Garage Door Opener

[Texasdoc]

I guess this is the forum to post this....

When my car is running, the garage door and/or neighborhood gate won't open. When I pull up to it, I have to stop the car and then the remote will work. I can then start the car and proceed.

I am assuming this is likely RF interference from the ignition system. I have the standard 6AL digital with noise capacitor and insulated pickup cable, MSD distributor, MSD 8.5 wires, generic round coil. Any idea what would be causing the interference?

[patrickt]

I would suspect the fans. As a test, from inside the garage, turn your fans on with the engine off and see if the remote control works. If it doesn't, then you've isolated the problem and you can then sample toroid chokes to eliminate it.

[TimG427]

I've had that problem, also. It's only with the Cobra, so I figured it was as a result of interference with the ignition system on the Cobra. This has occurred with more than one Cobra.

[JDwithSC]

I have had the same problem intermittently for years, and I believe it is the MSD. My fans were not the culprit (I turned them off to check). It occurs less frequently when I open the door from an angle as I am rounding the corner to my rear-entry garage.

[patrickt]

If it is the MSD, and you're using the big capacitor noise filter they recommend, and you have the big power and ground wires installed just like they recommend, then the only other thing I can think of would be that the spark plug wires are not spiral or helically wound wires, which they gotta be, or that they're cracked and crappy. Solid core wires on an MSD unit will easily produce electrical noise -- helically wound wires won't. Other than some sort of goofy bad connection/ground type of thing, I can't think of why the MSD would be doing that.

[Ken Oikawa]

I have Johnex Cobra with MSD 6AL and Big Stuff3 and my remote door opener works (will open door) with the engine running.

[Texasdoc]

I'll try the fans, I have a kill switch. Also, I will test the wires. They are the MSD 8.5 super conductor wires. They are relatively new (2 years or so), but I will test their resistance.

The MSD has the noise suppressing capacitor and the big red and black wires are run directly to the battery.

Something has changed. This only started happening a few months ago.

I'm going to have to research toroid chokes. I've never heard of them.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Texasdoc

I'm going to have to research toroid chokes. I've never heard of them.

I have to use them on my Cobra's pusher fans, otherwise they immediately set off the radar detector. The puller fan does not, as it's brushless.

[patrickt]

Here is a very exciting video on toroid chokes.

[Texasdoc]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Here is a very exciting video on toroid chokes.

Wow, that was exciting. Glad I asked.

[patrickt]

Well the next one will be "what would a talking prostate gland look like, and what would it have to say?"

[Texasdoc]

You HONESTLY do not want to know.

[RB60]

I've got the same problem. In front of the garage, the opener doesn't work. It works from either angle approaching my garage from about 50 yards or so until I'm about 10 yards from directly in front of it

[Jaydee]

Is it possible to reset the remote? There is usually a reset button to reprogram it. What about wrapping the Cobra in ali foil.

[RB60]

I forgot to mention the opener works when the engine is not running. Every time I back out of the garage I have to shut the engine off to close the door.
I installed a new receiver and got 2 new remotes (the old Montgomery Ward remote just wore out and fell apart), both are programmable but it would be just as much of a pain to remove the receiver as it was to install it.

"What about wrapping the Cobra in ali foil."

I dunno. If I could afford a Kirkham, I'd let you know

[Mr Barnwood]

I was really glad to read this post as I’ve got the exact same problem I can open my front gate to my house but I can’t open the garage door. Perhaps the gate and garage door are on some different frequency, actually I know they are because I can not program the gate remote to open the garage door or the garage remote to open the gate. They explained to me once what the problem was but I forgot so I’m going to ask the garage door installer company agai and see if they have any suggestions.

[Texasdoc]

Well, no luck. Checked all the plug wires. Had to replace a few due to high resistance. Turned the fans off. Still can't open the gate without turning off the car.

[cycleguy55]

Other than ignition and fans, things that come to mind are: a) alternator; and b) electric fuel pump. No idea how to quell RFI noise from them if one of them is the culprit.

[bwcobra15]

Get ya one of them NASCAR garage door openers with the racist noose ... no electrical interference....

[Texasdoc]

Too soon. Too soon.