Are motors interchangable?

[Skoot]

Hi all

I had a Liftmaster 2245 fitted to my garage door but it wasn't working. Acting on suggestions here I have bought a complete new opener.

The new one is a Craftsman 53930.

I have looked at the old and new items and they are very similar. It looks to me that I could leave the chain and rail from the first system and just fit the new motor to it. (I will use the new switch and sensors but concerned more about the chain right now)

With this in mind, I removed the old motor and fitted the new on in it's place. All the holes lined up nicely but I'm having trouble attaching the chain. I can't seem to get it very tight.

So at this point, I decided to ask the good people here if what I am doing is actually viable. I don't want to break anything while trying to attach something which doesn't fit.

If it is viable then how should I go about attaching the chain?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Skoot.

[HayZee518]

motor

motors may look similar but don't always work. its like putting a rolls-royce motor into a mustang. sure it'll fit but the tranny don't line up. use the correct replacement

[GarageDoorRepairGuy]

yes they are

I routinely replace parts in openers that are damaged from poorly maintained garage doors. Chamberlain products are quite interchangeable, and the motors you have are certainly interchangeable. Also, by keeping the rail and chain, you are upgrading the Craftsman. The Craftsman you bought will come with a hollow thin steel rail that is cut into several pieces so it can fit in the box. The Liftmaster you are removing came with a solid, high strength one piece rail, significantly stronger than the Craftsman rail. Also, Craftsman uses a length of cable to save money, whereas the Liftmaster features a complete chain assembly for additional strength.

I am curious why you are taking the Liftmaster down. The nylon gears often strip in these models and there are easily repaired. You would definitely want to ensure that the door is balanced and in good running order before installing your new motor.


www.dgdoors.com

[Skoot]

I am curious why you are taking the Liftmaster down. The nylon gears often strip in these models and there are easily repaired. You would definitely want to ensure that the door is balanced and in good running order before installing your new motor.

David
DGD Inc.

The Liftmaster was not working. No lights, noises or anything else.
I posted a question on here as to the best way to fix this.
The common reply was to get a new system so that's what I did. To get someone out to look at it would have cost me $65 and I think that the problem was the logic board so there's another $60 plus what he wanted to install it. So I thought I'd just get a new one.

But, as I said in my first post, I'm having trouble getting the chain tight so I'm not sure if I'm doing things right. Hence the question.

Skoot

[GarageDoorRepairGuy]

If you used the same rail and chain, it should work. Regardless, you can just remove a few chain links to shorten the chain. Make sure the trolley was down in the down position before attaching the new motor head, as the limit in the new opener is set to the down position.


www.dgdoors.com

[Skoot]

If you used the same rail and chain, it should work. Regardless, you can just remove a few chain links to shorten the chain. Make sure the trolley was down in the down position before attaching the new motor head, as the limit in the new opener is set to the down position.

Thanks.

I did that and I have connected it all. It was working ok at first but not opening fully. I adjusted the open adjuster and it opened a bit further but then stopped working. When I push the button it goes about a foot then stopes and opens again. I closed it manually and now it only opens about 4 or 5 inches. What did I do wrong?

[GarageDoorRepairGuy]

Sounds like the force settings are too low or the chain is too tight. Force adjustments are little blue dials where the wall button and sensor wire attach. Increase the settings gradually until the door works properly. If the chain is too tight, it will put tension on the sprocket and pulley causing friction. The chain should have about a 1/2" of deflection (sag).


www.dgdoors.com