The garage door opener is equipped with two safety features that may prevent the door from closing and cause the lights to flash. The Lock Button on the Door Control The lock button on the door control may be activated. Press the button to turn this feature off. The light bulb will blink two times. This feature is designed to prompt you that the lock button is activated. When the lock button is ON the garage door opener will work from the door control but the remote controls are locked out. The most common reason for the lights to flash on the garage door opener and the door not closing is that the safety reversing sensors are misaligned or obstructed; this is a safety feature of the garage door opener. Click here for instructions for aliging the safety sensors. When properly connected and aligned, the sensor will detect an obstacle in the path of its electronic beam. If an obstruction breaks the light beam while the door is closing, the door will stop and reverse to full open position, and the opener lights will flash 10 times.
Your garage door opener is equipped with a Self Diagnostic feature to help you determine what the issue is. Based on the model of your garage door opener, your garage door opener will flash an LED next to your learn button or flash the Up and Down arrows a number of times to indicate the issue. If the opener has the up and down arrows use the table below to diagnose and resolve the issue. NOTE: The garage door can be closed by pressing and holding the door control push bar until down travel is completed.What does the flashing LED next to the learn button mean? Your garage door opener is programmed with self-diagnostic capabilities. The diagnostic LED next to the learn button will flash a number of times, then pause before repeating, signifying it has found a potential issue. The Diagnostic Chart is below. 1 or 2 Flashes - One or both of the LEDs on the safety reversing sensors do not glow steadily. One flash means there is a broken or disconnected wire to a safety reversing sensor.
Two flashes means a wire to a sensor is shorted out or a black/white wire is reversed. Inspect the sensor wires for a short (staple in a wire), incorrect wiring polarity (black/white wires reversed), broken or disconnected wires; replace or reattach as needed. 3 Flashes - The LED is not lit on the door control. Inspect the door control wires for a short (staple in wire), and replace as needed. Disconnect wires at the door control, then touch the wires together. If the garage door opener activates, replace the door control. If the garage door opener does not activate, disconnect door control wires from the motor unit. Momentarily short across the red and white terminals with jumper wire. If the garage door opener activates, replace the door control wires. 4 Flashes - The safety reversing sensor sending LED glows steadily, and the receiving light is dim or flashing. The safety reversing sensors are slightly misaligned. Loosen the wing nut on the receiving sensor, clean the lens, realign the sensor until it glows steadily, then tighten the wing nut and secure the brackets.
Verify the door track is firmly secured to the wall and does not move. 5 Flashes - This is a miscellaneous code. Additional symptoms will help to identify the issue. If the opener is not moving at all and you hear a short hum, look for a physical obstruction and remove it, or check if the trolley is stuck on the stop bolt. See How do I get the trolley off the stop bolt?. If the door is moving more than 6-8 inches it is likely that a force adjustment is needed. See Adjust the travel and force limits or Program the travel and force limits. If the garage door opener does not operate, the motor could be overheated. Wait 30 minutes and retry. If the garage door opener still does not operate it may be the logic board or a short in the door control wires. See How to troubleshoot a Door Control Panel 6 Flashes - Motor Circuit Failure. Replace the receiver logic board. What do the flashing UP and DOWN arrows mean? Answers others found helpful Why do the lights on my garage door opener flash and my door will not close?
How to troubleshoot a door control panel How do I get the trolley off the stop bolt or stop tab? How to test or troubleshoot the safety reversing sensors How to align safety reversing sensorsGarage doors are heavy and can injure children and pets. Sears Craftsman garage door openers have an important safety feature that prevents the door from closing when something or someone is in the way. This safety reversing sensor is actually a pair of electric eyes that generate and receive a light signal that must remain unbroken for the door to operate. If it's interrupted while the door is closing, the door reverses and a safety light on the opener flashes 10 times. The Safety Sensors The installation instructions for a Craftsman door opener call for installing the sensors 6 inches above the floor, and you can mount them to the floor, the wall or the door track with the brackets provided. If they are properly aligned, both sensors display a steady light; the one on the receiving sensor is green and the one on the sending sensor is orange.
If something is in the path of the beam or the sensors are misaligned, it's typically the green light on the receiving sensor that flashes. When the orange light on the sending sensor flashes or stays off, it usually indicates a loose wiring connection. Stuff in the Way The most common cause of sensor malfunction is also the easiest to remedy: Something is blocking the beam. It may be a garden tool or something left behind by children, such as a wagon or beach ball. If your garage door has been in place long enough, enough dirt may have formed on the lenses to block the beam, or cobwebs might be in the way. When this happens, the green light on the receiving sensor flashes or it stays off altogether. The orange light on the sending sensor will remain unaffected and be glowing steadily. Misalignment or Loose Wires The green indicator light on the receiving sensor also flashes or fails to illuminate when the sensor is out of alignment with the sending sensor. You can often restore alignment without tools;
simply loosen the wing nut holding the sending sensor to its galvanized steel mounting bracket and adjust its orientation until the green light on the receiving sensor glows steadily, then tighten the nut. If the orange indicator light on the sending sensor is off, it usually indicates a bad electrical connection. Check the connection to the sensor and follow the wire all the way to the terminal on the back of the opener. You might find a staple or nail cutting through the wire insulation. Light Interference Some sensors temporarily malfunction at certain times of the day, and the problem is related to the angle of the sun. If the sun falls squarely on the receiving sensor, it can fail to detect the light beam generated by the other sensor. To remedy this, you might have to construct a guard around the sensor to block sunlight; an empty paper towel roll works well for this. Cut about 2 inches from the end of the roll and tape it to the sensor with duct tape to restore sensor operation.