Hawkins


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## hammerlane

Thanks for that info firehawk on the 3800.


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## shtoll

*Thank you for the Great Info on this problem*

You did a great job documenting all of this information. Thank you. Mine did the exact same thing, except after unplugging all night, mine still does not work.
I'm hoping to find a replacement to make an easy replacement. Use same rail and all..hopefully. It worked for 10yrs so why not.


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## hammerlane

shtoll said:


> You did a great job documenting all of this information. Thank you. Mine did the exact same thing, except after unplugging all night, mine still does not work.


Are you able to take a look at the logic board and see if one of the solder joints of the relay in post #16 is loose?


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## yuvarajvima

I have a chamberlain 1/3 HP Garage door opening motor. It has started making a clicking noise while closing. It starts closing and gets stuck. It opens fine. The learning button LED lights are also flickering when it gets stuck? 

What is the issue? Any insight helps. Is this normal wear and tear? 

Thanks 
Yuvi


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## llturbini

I know this is an old thread. Put had ame exact problem. My first gut was the clicking sound was some sort of relay too. i will have to pull the logic board and check it out.

Does any one now where to get the trouble codes for the led patterns, (or lights fashing pattern)?

Hammerlanne you are awsome, such detail and great trouble shooting logic. I could see from the pic of the logic board it looked like the solder breach was a little burned up in that area. I wonder if it isn't a failing capacitor or resister causing the burn in the first place.

Again this was awsome trouble shooting and pics. I browse a lot of sites, and find that after reviwing a few you tend to notice the really good ones and ones that are just farting in the wind. This was a really good one.


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## Neuport

hammerlane said:


> After calling United...I took the logic board off the unit and noticed one of the pins attached to a relay has a bad solder joint. Gonna get this soldered back and see if that was the problem. Even if it is I might replace the unit with the Liftmaster


I had checked sensors, wiring, capacitors, etc. when I came across your post. I thought there was no way it would be the same solder joint failure but with no better ideas I took out the board and sure enough it looked EXACTLY like your picture. Under the microscope there was a complete thin break in the solder all the way around the terminal. I dabbed on some flux and reflowed the joint adding a bit of fresh solder. It works fine now. Maybe under certain useage scenarios that pin overheats and melts the solder? The day mine quit working there were kids visiting the house and they had opened the door when I wasn't with them. I wonder if they were repeatedly hitting the button? Or maybe it was just a fluke.

The other time I had this symptom was a couple of years ago. That time, the rubber motor mounts had rotted allowing the motor to spin in its mount which pulled a wire off a spade connector. I tried putting it back and it would work a few times and then spin loose again. The relay would just click when the button was pressed. I contacted Chamberlain and they sent me new rubber mounts for free and that solved the problem. When it acted up this time I assumed it was the same thing but when it wasn't, I eventually got here and found the solder joint problem.

Thanks


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## hammerlane

Brings back memories. Cant believe that was 4 years ago. Glad it still helped someone


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## Fishface

Hammerlane, I registered just to leave this thank you message. I Just replaced the gears in my opener (same model) 2 weeks ago and then today had the same symptoms that you described. First of all I couldn't believe that I was actually able to find someone that had the same problem. Secondly, I couldn't believe how well you documented it and that it was actually the very same problem I was experiencing. And lastly, I have never worked on a circuit board in any way ever before but with your help, I was able to resurrect my opener!!! I am totally amazed that it worked....well more accurately, I am totally amazed that I got it to work. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for your detailed work in posting this. And just a question that I am curious about, I noticed some grease that I had gotten on the circuit board when replacing the gears. Do you think that that in any way could have lead to the solder joint failing? Probably a very dumb question but that goes to show you how good your post was to be able to help someone like me get their opener working again.
Thank you Hammerlane!!!


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## hammerlane

I highly doubt that the grease on the board was the cause of the loose solder joint. The openers do not generate much heat so I'd say the cause was probably vibration. Seems like quite a few people have had this issue with these boards. Maybe they were manufactured late on a Friday afternoon?


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## carey-fixedGar

hi to fixit

we had issue for over a year on and off.
Looked at sensors it was loose!!! 

thks a bunch!!!

regards carey


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## Dhoernke

The advice on this forum was spot on. Removed the control board, found the bad pin and soldered in less than 10 minutes. Perfect! Mine was a Liftmaster but identical. Thanks a bunch!!!!


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## hammerlane

carey-fixedGar said:


> hi to fixit
> 
> we had issue for over a year on and off.
> Looked at sensors it was loose!!!
> 
> thks a bunch!!!
> 
> regards carey


Glad it helped...mine still works fine after the fix


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## hammerlane

Dhoernke said:


> The advice on this forum was spot on. Removed the control board, found the bad pin and soldered in less than 10 minutes. Perfect! Mine was a Liftmaster but identical. Thanks a bunch!!!!


