Finally got my old garage door opener to work after a week of trying

I was in my garage last Tuesday when the opener just stopped, leaving the door stuck halfway down. The motor would hum but nothing moved. I checked the manual online and saw it might be the limit switches. After cleaning the track and checking the gears, I found the main drive gear was totally stripped. I ordered a $15 plastic gear kit from a parts site and swapped it out yesterday. It took about two hours with just a socket set and some patience. Has anyone else had to fix a stripped gear on a Genie opener, or is there a better brand for parts?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly.parker2mo ago

That nylon gear thing is a cheap fix but it's also a planned weak point. I've seen people replace them with metal gears from third party sellers, which sounds good until you realize the motor wasn't meant for that. The next thing to fail won't be a fifteen dollar gear, it'll be the whole motor.

webb.linda1mo ago

Two hours with a socket set is some serious dedication. I would have lost my mind after the first hour. Kelly.parker has a point about the metal gears, that sounds like a great way to turn a small problem into a huge one. I guess the plastic gear is there to break on purpose, but it's still annoying when it happens. My neighbor's opener did the same thing and he just ended up replacing the whole unit.

the_ben2mo ago

Check if the new gear is nylon, that's what they use to fail on purpose and save the motor. My Genie ate three of them before I gave up and just got a whole new rail assembly.