I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

Mike

Mike wrote:
....
... light bulbs ... used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....

Check for wiring connections loose elsewhere or perhaps even the wire
itself has flexed enough over the years to have broken. Or, could be a
thermal expansion/contraction problem.

--

Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

Mike

It could be the contact tab in the center of
the socket. Quite often all that is needed is
to cut the power, reach into the socket with
your index finger and catch the end of the tab
with your fingernail and pull up on it. If you
can't get it with your fingernail, you can make
a loop out of small gauge wire and catch it
that way. You should always use rough service
light bulbs in a garage door opener because of
the vibration. An example:

http://tinyurl.com/qehc3o

TDD

The Daring Dufas wrote:
Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the
off-on stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

Mike

It could be the contact tab in the center of
the socket. Quite often all that is needed is
to cut the power, reach into the socket with
your index finger and catch the end of the tab
with your fingernail and pull up on it. If you
can't get it with your fingernail, you can make
a loop out of small gauge wire and catch it
that way. You should always use rough service
light bulbs in a garage door opener because of
the vibration. An example:


Good idea on the heavy-duty bulbs. It may be, in this case, that the
filaments inside the bulbs are actually broken and making intermittent
contact.

CFLs are more rugged in this regard.

HeyBub wrote:
The Daring Dufas wrote:
Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the
off-on stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

Mike
It could be the contact tab in the center of
the socket. Quite often all that is needed is
to cut the power, reach into the socket with
your index finger and catch the end of the tab
with your fingernail and pull up on it. If you
can't get it with your fingernail, you can make
a loop out of small gauge wire and catch it
that way. You should always use rough service
light bulbs in a garage door opener because of
the vibration. An example:


Good idea on the heavy-duty bulbs. It may be, in this case, that the
filaments inside the bulbs are actually broken and making intermittent
contact.

CFLs are more rugged in this regard.


The intermittent filament was my first thought but
I figured that the OP would have had experience with
that before like most tinkerers. I've actually screwed
in a plug adapter for folks and plugged in a twin
tube shop light that I hung back away from the opener.
It sure lights a garage up a lot better at night and
lasts a lot longer than a standard bulb.

TDD

Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

If both bulbs are going on/off at the same time, it's doubtful both sockets
went bad at the same time.

I have a similar opener, Craftsman chain drive, probably from the mid 70's.

My developed similar symptoms, no lights but in my case it was the driver
relay for the lamps, is on the main card when you slip the case off. The
contacts were burned/pitted. Think the main tip-off was if you knuckle
rapped the housing, they came on.

It's one of the older types, (like an Omron), if you are careful you can
pull off the clear plastic top (usually two tits on either side clamping it
in place), sand the contacts a bit and it'll be good as new.

Think I did mine 10 years ago now and is still fine.

-bruce

Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

I also have a 31 year old Sears Craftsman chain drive garage door opener and
it does the same thing. I opened it up and found the timer that turns on the
lights is a bi-metalic strip with a heater wire wound around it. The heater
wire had parted from a terminal and the bi-metalic strip is a bit warped and
doesn't make contact. There is not enough spare heater wire to reattach to
the terminal but the end sometimes makes contact and the lights will work
erratically. Actually it works sometimes more often on the cold days of
winter and not at all during summer. I have learned to live with it as that
is its only problem.

EXT wrote:
Mike wrote:
I have an old Craftsman chain-drive garage door opener. It was there
when I bought the house, it's gotta be at least 20 years old, but it
works well (noisy as all get out). Anyhow, there are light bulb
sockets on both sides of it. The light bulbs are supposed to come on
when the door is being opened or closed. They used to work. Now,
they come on for a couple seconds, then go off, then flicker a bit,
then come on, then go out, etc. I jiggled the bulbs in the sockets a
bit and they stayed on for a while, but then resume the erratic
performance. One might guess that the bulbs might be coming loose in
the socket from the movement of the garage door, but that is not the
case. The bulbs remain snugly in the socket. In fact, they work a
little better (i.e. stay on a little longer before starting the off-on
stuff) if I unscrew them slightly.

Thanks for any advice....oh, I don't want to replace the opener, so
please don't suggest that!

I also have a 31 year old Sears Craftsman chain drive garage door opener
and it does the same thing. I opened it up and found the timer that
turns on the lights is a bi-metalic strip with a heater wire wound
around it. The heater wire had parted from a terminal and the bi-metalic
strip is a bit warped and doesn't make contact. There is not enough
spare heater wire to reattach to the terminal but the end sometimes
makes contact and the lights will work erratically. Actually it works
sometimes more often on the cold days of winter and not at all during
summer. I have learned to live with it as that is its only problem.

You could replace that timer with an inexpensive block
timer that's common in the HVAC industry. The little
cube timers have a jumper wire that you cut for 120 VAC
operation or some operate from 18-240 volts. It appears
from your post that the heater/timer turns out the light
when it warms up. ICM Controls manufactures all sorts of
solid state timers that hook in series with the load and
one of them could do the trick. Look at the bypass timer.

http://www.icmcontrols.com/products/

TDD

I'm not sure what brand of CFL you use, but I havn't found
them to be rugged.

As to filament bulbs. Try a different brand. I had some
Phillips that would blow easily, and GE I think it was,
worked fine. Rough service bulbs are a good idea.

As to the center spot. Also sand it a bit, with a bit of
emery cloth wrapped over the end of your finger. Scratchy
side out, of course.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"HeyBub" wrote in message
m...

Good idea on the heavy-duty bulbs. It may be, in this case,
that the
filaments inside the bulbs are actually broken and making
intermittent
contact.

CFLs are more rugged in this regard.

Yes, a four foot shop light really lights up the garage.
Excellent idea.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"The Daring Dufas" wrote in
message ...

The intermittent filament was my first thought but
I figured that the OP would have had experience with
that before like most tinkerers. I've actually screwed
in a plug adapter for folks and plugged in a twin
tube shop light that I hung back away from the opener.
It sure lights a garage up a lot better at night and
lasts a lot longer than a standard bulb.

TDD