Garage Door Opener Doesn't Work: Wall Control Troubleshooting

Use promo code TH-cam to save 10% on searspartsdirect.com.
This video shows how to diagnose why the wall control for your garage door opener isn’t working and what to do about it. Here’s an overview of the flow of the troubleshooting. If you find the problem at any of these steps, you can skip the rest.
1. Check for power.
2. Check the wiring between the wall control and the garage door opener motor.
3. Check the wiring in the wall. How you check it depends on the kind of wall control your garage door opener has.
Visit us at:
www.searsparts...
Check for power
1. Check the LED light or electronic display on the wall control. If the wall control LED light is lit or the electronic display works, the wall control and garage door opener motor unit have power. Skip to the next section, “Check the wiring between the wall control and motor.”
2. If the light or display is off, check the garage door opener’s motor unit for power by pressing the Learn button on the motor unit.
If the light on the motor unit comes on, the unit has power. Skip to the next section, “Check the wiring between the wall control and motor.”
If the light on the motor unit doesn’t come, reset the house circuit breaker for the garage door opener electrical outlet.
3. If resetting the circuit breaker doesn’t solve the problem, test the outlet by plugging in a lamp or small appliance.
If the electrical outlet works, replace the garage door opener logic board. We have a video that shows how.
If the outlet doesn’t work, have an electrician repair it.
Check the wiring between the wall control and motor
If the wall control has power or pressing the Learn button in the previous section showed that the motor unit has power, the next step is to check the wiring between the wall control and the motor unit:
• Make sure the wall control wires securely connect to the motor unit. The all-white wire connects to the white terminal and the white wire with the red stripe connects to the red terminal.
• Check the wires connected to the wall control. Reconnect any loose wires.
• If you can see the path of wires between the motor unit and wall control, look for any visible damage and repair any damage you find.
Check the wiring in the wall
If the connections are secure, and the visible wiring is intact, the next step is to test the wiring you can’t see. How you test it depends on whether your wall control has an LED light or a digital display.
Test the wiring of an LED wall control
This test is for wall control with a single LED light. If your garage door opener has another type of wall control, skip to the next section.
To test this wall control, remove it from the wall and disconnect the wires on the back. Touch the bare ends of the wall control wire together to see if the garage door moves.
If the door moves, the wiring is okay, because the motor unit sensed the wiring connection. In that case, replace the wall control. We have a video that shows how.
• Replacing the Wall Con...
If the door didn't move when you touched the bare ends of the wall control wires, it’s likely there’s a wiring problem. Follow these steps to check the wiring:
1. Disconnect the wires from the motor unit.
2. Cut a 3-inch strand of insulated wire to use as a jumper wire and strip 1/2-inches of insulation off each end.
3. Insert the jumper wire into the wall control terminals on the motor unit to see if the garage door moves.
If the garage door works with the jumper wire, there’s a break somewhere in the wall control wiring. Replace the wires.
If the jumper wire didn’t work, you’ve ruled out everything but the logic board. Watch our video that shows how to replace the logic board.
• Replacing the Logic Bo...
Test other types of wall controls
This test is for wall controls with a digital display.
1. Pull the wall control off the wall and disconnect the wires from the back.
2. Disconnect the wall control wires from the motor unit.
3. Cut a section of insulated 2-strand wire about a foot long and then strip about 1/2-inch of insulation from each end.
4. Use the 2-strand wire to connect the red and white terminals on the wall control to the corresponding terminals on the motor unit, connecting the all-white wire to the white terminal and the white wire with the red stripe to the red terminal.
If the wall control lights up and works, the wall control is okay and the problem is the wiring. Replace the wiring between the motor unit and the wall control.
If the wall control doesn't light up and work properly, either the wall control or the logic board in the garage door opener is defective. Diagnosing this type of wall control is more complicated than the single LED type. To know for sure what the problem is, you may want to have a service technician check the garage door opener.