What Does the Flashing LED Next to the Learn Button Mean

Your garage door opener is programmed with self-diagnostic capabilities. The diagnostic LED light next to the learn button will flash a number of times, then pause before repeating, signifying it has found a potential issue.

Diagnostic Chart:

1, 2 or 4 flashes - Safety Sensor Related Error

The Garage Door Opener will not close the door and the light bulbs blink 10 times:

Note: Any garage door opener or replacement logic board manufactured after 2022, will no longer have this feature.

One or both of the LED's on the safety reversing sensors do not glow steadily.

• One Flash: A broken or disconnected wire to a safety reversing sensor.
• Two Flashes: A wire to a sensor is shorted out or a black/white wire is reversed.
• Four Flashes: Safety reversing sensor sending LED glows steadily, and the receiving light is dim or flashing.

Inspect the sensor wires for a short, disconnected or broken wire (black/white wires reversed)

1. If the home is pre-wired for a garage door opener, remove the wires from behind the wall next to the sensors. Check the connections for loose or broken wires, replace or repair as needed.
2. Check the wires at the opener, lightly pull on the wires to verify if they are connected properly.
3. Replace or reattach as needed.

Verify the Safety Sensors wires are properly connected and not reversed at the sensors (if pre-wired) or opener.

1. White wires from the sensors should be connected to the #2 or White Terminal.
2. White/Black wires from the sensors should be connected to the #3 or Grey Terminal.

The safety reversing sensors are slightly misaligned.

1. Loosen the wing nut on the receiving sensor.
2. Clean the lens.
3. Realign the sensor until it glows steadily.
4. Tighten the wing nut and secure the brackets.
5. Verify the door track is firmly secured to the wall and does not move.

3 flashes - Door Control related error

The LED or Screen on the door control is not lit.

1. Inspect the door control wires for a short (staple in wire), and replace as needed.

1. Remove the door control from the wall. Screw is located under the push bar, or under the buttons on the bottom. Refer to your product manual's installation section to verify how to remove the door control from the wall.
2. Disconnect the wires from the back of the door control, then touch the wires together.
   1. If the garage door opener activates, replace the door control.
   2. If the garage door opener does not activate, disconnect door control wires from the motor unit. Short across the red and white terminals with jumper wire.
   3. If the garage door opener activates, replace the door control wires.

1. The above steps do NOT work for Security+ 2.0 garage door openers, as shorting the door controls wires will not cycle the opener.
2. A short wire test is NOT needed if the LED or Screen is on but not working, replace the door control.

5 Flashes

This means the opener is not detecting any RPM's (rotations-per-minute) during the first second of operation. This typically means there is a mechanical stoppage:

• If the opener is operating normally.
  • Cycle power to the opener by unplugging it for 5 seconds, reapply power to reset the error code.

• If the opener is humming for less than 5 seconds, then turns off. Check the following in order:
  1. Check the balance of the garage door opener
     1. Disengage the garage door from the opener.
     2. Manually lift the garage door 3 to 4 feet off the floor and release.
     3. If the garage door forcefully closes to the floor, or is difficult to manually open and close, contact a trained door technician to have the door serviced.
  2. A broken spring above the garage door
     1. Check the spring above the garage door, if this is broken you will not be able to manually lift open the garage door.
  3. Manual locks on the garage door are engaged
     1. Identify if there are manual locks installed on the garage door, once a garage door opener has been installed, then should be removed.
  4. Opener Trolley is stuck against the rail stop bolt: See How to get the trolley off the stop bolt or stop tab.
     1. The garage door has opened and will not close. Loosen the chain or belt to relieve the tension, then press the door control to run the trolley to the close position. Re-tighten the chain or belt with out the door connected, refer to product manual for proper tension. Once tension has been completed, reset the travel and force adjustments, followed by all safety tests.
  5. Bad Capacitor, Stripped Gears or a Bad Motor
     1. Unplug the garage door opener and remove the cover. While the cover is removed, inspect the following:
        1. Capacitor: If the unit is humming and the gears are good, replace the capacitor.
        2. Gears: If there are white shaving inside the unit, replace the gears instead of the capacitor.
        3. Motor: If there are no white shavings, and you have already replace the capacitor, replace the motor. Ensure the bolts used to connect the rail to the chassis are the black bolts provided with the unit from the factory.
  6. Motor has overheated
     1. This usually happens during a new installation after setting the limits and forces, or replacing components. The opener has been ran numerous time and the motor has overheated.
     2. Allow the opener to reset for 45 minutes allowing the motor to cool, then continue with the adjustments.

• If the opener is humming for more than 5 seconds, (up to 30 seconds) then turns off. Check the following in order:
  1. Check the balance of the garage door opener
     1. Disengage the garage door from the opener.
     2. Manually lift the garage door 3 to 4 feet off the floor and release.
     3. If the garage door forcefully closes to the floor, or is difficult to manually open and close, contact a trained door technician to have the door serviced.
  2. Trolley is disconnected (about 15 seconds)
     1. Cycle the opener and verify if the chain or belt is moving
        1. If so, re-engage the trolley so the opener will open and close the garage door. Refer to your product manual on how to engage and disengage the garage door.
  3. The Chain or Belt Sprocket is broken (up to 30 seconds)
     1. Unplug the garage door opener, remove the battery backup if applicable.
     2. Remove the sprocket cover
        1. If a DC opener, replace the DC Motor
        2. If an AC opener, replace the gear and sprocket assembly
  4. The internal Gears are stripped (Less than 5 seconds - units with travel modules, or 30 seconds - units with RPM Sensor)
     1. Unplug the garage door opener and remove the cover.
        1. If there are white shaving inside the unit, replace the gears

• If the opener is moving less than 6 to 8 inches (15-20 cm) the RPM Sensor may not be functioning properly.
  • Disconnect the garage door from the opener and cycle the opener.
    • If after disconnecting the garage door, and the opener runs more than 6 to 8 inches, check the balance of the garage door and reset the travel and/or force settings if there are no door issues. See adjust the travel and force limits or program the travel and force limits.
    • If the opener will NOT run more than 6 to 8 inches, check the following:
      • Unplug the opener, remove the battery backup if applicable.
        • Check the RPM sensors wire harness for loose connections
        • Verify the interrupter cup is on the motor shaft
        • Verify there is no end play in the motor shaft
        • Replace RPM Sensor

• If the opener has a single click with no movement check the following in order: 
  • If the unit is a DC motor unit:
    • DC motor wiring harness or transformer wiring harness disconnected: reconnect wiring harness.
  • If the unit is an AC motor unit: 
    • AC motor overheated: disconnect the motor from power and wait 45 minutes for the motor to cool down. 
  • Defective Logic Board: Replace Logic Board.
  • Defective Transformer: Replace Transformer. 

6 flashes

Motor Circuit Failure. Replace the receiver logic board.

1. Replace the logic board because the motor itself rarely fails.

See also:

What do the flashing UP and DOWN arrows mean?