Glad it helped...mine still works fine after the fix


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## Rlagm3

I have the 1hp craftsman that is only 15 months old and have the same issue
Just a click sound with no movement
Light blinks 5 down and once up

Is the logic board the same as the one you have?
Would the burn spot be the same spot?

This post is amazing
Thank you

Are craftsman openers junk?


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## Chiruloco

First of, I want to say thank you!!! I'm not the kind of person that post comments on any type of forums, but this time I feel compelled to do so. I followed the whole chat and then I went to look at the electronic board, although it was not the same point, it was one right next to it. My garage door opener now works just fine. The symptoms were exactly the same, so I figured the solution could as well work, and it did indeed!!! Again, thank you very much for sharing Hammer!!!!


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## Chiruloco

Here's a picture of the board


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## buddesc

I am so glad that I found your post about this problem and that you provided excellent details about your troubleshooting and eventual fix to the problem. I had exactly the same problem on one of my openers. Once I read your problem and saw the circuit board, I had to see if mine looked the same. Sure enough, the same solder joint was bad, and once I resoldered it and reassembled the opener, it worked great. I can't imagine how it worked flawlessly until today (mine was never intermittent, it just stopped working). Thank you for making this post and saving me $70 in parts for a board I didn't have to replace.


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## ghiafan

Searching for an answer as to why my Craftsman-branded opener just quit working, and Uncle Google led me to this web site and thread. Symptoms were no motor, no lights, the flashing LED and some clicks - same as the rest of you. Pulled the board out and the bad solder joint matched the pictures from others. Fired up the iron, tinned it up and filled up the gap, re-installed and all is well. I'm no electrician, engineer or detective, but I can follow instructions pretty good. This thread with the great advice & pictures hopefully bought us a few more years on the opener. Thanks to all! :wink2::wink2:


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## cluciano

Greetings. I'd just like to say this thread was incredible and I appreicate the original poster for taking the time to document this. I soldered the bad joint and I'm back up and running!


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## hammerlane

cluciano said:


> Greetings. I'd just like to say this thread was incredible and I appreicate the original poster for taking the time to document this. I soldered the bad joint and I'm back up and running!



Congrats!!!! Is it still running good??


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## cluciano

yep 4 months and running like a champ!


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## Hidyi

Just wondering, is there a rubber vibration isolator washer at the screws between the circuit board and the mounting bracket?


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## MasonS

hammerlane said:


> Congrats!!!! Is it still running good??


I also just wanted to say THANK YOU. Mine also had one obvious bad solder.

I didn't bother with removing the logic board though. I bought a Hakko FX-901/P Cordless Soldering Iron opened the opener, and soldered the board right in place. Works perfectly now, and gave me a great excuse the acquire a new little toy.

Thanks!


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## gilsulate

They cheapen them up for Sears to be able to sell them at the price points that they do.


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## chairmankaga

Guess what. A google search led me here. Guess what else. Same problem, same solution.
I was ready to replace our 20-year old Craftsman opener, but decided what the heck, let's give this a chance. Lo and behold, we had the SAME dry joint on the logic board. So 20 minutes to pull it out, resolder the joint, put it back together... and voila. Works perfectly.
Thanks, and keep it going!


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## craigmack1

chairmankaga said:


> Guess what. A google search led me here. Guess what else. Same problem, same solution.
> I was ready to replace our 20-year old Craftsman opener, but decided what the heck, let's give this a chance. Lo and behold, we had the SAME dry joint on the logic board. So 20 minutes to pull it out, resolder the joint, put it back together... and voila. Works perfectly.
> Thanks, and keep it going!


Hammerlane,

I too had to register just to say GREAT POST and THANK YOU!! 
I followed all the directions here and then if it was not for your detailed pics that you included, i would have never been able to spot the broken solder point! 

10 second soldering job - saved a headache!


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## Tojued

ghiafan said:


> Searching for an answer as to why my Craftsman-branded opener just quit working, and Uncle Google led me to this web site and thread. Symptoms were no motor, no lights, the flashing LED and some clicks - same as the rest of you. Pulled the board out and the bad solder joint matched the pictures from others. Fired up the iron, tinned it up and filled up the gap, re-installed and all is well. I'm no electrician, engineer or detective, but I can follow instructions pretty good. This thread with the great advice & pictures hopefully bought us a few more years on the opener. Thanks to all! :wink2::wink2:


Where did you get instructions from? I can follow instructions really well too, not I don't even know what it means to resolder.


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## huesmann

Hmm...I've been having the same problem, and will have to look into this. Hopefully the logic board is easily removed.

@Tojued to resolder is to refresh a solder connection. In this case, the little wire from the relay or cap or whatever it is on the top side of the logic board appears to have a bad joint to the solder blob on the bottom of the board. Basically the wire is kind of loose in the hole. You'll use a fine tip soldering iron to heat up the tip of the wire so that the solder reflows around it.


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## huesmann

Well, I pulled the logic board from my GDO and all the solder connectons on the back side looked fine.


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