Garage door opener problem

[Grendel]

Recently when it closes the door will start coming down a few feet and then stop and go back up. If I try again most of the time it works. Sometimes it takes a few more trys. What should I look for? Everything was greased a few months ago. It's a chain and always been noisy since I moved in. There are no apparent obstructions that would make it want to reverse. Also it doesn't have any of those infrared sensors or anything that sense something is there. It only senses by resistance to the door as it's coming down.

[Doc]

Check the "down force" adjustment-- you might need to crank it up a half turn or so.

Doc

[Joseph Meehan]

I suggest you start by disconnecting the opener from the door and see how it operates. It should move easily up and down and remain in either the up or down position without any assistance. My guess is it is requiring too much down force due to a spring adjustment problem or an alignment problem.

Next is to try adjusting the clutch on the opener to increase force a little.

[Doordoc]

The type of grease used & where it was placed may be the problem. Grease will thicken in cold weather & will sometimes make the door work worse then if it wasn't greased it all. Grease placed in the wrong places will also collect dirt & dust and tend to gum up. The rollers & door tracks should never be greased & if they were the grease may need to be cleaned out. The bearings on the rollers should be oiled and thick axle type grease should not be used on the opener. Low temp lithium based greased should be used instead.

Doordoc

If the down force is tightened too much the door could be damaged instead of it reversing like it's suppose to.

[Grendel]

I used the white lithium grease. Sears said it would be fine for garage doors. I looked at the directions on a package for another lithium grease and did basically what it said. I ran it over all of chain and the metal bar in the middle. Not sure the exact name but it's next to chain and goes parallel to chain. I did made the mistake of putting it on the rollers. This was during summer. I wiped off most of the grease on the rollers but there was a slight amount that got in the tracks. Now that you mention it the problem started happening recently and for the past 2 weeks it's been super cold (under freezing by alot). Could even a slight amount cause it?

[frank roarty]

"Grendel" I am a garage door opener installer in southern NJ. I have seen the heavier greases cause a build up of dirt and crud that leads to gum ups but don't think this is your problem. The noise is likely your stationary pulleys over which the cables from extension springs pass. They wear and turn into cams which get out out of phase with each other causing the door to c*ck back and forth sometimes driving itself into vertical track. The test is too spray inner circle of the pulleys where the bearings are housed. This will normally buy you several months until warmer weather to replace them. If your bearings are totally shot you can feel the slop by wiggling it back and forth when door is in full up position. It tends to be an invisible problem because cable tension hides this giveaway indicator during operation. I only use WD40 for all lubrication on doors. repair FAQ=