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Get your free estimateFAAC Gate Motor Replacement: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
We stock and install FAAC-compatible gate motor replacements across Fort Lauderdale, with most single-motor swaps running between $1,150 and $1,850 installed, parts and labor included. If your gate has stopped moving or has become a grind-and-jerk operation, there’s a strong chance the motor (the box that slides or swings the gate automatically) has reached the end of its life. The most common first sign for Fort Lauderdale owners is a gate that opens but then refuses to close, or closes but won’t open, dependable whichever way it’s working against you.

Here’s the reality with FAAC units in South Florida: the humidity and salt air along the coast near Las Olas and Victoria Park do a number on the motor’s internal circuit board long before the gears wear out. We see this every week. A homeowner will call thinking the whole operator needs to go, when really the motor itself is fine and a board-level repair would buy another few years. But when the motor truly fails, usually a seized bearing or burned winding, replacement is the call. And that’s what this page covers: how to know, what it costs, and how we’ll get it done without you waiting around on a gate that won’t lock.
Key Takeaways
- Installed cost in Fort Lauderdale: $1,150 – $1,850 for most FAAC single-motor replacements, with a written price before any work begins.
- Same week availability for most models; common FAAC motors are on our trucks or in our local stock.
- 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the replacement fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge.
- Every technician is named, photo-badged, and verified before they set foot on your property, the Threshold Standard on every visit.
Which FAAC Models This Applies To
FAAC has been making gate operators since the late 1960s, and over that time they’ve produced a long lineup: the 400, 402, 412, 415, 770, 390, 391, 540, 740, 750, and the newer C720 and S418 series. The motor replacement we’re talking about applies to the swing-arm and slide-operator lines most commonly installed in Fort Lauderdale driveways: the 400-series and 770-series are the ones we replace most often, typically on single-family gates in neighborhoods like Coral Ridge, Rio Vista, and Harbordale.
Here’s the compatibility gotcha many owners discover too late: FAAC model numbers on the outside of the operator housing don’t always match the motor part number inside. The hydraulic units (like the 400 and 770) use a pump motor that’s physically smaller than the electric-motor models (like the 391 or 540). If you order the wrong one, you’re looking at a second trip and a second labor charge. We identify the correct motor by pulling the housing cover and reading the motor’s data plate, not the operator’s label. That’s the check that saves you money.
On OEM versus aftermarket: for FAAC specifically, we lean OEM on hydraulic pump motors because the aftermarket equivalents often run hotter in South Florida heat, which shortens their life. On the electric-motor models, a few quality aftermarket equivalents from US Automatic and GTO hold up fine, and we’ll offer them when they give equivalent or better life at a lower price. We’ll show you both options before you commit.
Styles & brands we work with





Signs Your FAAC Gate Motor Replacement Is Failing
- The gate hums but doesn’t move. That hum is the motor trying to spin against a seized bearing or a stripped gear. Power is reaching it, the capacitor is doing its job, but something mechanical inside has given up. This is the single most common FAAC failure we see in Fort Lauderdale.
- The gate moves slowly, even when the open/close force is set correctly. A healthy FAAC motor moves a properly aligned gate at a steady clip. If it’s crawling, the windings are overheating or the motor has lost torque. In Fort Lauderdale’s summer months, this accelerates fast.
- The circuit board keeps faulting out with no obvious cause. FAAC boards log error codes, and an overdrawing motor will trip the board repeatedly even when nothing looks wrong at the gate itself. If we bypass the motor and the board runs clean, the motor is the culprit.
- The motor housing is hot to the touch after a single open-and-close cycle. FAAC motors run warm, but never hot. A housing you can’t keep your hand on for five seconds means the motor is working too hard, usually a failing bearing dragging the armature.
- The gate opens fine but won’t close under its own power (or vice versa). This intermittent one-way failure is often a worn brush or a broken winding inside the motor that only shows up when the motor runs in one direction. It will get worse.
Replacement Cost & What’s Included
For Fort Lauderdale homeowners, a FAAC gate motor replacement installed by us runs between $1,150 and $1,850, depending on the motor model and the condition of the surrounding hardware. Here’s what shapes the number:
- Motor type: hydraulic pump motors (400/770 series) sit at the higher end because the OEM part is more expensive and the job includes bleeding the hydraulic system. Electric-motor models (391/540) fall lower.
- Whether we’re also replacing the capacitor: a motor that’s dying has usually stressed the capacitor too. We include a fresh capacitor on every FAAC motor replacement, because skipping it sets up a callback.
- Gate condition: if the gate itself is binding, misaligned, or sagging, that’s the real problem and the new motor won’t fix it. We’ll tell you what else needs attention before we quote the work.
The price we quote is the price you pay. Every FAAC motor replacement is quoted in writing before we touch a tool, and that quote includes the motor, the capacitor, the labor, adjustments, and a full system test. The work carries the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the replacement fails for any reason within a year of installation, we return and fix it free, parts and labor.

