# Garage Door Opener Capacitor



## tootoomuch (Oct 2, 2008)

My garage door opener won't open and is humming when plugged in. From research, sounds like a capacitor. Problem is when I remove the cover, nothing looks like any capacitor I have found on the internet.
Opener is an Overhead Door R 80Z chain drive--very old. Would really appreciate some direction.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

if you have an ohm meter you can check the capacitor

you could call a motor repair shop or garage door installers to get the capacitor

you want to match the MFD and VAC to what you have. 

physical size is not important as long as the capacitor has the same MFD and VAC


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## tootoomuch (Oct 2, 2008)

Please forgive my ignorance, but can a capacitor be housed in a small metal case approx 2" x 2". The wires are connected directly to the metal housing. It has Cat 550-32 & Coil 24 Vac 1D stamped on it. I can't even figure out where the capacitor is. I googled for pics of garage door openers and my setup looks like nothing else I found.


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## wacor (Feb 22, 2005)

tootoomuch said:


> Please forgive my ignorance, but can a capacitor be housed in a small metal case approx 2" x 2". The wires are connected directly to the metal housing. It has Cat 550-32 & Coil 24 Vac 1D stamped on it. I can't even figure out where the capacitor is. I googled for pics of garage door openers and my setup looks like nothing else I found.


I would suspect it would be a tube shape like these.
could be an aluminum or plastic housing. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Capacitors_Various.jpg

can you take a picture of the inside of the opener?


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

Actually, from my experience with several brands, a garage door humming is more likely to be the limit switches not being properly actuated, or the push button (or transmitter relay) being stuck on. I've had both of these happen in different brands of openers.


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## tootoomuch (Oct 2, 2008)

Wow! I finally found the capacitors. I followed the wires out of the motor to a shelf I didn't even think it was possible to reach. Now I just need to turn a tap it is impossible to reach and I should have them. Thanks for all of your help. I will take these in to be tested and if that's not it, will try the limit switch.


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## Frank4d (Sep 10, 2006)

I replaced a motor start capacitor a couple of years ago: http://forums.techguy.org/do-yourself-projects/527455-solved-motor-start-capacitor.html

The symptom I seem to remember was that the motor would not run at all, there was no humming sound.


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## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm guessing that this won't be the capacitor.


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