Garage Door Opener Stripped Gear

Most garage door openers have nylon gears inside the casing. Garage door opener stripped gears are a common repair. Typically, these parts last 10-12 years based on average use. Gear and sprocket replacements are easy do it yourself projects. If you opener gear is stripping out every few years, here are some possible reasons why.

Greasing the Gear

The quickest way to strip your garage door opener gear is failing to use grease. Without applying grease to the nylon gear the teeth will quickly strip from excess friction and heat. Most gear kits include small parts and a grease packet part number 83A11-2 . It is also important to grease the rail on your opener along with all nylon parts inside the casing.

Spring Tension Adjustment

Running your electric garage door opener with a broken spring should be done in emergency situations only. Torsion springs do the majority of the work in lifting the garage door. When springs break the automatic opener works extra hard to open and close the door, putting stress on the gears inside. This is especially true on larger and heavier doors with single spring operation.

Increase Horsepower & Cycles

Garage door openers have maximum load ratings based on square feet and door height. Using an opener that isn’t rated for a heavy door will cause it to wear quickly. Openers also carry a cycles per house rating. Violating the recommended cycles per hour guideline will also cause the motor to breakdown quickly. Most operators have a maximum rating of 12-15 cycles per hour.