Garage door won't go down smooth

Hello, I have a torsion spring garage door. A few days ago, the door would not close and would make a grinding noise. I noticed that one of the rollers was missing at the top of the door. After replacing the roller, the door rises smoothly, but when it is being let down, I still hear the grinding noise and there appears to be quite a bit of tension on the arm that extends from the track to the base of the opener unit. It does go down, but something is not right.

The door itself is quite heavy, as it's a 2-car garage and the door is wood.

Does this sound like a track cleaning issue or something simple that I can adjust on the unit, or does it sound more involved than that?

I can email a short mpg from my digital camera if it would help.

Thanks, Dave

Reply to
tom_sawyer70
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No, yes...

Many double-wide doors actually have two springs rather than just one...possibly one is broken leading to a mismatch/alignment problem of which the noise is just a symptom. Also possible that the roller failed independently but something has gotten out of whack owing to the problem. If you can't tell what is binding, probably need an experienced door mechanic to diagnose/fix the problem.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

There should be a release mechanism on your opener, an arm right where it attaches to the door, with a red pull string typically. Release the operator. If you can raise and lower the door (yes, that's how we old folks used to do it before operators) with out binding or problems, the noise and hassle are in the operator. If you cannot raise and lower the door, the problem is in the torsion spring. The very fact that you had to ask tells me that you should NOT touch the torsion spring. They have a lot of energy stored in them and can seriously hurt you if you don't know what you're doing.

If the problem is not in the door, perhaps running the operator through its cycle without the door attached will let you diagnose the problem.

(top posted for your convenience) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) snipped-for-privacy@7cox.net

Reply to
DanG

But not before lowering it or making darn certain one of the torsion springs isn't broke...

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

I'm not against doing it manually. And yes, I'm old enough to know that's how it was done by the "old folks" :-)

The very fact that I asked should also tell you that I am aware of the problem...which is why I asked before I acted.

I will take your advice, along with the other posts and see if I can determine what is going on. If not, I'll call a professional. Thank you (and everyone else) for your reply.

Reply to
tom_sawyer70

But many openers have enough pull to open the door w/ only one of the two springs but that wouldn't be enough to balance it w/o the opener....I'm just suggesting OP make sure before just yankin' on the release cord...

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

I can't see it being a torsion spring issue as the spring is what helps the door go up (by taking up most of the weight) & you report the door goes up fine.

So - try the other poster's suggestion of checking out the opener on its own & the door on its own to see which is causing the problem.

If it is the door - Look at each hinge on the door for any signs of cracking & try to spin each roller to ensure they are moving freely. Try a quick shot of lubricant on each hinge.

Your door likely has a couple of steel cables on either side of the door - attached to the bottom of the lowest panel. These run up to take up rollers on the torsion bar. Check that the cables are not frayed and that they are winding properly on the rollers.

The door could be rubbing on the frame as it goes down.

...And finally - I agree with the other poster if all else fails to call out a door mechanic. They do this for a living & can get you going in no time.

Reply to
a

Just thought I would add that although I am normally pretty good on fixing stuff, I once almost killed myself with a garage door so be careful.

Reply to
Art

By the way, watch out for rip off garage door repair guys. The ones with full page ads in the yellow pages promising a $29 repair call. They may be crooks. One guy said all parts had to be replaced and wanted $600. For that I could have gotten a new door. I thru him out.

Wayne Dalton stores around me fix all brands and are reliable. They also make great doors and openers.

Reply to
Art

There are a slew of items that can be causing you this grief. I doubt you have a broken spring. The roller being missing and the grinding noise is an indication that the door may not be level or the tracks not plumb. First visually inspect *everything* on your door from loose hinges to rollers with missing wheels to something leaning against the opening. Check to see if the cables are wound properly around the drums. Make sure the drums are set in the same position. It's possible that one of the drums has *slipped* on the shaft. Look at the drums to see if one of them is rubbing on the track or if an end bearing is to blame.

My website's homepage has an article on troubleshooting a garage door for smooth operation. The article might be able to shed some light on your problem.

Rich

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Reply to
Rich

So I put the door down (had to raise it today) and released the red string. I can manually push up/pull down the door without issue.

The unit was put in before we moved in, as a condition of our house purchase. What would the typical specs be for pulling a double-wide, wood door?

TIA, Dave

Reply to
tom_sawyer70

If the door is disconnected from the opener and works smoothly up and down then that means the opener has a problem. Even small cheap openers can open big doors. Try operating the opener disconnected from the door and report back.

Reply to
Art

Art, The opener appears to be fine by itself as well.

Just to recap, the door can be opened and closed manually without any obvious obstruction.

The opener can run without apparent issue by itself.

When the door is connected to the opener, the opening of the door is fine but when the door is lowered, appears to bind about half way. The motor seems to be pushing, but there is a loud rattle and eventually it reverses direction.

Thanks, Dave

Reply to
tom_sawyer70

Reply to
Michael Baugh

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