Replace garage door opener motor - Need Beta

[jm2e]

Just had the springs replaced last summer and now it looks like the motor part is fucked. It's been acting up for months and today the gear holding the chain broke off the motor which looks pretty much hopeless from a repair vantage.
Help me out Mags! Who's done this kinda shit?
Do I have to replace the whole track and re-hang the contraption that secures the motor?
Or is this an easy operation where one motor comes out and a new one goes in?
While I'm at it, am I opening up a can of worms if I change to a screw or belt drive?

Finally: Brands, Models, HP, accessories.
Standard non-insulated metal double door.

[FattyCBR]

A lot of time if it's the same brand just newer it's just a matter of rehanging the motor and attaching the new chain to the door bracket. I switched out a Craftsman last summer and it was pretty easy.

[mtnjam]

you don't have to replace the whole track, just the drive and the motor assembly. I replaced mine last year and it wasn't very hard at all. Had to replace the worn out belt track and shuttle, but didn't have to do any redrilling of the door, just hooked up the new shuttle to the door mount and worked fine. Just dad to do a little fine tuning of the up/down limit screw and worked fine. Replaced the whole drive assembly and just rehung it on the L brackets already there from the prior motor.
I went with a Chamberlain WhisperLite belt drive and it seems to work great.

[Alpinord]

How's the Chamberlain WhisperLite working? Looks like I need to replace one of our ancient openers. It has a chain drive system. Any big issues converting to belt drive? What's minimum hp for 9'x7.5' insulated metal doors?

[Tye 1on]

Why not just stick with the chain if it's not broken? Biggest challenge for me was figuring out how to adjust the limiters, a YouTube video helped a lot.

[Alpinord]

The master bedroom is above and the quieter the better. I'm assuming belt drives are more quiet than chains???? Relative costs of new system vs upgrading a very old one.

The Sommers look pretty sweet.

[Tye 1on]

makes good sense. As i should have guessed.

[Alpinord]

The nylon gear wheel is shredded and there's plastic dust all over the inside. This is a 1993 Liftmaster/Chamberlain 1/2 HP. The motor and chain seems fine, but the weak link is the nylon gear wheel.

Your idea of simply changing out the motor and gears may be good if they are quieter.....and I can find just the motor. It's worth considering because the other door opener may be heading down this path, too.

[SeatownSlackey]

Posting for deja vu subscription. Exact scenario here with shredded lift master. Just installed chamberlain whisper. Color on new belt drive to follow

[AKbruin]

I went through the same thing last summer. The sprocket that drove the chain broke on my old LiftMaster. I was going to replace only the motor with a similar Chamberlain (which is the same LiftMaster) because this guy on YouTube made it look super easy. But, when I tried it, there was an issue with length. I also found working with the chain to be a huge pain in the ass.

So I ended up buying a new Chamberlain belt-drive garage door opener. The belt-drive was so much easier to work with than the chain, which probably had stretched and needed replacing anyway. I was able to use, with some small modifications, the preexisting mounts in my garage. I'd say it took about 2 hours, but I work pretty slowly.

[HD333]

The nylon gear wheel is shredded and there's plastic dust all over the inside. This is a 1993 Liftmaster/Chamberlain 1/2 HP. The motor and chain seems fine, but the weak link is the nylon gear wheel.

Your idea of simply changing out the motor and gears may be good if they are quieter.....and I can find just the motor. It's worth considering because the other door opener may be heading down this path, too.

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I messed around way too long trying to find parts/fix what I had. Finally gave up and bought a whole new unit. Installed it with same mounting brackets in a little over an hour.

[Alpinord]

Same thing happened to me a few years ago. I messed around way too long trying to find parts/fix what I had. Finally gave up and bought a whole new unit. Installed it with same mounting brackets in a little over an hour.

Yeah, I think this is where I'm heading. Since the door is over 7' and not 8' it's not clear if I'll need the extension kits for the Chamberlains for both the 1/2 & 3/4 hp units. Any reason to not stay with the 1/2 hp?

EDIT: from HD q&a:

Do I need the 8 foot belt extension kit for a 7'6" tall door or will the standard kit work? Door opener model WD832KEV

No, you do not need the extension rail. The door will open 7'6" without the extension rail.

Quick-an-easy-to-install 5-piece rail system fits most garages with 7 ft. high garage doors, extension kits are required for garage doors that are 8 ft. (model 8808CB) or 10 ft. (7710CB) in height

By the time I add the extension cost, I'm into the Sommer (3/4 hp) price point:

Rail length good for most garage door applications up to 8 ft. tall, no additional extension kit required

I'm starting to look at the manual to see what's involve with them and ship times vs the Chamberlain and getting it off the shelf.

Thanks all for the input.

[mtnjam]

Hey Terry, geez totally forgot about this thread.

My Chamberlain has been working just fine for, I guess, 7 years now, no problems. I don't open the garage door that much, but the drive is still quiet and the belt hasn't broken. The only issue I have now is the garage door itself is getting pretty old and I need to find a good insulated door. The track sometimes catches at one place while it opens or closes, but the emergency reverse works fine and the alignment lights get bumped sometimes.