Who knows about Proper garage door operation?

[Jsvob03]

I have a two-car garage (well, two actually..score), and one of the doors has forever been a problem. forever = 1 year, just fyi.

anyhow, when lifting the door, it would sometimes get stuck or be really difficult to lift (as compared to the door next to it). So today i lubed all the moving parts. goes up WAY easier. but i still had the getting stuck problem. here is what was happening. the door itself would 'lean' to the right, causing it to hit the track. I have no idea why it would do this, but if i were to re-center it, it would roll up with no problems. here is how i fixed it. I jbwelded the steel rod that has the roller on it to the hinge. it doesnt obstruct anything, and works WAY better and never gets stuck.

is something going to fail, or am i good?

[alab32]

It shouldnt be an issue if you welded the rod to the hinge. As long as it still moves it shouldnt affect anything. Can you feel it pull to the right when you raise it as well as seeing it lean to the right? If you feel it pull take a look at your springs. There should be a painted line on your springs. Count the rotations and make sure they are the same on the left and the right. You should also look to make sure that there are no cracks in the spring which can cause a lot of extra resistance too. If none of those problems exist, and its still rolling smoothly after you JBwelded it, i wouldnt worry too much about it. Hope this helps.

[jj1]

it sounds to me like your need to check your spring tension like alab said. I had the same issue w/ my single. also check and make sure you lifting track is at pretty much a 90 to the motor

[bmwnut]

I would bet you have a broken spring on the one side That size door should have two i think. be careful those can be dangerous if you doint know what you are doing

[Jsvob03]

The springs look fairly new (2 per door, about 1.5" diameter in length.) I just bought the house a little over a year ago, so im not quite sure as to what has been replaced, and when. the springs just appear more shiny than the rest of the stuff.

its a manual door, no motor.

as far as danger..last winter i was opening the door from the inside, and the left side roller (the one I JB'd) fell off the track. then, the right side one popped out. guess where the panel hit? my head

thanks tho.

[alab32]

The springs can be new and still have the wrong tension on them or be broken. That would be the first thing I would look at is the springs to make sure the tension is the same on both.

[Jsvob03]

it looks the same..spacing between coils is identical (per my eye). any suggestions as to a better test?

[alab32]

There shouldnt be spacing between the coils... It should be completely together. While the door is down the "spray paint" line should be strait and while the door is up both springs paint line should have the same amount of rotations. As long as they do there shouldnt be too big of an issue.

[Jsvob03]

i believe you're thinking of a different setup. the springs at my work run perpendicular to the rails, right above the door. big round ones that twist during operation.

Mine, run parallel to the tracks, and expand when the door is down, and compress when its open.

[alab32]

Ok... I was thinking you had torsion springs not extension springs. That changes things a bit. My bad. Are both springs in the same position on the bracket? The cables should connect to a bracket near the curve of the track. Make sure they are both in the same hole. Also, raise the garage door up and see if there is the same amount of "slack" which shouldnt be much mind you. Ill see if i can find something for you to help you look at the springs. If it isnt the springs it may be the wheels. Do they spin freely? Dents or warps in the track? You said it sits cockeyed. Is that always or only when it sticks?

[alab32]

Here... scroll down to the second video and see if this helps out at all. It seem like the first video auto plays but... the second is for your type of door. Hope this helps a little bit.

http://www.diygaragerepair.com/Buy-Garage-Door-Springs-s/292.htm

[Jsvob03]

i'll look into the spring measurement, after i replace some pulleys.

I was lookin' it over, and found 2 of the four pulleys are WASTED! like, there's only 5 rollers in the whole thing. looks like it should have around 12, so its just grinding as it rolls. added resistance explains alot.

thanks for the link. good info nonetheless.

[alab32]

i'll look into the spring measurement, after i replace some pulleys.

I was lookin' it over, and found 2 of the four pulleys are WASTED! like, there's only 5 rollers in the whole thing. looks like it should have around 12, so its just grinding as it rolls. added resistance explains alot.

thanks for the link. good info nonetheless.

That would make perfect sense yes. I hope replacing those wheels works out for you.