when I opened my garage door in the morning,it opened 90% and then just made noise but did not move. After taking my car out, I could not close the garage door. My husband who is at home right now, tried to close it just moments before but it did not work. It is just making the noise. When it finishes the cycle of making noise, it stops.
Temp in twin cities right now are 4 degrees below zero. Can that cause a problem?
How to get my garage door down?
Thanks
Sounds like the opener "trolley" is no longer connected to the "door arm".since the garage door opener (GDO) cycles but the door doesn't move.
If this is the case & the door moves easily when pulled on, then you can close it by hand.
If the door seems stuck & doesn't move easily by hand then maybe you've got a broken spring or cable.
BE CAREFUL, stay out of the door closing path in case it "slams down" !
pull the release hand & gently try to move the door closed ....if the spring is broken the door could crash closed.
If any of this seems unclear or you're uncomfortable trying thses steps.....call a GDO pro
cheers Bob
In cold weather I have to increase the up/down force on my opener to get it to move. It's a 20+ YO opener and the door is much older than that. Everything just stiffens up (like me) when it gets cold.
Of course, that doesn't explain the noise...but it could be based on the differences in models.
If your opener is a liftmaster/craftsman the plastic pinion gear has failed. Very common. Do a google search for garage opener parts and buy the $30 gear kit. Not that hard to replace. Comes with illustrated instructions, and even a little tube of the grease you will need. The kit comes with both the pinion and the worm gear. replace BOTH no matter what, or you will be doing this job over shortly.
My husband has currently closed the door manually. We will look into all the options provided by you once I get home!!.
I really appreciate and post again once I find something.
Thanks
Yep, your gear inside the opener failed/stripped. This is a nylon gear and can be replaced if your at all mechanical. You will need to be able to disassemble the motor to replace the gear. Normally it's time to replace it if you are not mechanically up to the task. There are a few things you NEED to consider before you replace your gear and ht your button. First, you need to understand WHY the gear failed. Sometimes, yes it's age but usually its because of something going on with the door. If you have Torsion Springs, rather than extension springs, make sure they have not failed. There is a video on my site that you can view at:
This video is for installing torsion springs but you can see from the first video how to identify if your spring failed. If so then get the spring replaced before you strip another gear. Try the door up and down manually to make sure nothing is stopping it. Often times if it is wood the door will swell during the winter causing drag, in which case you may want to adjust your tracks back a bit until the drag is eliminated. Another tricky culprit is the bolts on the track itself. Sometimes they will come loose and back out enough to interfer with the door, make sure all the nuts are tight. AND third bring your door up half way... it should balance there. It should not go up and it should not go down when you let go. If it does then you need to either loosen or tighten your springs.
SPECIAL NOTE: Do NOT mess with the torsion springs until you KNOW what you are doing. if you've adjusted these springs before then great if not, watch the video on my site completely THEN decide if you want to tackle it. These springs are under considerable pressure and loosening them with-out the proper knowledge or tools can prove to be extremely dangerous. We sell the winding bars and springs generally in our ebay auctions as well under the name of do-it-yourself-garage-doors. So take a look at all the above and if you need the gear I have those as well.
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