TL;DR

  • The 9 most common reasons a garage door opener stops working: dead remote or keypad, blocked photo-eye sensors, lock mode engaged, motor running but door not moving (stripped gear), tripped GFCI or power loss, wrong travel-limit settings, broken spring making the door too heavy, worn trolley, and a failed capacitor.
  • Most remote failures are a dead battery or a signal that needs re-pairing. Check this before anything else.
  • Photo-eye sensors are responsible for roughly 30% of “door won’t close” calls. One leaf or a spider web is enough.
  • If the motor runs but the door doesn’t move, stop pressing the button. You’re grinding the gear further. See garage door opener repair before the damage gets worse.

The button on your car visor gets a click and nothing happens. Or the opener motor runs but the door just sits there. Or it worked fine yesterday and now it’s dead. Garage door opener repair is almost always one of nine things, and most of them can be diagnosed in five minutes without tools.

Work through this list in order. Start with the simplest and cheapest possibilities before assuming the motor is gone.

1. Dead remote or keypad battery

This causes more service calls than any single mechanical problem. A remote or keypad that partially works, or that requires multiple presses, is almost always a dying battery, not a failing opener.

Signs:

  • Wall button inside the garage still works, but the remote and keypad don’t
  • Remote only triggers the door from very close range
  • Keypad backlight is dim or flickers

Fix: replace the battery. Most remotes use a CR2032 or CR2016 coin cell ($2 at any drugstore). Most exterior keypads use a 9V. While the cover is off, wipe the battery contacts with a dry cloth. Corrosion on the contact is common in coastal San Diego zip codes (La Jolla, Del Mar, Coronado) where salt air accelerates oxidation.

If new batteries don’t fix it, the remote may have lost its pairing. See post 2 in this series on programming a garage door opener remote and keypad.

2. Blocked or misaligned photo-eye sensors

Every residential opener sold after 1993 has two photo-eye sensors at the base of the door opening, about 4–6 inches off the ground. If anything breaks that infrared beam, or the sensors are out of alignment, the door won’t close.

Signs:

  • Door opens fine but won’t close, or reverses immediately after starting down
  • One sensor’s indicator light is blinking or off (both should be solid)
  • You can force the door closed by holding the wall button the entire time

Common causes in San Diego: canyon dust (East County is bad for this), cobwebs, leaves, or a sensor bumped out of alignment by a trash bin.

Fix: wipe both lenses with a dry cloth. Check that both sensors point directly at each other. Loosen the wing nut on a misaligned sensor, repoint it until the receiving light goes solid, and retighten. If a sensor is cracked or corroded, sensor repair and alignment is a quick service call under $120 in most cases.

3. Lock mode accidentally engaged

Most LiftMaster and Chamberlain openers have a vacation-lock feature that disables all remote signals. It’s easy to trigger by holding the lock button on the wall console too long.

Signs: wall button still works, but every remote and keypad is simultaneously dead. A small lock light on the console is on or blinking.

Fix: hold the lock button for 2–3 seconds. The lock light goes off. Try the remote. That’s it. This one catches a surprising number of “my opener is broken” calls.

4. Motor runs but door doesn’t move

The opener whirs, the chain or belt moves, and the door sits there. Most likely cause: the plastic main drive gear inside the motor housing has stripped. You’ll hear a grinding or clicking from the motor while it runs. The motor is trying; the mechanical connection to the chain is gone.

Signs:

  • Clicking or grinding from the motor housing while it runs
  • Chain or belt visible but slack, or moving erratically
  • Trolley not moving along the rail even though the motor turns

Stop pressing the button the moment you suspect this. Every press grinds the gear further.

Gear replacement runs $180–$340 for chain-drive units. If the opener is over 10–12 years old, compare that against replacement and read the opener lifespan guide before deciding.

5. Power problem or tripped GFCI

Openers are often plugged into a GFCI outlet on the garage ceiling circuit. A tripped GFCI, blown fuse, or power surge can kill the opener with zero response and no indicator light.

Signs: no lights, no sounds, wall button completely dead.

Fix: find the GFCI outlet in the garage (often near a sink or on the ceiling near the plug) and press the reset button. Check the breaker. If power restores and the opener still doesn’t respond, the internal board may have been damaged by the surge.

