FAAC Gate Motor Replacement Nationwide | Gatewood Fence & Gate

FAAC Gate Motor Replacement: The Los Angeles Owner’s Guide

We stock and install FAAC-compatible gate motors across Los Angeles, with most replacements running $900 to $1,800 installed depending on your model and whether we’re swapping just the motor or the full operator assembly. Same-day service is available when your part is in stock on the truck, which it usually is for the common FAAC 400, 402, and 415 series. Most owners call us after the gate stops mid-swing, the motor hums without moving anything, or the opener trips the breaker every third use. If you’re reading this because your FAAC quit and the gate is stuck open, that’s a security problem, not just an inconvenience. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll get eyes on it today.

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Which FAAC Models This Applies To

FAAC has been building swing and slide gate operators out of Italy for decades, and the older models especially turn up all over Los Angeles, from West Hills horse properties to Brentwood driveways. The operators we see most are the FAAC 400, 402, 412, 415, 422, S700, S800, and the 746/844 hydraulic units. Before you order anything, look for the silver data plate riveted to the operator housing. You want the model number and the serial number prefix; the serial tells us the production run, and some production runs used different capacitor values than others. That’s the kind of detail that matters when a wrong capacitor fries a new motor in three weeks.

Here’s the FAAC-specific gotcha: a lot of parts cross the Atlantic in batches with paper-thin documentation, and online sellers sometimes list a “universal FAAC motor” that isn’t universal at all. The 415 swing operator motor and the S700 slide motor are not interchangeable, no matter what the auction listing says. We match the operator by model, voltage, and arm type, not by what fits in the box. On the OEM versus aftermarket question, we use genuine FAAC motors when the operator is still in production and a quality aftermarket equivalent when the arm is long discontinued and FAAC hasn’t made the part in ten years. You’ll know which one you’re getting before we order anything, and the price will reflect that.

Signs Your FAAC Gate Motor Replacement Is Failing

• The motor hums but the gate doesn’t move. This is almost always the run capacitor on swing arms or a stripped gear on slide operators. The capacitor is a cheap fix if you catch it early, but if the motor kept humming under load for weeks, the windings may now be cooked too.
• The gate opens fine but won’t close, or vice versa. On FAAC operators with limit switches, one direction dead usually means a bad limit switch or a worn relay on the control board. It’s not always the motor, so we test before we swap.
• The breaker trips every time the gate runs. In Los Angeles, older FAAC operators often pull high amps when the gearbox is dry, the capacitor is failing, or the arm has been out of adjustment so long the motor is working against the stop. We measure draw before condemning the motor.
• The gate jerks or stalls partway through the cycle. This can be a failing motor bearing, but it’s just as often a hinge post settling out of plumb. A good motor on a binding post will fail early, and the telltale is the jerky motion.
• You smell burning or see scorch marks near the operator housing. Kill the power and stop using the gate. That smell is insulation breaking down inside the motor. It’s not a “keep an eye on it” situation.

Replacement Cost & What’s Included

Installed FAAC motor replacement in Los Angeles typically lands between $900 and $1,800. The spread depends on whether we’re swapping the motor only (lower end) or the whole operator with control board, gearbox, and arm hardware (upper end). Hydraulic FAAC 746/844 units run higher because the hydraulic motor is a sealed assembly and the fluid gets replaced at the same time.

Here’s how the pricing breaks down:

• FAAC motor only (common 400/415 series): $350 to $600 for the part
• Capacitor replacement: $40 to $90 for the part, when that’s all it needs
• Full operator replacement with new motor and control board: $700 to $1,200 for the hardware
• Labor: $250 to $600 depending on access, old bracket condition, and whether we’re rebuilding the mount

Every price is quoted and agreed before any work starts. You’ll know what you’re paying before Hal or his crew touches a tool. There’s no trip charge inside Los Angeles County, and every job carries the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the new motor fails inside 90 days, we come back and make it right, no runaround.

DIY or Call Us?

You can test the basics safely: check that the breaker isn’t tripped, look for obvious scorch marks, and listen for whether the motor hums when the remote is pressed. That last detail tells us a lot on the phone.

But swapping a FAAC gate motor is not a Saturday afternoon job. The operator contains a high-capacity run capacitor that can hold a charge and bite you even with the breaker off. The motor and gearbox sit under spring tension or hydraulic pressure on some models, and if you pull the wrong bolt first, the arm can swing with real force. We’ve also undone more than a few wiring jobs where somebody spliced the capacitor leads wrong and the new motor smoked the moment power was restored. Given the voltage involved and the weight of most Los Angeles gates, this is work for a trained person. Call (877) 610-2993 and we’ll have it done right the first time.

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