See the difference
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AfterDIY or Call Us?
This is not a job we recommend for a weekend DIY, and we say that not to protect our hours but because the failure mode hurts people. A gate motor replacement involves working inside a live 120-volt operator, often on a gate that weighs hundreds of pounds and has built-up mechanical energy in the hinge and arm assembly. If the gate releases while you’re between it and the post, that’s a hospital trip. We’ve seen it.
What you can safely do: check the breaker, check that the manual release lever isn’t stuck, and look at the gate’s hinges for obvious sag. Those checks won’t fix a failed motor, but they give us a clearer picture on the phone, which means the right part arrives on the first trip. When you call (754) 354-9065, you’ll get a real person, and we’ll have a written estimate in your hands before any work starts.
FAQs
In our experience replacing them across Fort Lauderdale for years, a FAAC gate motor lasts 8 to 12 years in this climate, with coastal properties trending toward the shorter end because salt air accelerates corrosion on the windings and connectors. A well-maintained unit on an inland property, like Plantation or Davie-adjacent sections, can push past 12. If yours is under 8 years old and the motor has failed, we look hard at what killed it, because a binding gate or a water intrusion issue will take out the replacement too. Call (754) 354-9065 and we’ll tell you what we find before we quote anything.
Sometimes, yes, when the failure is a worn brush, a burned capacitor, or a failed bearing on an otherwise healthy motor; we rebuild FAAC motors when the windings test clean. But make no mistake: if the motor has burned windings or a seized armature, rebuilds don’t hold up and the honest answer is replacement. We’ll show you the test readings and the before-you-pay written price either way, and you’ll never be sold a replacement when a repair would hold. Call for a straight answer.
Most FAAC motor replacements in Fort Lauderdale take 2 to 3 hours from arrival to a fully tested gate, including fresh capacitor, torque adjustments, and a full cycle test. Hydraulic units take a little longer because we bleed and re-pressurize the system. You’ll have a working, locked, and properly closing gate the same day we show up.
Yes, common FAAC motors for the 400, 402, 770, 391, and 540 series are kept on our local trucks and in our Fort Lauderdale shop. Less common models may take a day or two to order in. When you call (754) 354-9065, we’ll identify your motor’s specific part number and tell you over the phone whether we have it ready to install.
FAAC Motor Replacement in Fort Lauderdale, Done Right the First Time
When your FAAC gate motor goes, the thing you want is a known technician, a written price, and the job done before the next storm. That’s exactly how we work. Every one of our technicians is background-checked, identity-verified, and photo-badged. You’ll know the name and face of the person coming to your gate before they arrive, and you’ll see that badge at the door. We answer our own phones, day or night.
A locked gate only protects you if it actually locks. If your FAAC motor has given up, don’t leave a good property unguarded. Call (754) 354-9065 and we’ll get you a free estimate, a real answer, and a motor replacement that runs like the day it was installed. Cole Rafferty and the whole Fort Lauderdale crew are ready when you are.
Written by Cole Rafferty, Owner, Warden Gate Repair Fort Lauderdale at Warden Gate Repair Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.