6. Travel-limit settings out of adjustment

Travel limits tell the opener how far to open and how far to close. Signs: door stops with a gap at the bottom, stops short of fully open, or reverses just before reaching the floor.

Most modern openers auto-recalibrate after a few full cycles. Older units have physical adjustment screws on the motor housing labeled “up limit” and “down limit.” Turn each in 1/4-turn increments and test after each. In older Santee and Spring Valley neighborhoods built on expansive clay soils, floor settling can cause an uneven gap that needs per-side calibration. A tech handles that precisely.

7. Broken spring making the door too heavy

The opener is designed to move a balanced door, not a door with a broken spring. When a spring breaks, the door’s full weight falls on the opener. Some units have enough torque to force the door partway open, but most will strain, stop, or trip the auto-reverse.

Signs:

  • Opener sounds like it’s straining or laboring
  • Door opens only a foot or two, then the opener reverses
  • Loud bang was heard before the problem started (that’s the spring cable snapping)
  • Door is very heavy when you disconnect the opener and try to lift by hand

A broken spring is not an opener problem. The opener is behaving correctly by refusing to force a 300-pound door. Read the broken spring playbook for next steps. Spring replacement is a same-day service call in most of San Diego County.

8. Worn or disconnected trolley

The trolley rides along the opener rail and pulls the top section of the door. If the quick-release cord was pulled (intentionally or by accident), the door is in manual mode and the opener can’t move it.

Signs: motor runs and chain moves, but door doesn’t move. Red cord hanging down from the rail. Rattling along the rail as the trolley travels.

To reconnect after a manual-mode release: lift the door to full height by hand, then pull the red cord back toward the motor until you hear a click. Try the opener. If the trolley arm is cracked or the trolley is worn, replacement runs $80–$160 depending on brand and model.

9. Failed capacitor

The capacitor stores the electrical charge that kicks the motor into motion. It’s the first electrical component to fail on openers exposed to heat. East County attics exceed 130°F in August, and heat kills capacitors fast.

Signs: motor hums but doesn’t spin, or clicks on and shuts off within a second. Door that worked fine in the morning fails in the afternoon heat.

Capacitor replacement runs $90–$160 on most brands. On openers over 12 years old, weigh that against full replacement. A failed capacitor often signals the motor winding isn’t far behind.

When to stop troubleshooting and call

Some situations are past the point where diagnosis helps and straight to needing a tech:

  • Motor runs but door doesn’t move and you see the chain slack (stripped gear, call now)
  • Any burning smell from the motor housing (unplug immediately)
  • Spring broke and door is disconnected from opener weight load
  • Opener is over 15 years old and failing repeatedly in short succession

Same-day garage door opener repair is available across San Diego County.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my garage door opener work from the wall but not the remote?

Dead battery, lost pairing, or lock mode is on. Replace the battery first. If that doesn’t fix it, check the wall console for a lock indicator and hold the lock button for 2–3 seconds. If neither works, re-pair the remote using the Learn button on the opener motor unit.

Count the blinks. LiftMaster and Chamberlain use blink codes to identify specific faults. One blink usually means the sensors are misaligned. Two blinks point to a sensor wire problem. Four blinks often indicate a wiring short. Check the label inside the motor cover, which lists what each blink code means for your model.

Can I manually open the door if the opener is broken?

Yes. Pull the red emergency release cord hanging from the trolley. This disconnects the door from the opener so you can lift it by hand. A door with intact springs should lift to waist height easily. If it’s very heavy, the spring is likely broken. Leave the door closed until the spring is replaced.

Is it worth repairing an older opener or replacing it?

Gear replacement ($180–$340) or a circuit board ($150–$250) makes sense on an opener under 10 years old. Past 12–15 years, a new opener runs $350–$600 installed and brings battery backup, smartphone control, and modern rolling-code security. See the opener lifespan guide for the full breakdown.

If the opener motor died but the door springs are fine, see the opener installation cost guide before calling for quotes. If you suspect a spring problem is overloading the opener, read the spring replacement cost guide first.

Opener not working and you need it fixed today? Call Lift Pro SD at (858) 925-5546. The pros in our network cover same-day garage door opener repair across all of San Diego County, including Escondido, El Cajon, and Chula Vista.