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Craftsman garage door opener model 41A3620

17 years ago

The previous owner of my home installed a Sears garage door opener model 41A3620. ItÂs a Â½ HP chain drive model that IÂve used for the last year. Recently, it stopped working. The remote works just fine because I can hear the motor kick in - but the chain does not move.

IÂm assuming that the drive mechanism has died. I wanted to replace motor unit without having to assemble all the other accessories which still work. So I purchased a similar model 139.53910D which is the same size and style. If someone has a better idea I could probably return it.

I mainly wanted to know about the wiring. On the new unit there are three terminal screws on the motor unit panel, and only two of those terminals (Red and White) are used for connecting the wires. But on the old unit there are four terminal screws labeled Red, White, Black, and Yellow which are wired to a three-button pad on the wall. So IÂm wondering how to connect the old wires to the new unit.

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Comments (5)

don_1_2006
17 years ago
This just won't work. Your original model is old old old. Go ahead and replace the entire thing. It is easier than you might thing if you follow the instructions step by step in the owners manual. It will also help get you familiar with your new opener.
tlark
Original Author
17 years ago
I installed the new unit and left the old parts (brackets, rail, chain, wires, etc.) in place. Everything fit together very nicely and it works just fine.

Based on another message I read on this forum I assumed that the yellow and black wires were for the vacation lockout feature. My new unit does not have this feature and consequently does not have terminals for these wires as I mentioned before. So I simply didnÂt connect them to anything. Out of curiosity I will be taking apart the old unit just to see what went wrong.

You seemed to be rather confident that this approach would not work. Would mind explaining why you thought that?
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sdello
17 years ago
Of course Don can speak for himself, but I know that I would not just replace the drive unit on an old machiine.

It's akin to replacing the motor in an old tired car without considering the suspension/wiring/etc. You will get most trouble-free longevity starting all new again. Especially, when you bought the complete setup anyway. FWIW, when I replaced my craftsman opener the header bracket for the rail changed from the old style but the new unit contained an adpater to connect the new rail to. So it was really just swapping out the whole machine. Of course you have to add the sensors and hang a new wall button, too.

Seems foolish, but as long as you're satisfied, good luck with it.
tlark
Original Author
17 years ago
I just wanted to get the opener working as quickly as possible. I had the old unit out and the new one installed in less than 30 minutes. The only snag was being forced to install those darn sensors which the old unit did not have.

I took apart the old unit and found that the teeth on the white drive gear were chewed up. If I can replace that very inexpensively, say around $15, I will probably do so. Although I donÂt need it now - I still donÂt know what caused this in the first place so it could happen again. I would guess it was the weather. I live near Chicago and during February my garage door was frozen closed twice.
Sharon Wilson
6 years ago
Hey if you ever find yourself in a jam and dont know how to fix or replace something google it you will have video feed back step by step great u got ur garage door fix what to come fix mine

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