When you hear the
words “tune-up”
and “garage” in
the same sentence, you probably
think of your car, motorcycle
or lawn mower. But
there’s a different type of
tune-up, one that’s simple to
perform and can extend the
life of the “equipment” by up
to five years: a garage door
tune-up.
Squeaking and grinding
noises, rough operation and
poorly reacting safety mechanisms
are sure signs your door
needs attention. This article
will show you how to maintain
and inspect your garage
door to ensure it will work
smoothly and safely. The
garage door in our example is
a 16-ft.-wide steel door with
an overhead torsion spring
and automatic opener. Your
door might be slightly different,
but most of the maintenance
steps described here
will be the same.
Safety first
We won’t show you how to
deal with problems involving
a high-tension torsion
spring—the type mounted
on a rod over your door
that acts as a counterbalance
and determines how
much effort it takes you to
raise and lower the door.
These springs are dangerous.
Some manufacturers,
such as Clopay and Wayne
Dalton, now have do-it-yourself–friendly systems
that can be adjusted with a
power drill. Unless you
have this type of system and the instruction
manual, hire a professional.
Adjusting or replacing
extension springs—the type
mounted on each side of
your door by the tracks—or
the cables connected to
them can also be dangerous
and should be left to
trained professionals.
You can adjust safety systems
yourself, particularly
the automatic reversal
mechanism, but leave
repairs to pros. Don’t take
chances when it comes to
safety.
Lubricate the
hinges, rollers
and tracks
Oiling the moving parts on
your door will help it operate
more smoothly and more quietly.
Make sure to:
• Apply two drops of regular
household oil (such as 3-in-
One) in each seam of every
hinge. Apply the oil on top so it
can work its way down and
lubricate the entire seam.
• Apply two drops in each seam of
each roller mount bracket on the
door, and a drop or two on the
ends of each roller pin.
• Apply six drops of oil on the
roller track. To ensure that all
the rollers come in contact with
the lubricated section, apply the
oil about 1 ft. from the curve in
the track. Note: Do NOT oil the
track if your door has nylon
rollers; certain oils can soften,
gum up and ruin nylon rollers.
After you've oiled all the parts, use
the automatic opener to raise and
lower the door a few times to help
distribute the oil.
TIP
Wipe away any grease
buildup on the rollers and
roller pins before lubricating
the door. Grease combines
with sand and grit to
form a sludge that acts as
an abrasive and eats
away at the rollers.
Check the door for balance
Click Image to enlarge.
With the garage door in the closed
position, disengage the door
from the automatic opener by pulling
down on the emergency release handle.
Manually open the door halfway and let
go. If the door is balanced properly, it
should stay in the halfway position or creep down slowly.
If the door closes quickly or if you have
to pull it down hard from the halfway
position, it isn’t properly balanced and
will overstress the automatic opener. Hire
a garage door professional to adjust the
spring tension.
TIP
Manually operated doors have
brackets and locking tongues (one
on each side) that are operated by
cables connected to the exterior
handle (see above). If your door has an
automatic opener, remove the
brackets; if these locks are accidentally
engaged while the opener
is trying to open the door, you
could damage the door or
opener.
Replace worn weather seals
The elements, age and rodents (who
rarely use the automatic opener) can
all take their toll on the weatherstripping
around the door, particularly the weather
seal along the bottom. If you can see gaps
at the bottom of the door when it’s closed,
replace the seal.
Most metal doors have two channels
along the lower edge that the weather seal slides into. To replace the seal, first use
a screwdriver to open the channels on
their ends (they’ve usually been
pinched to secure the existing seals in
place) and slide the old seal out. Wipe
the channels clean, lubricate them with
dish soap or silicone spray, then slide
the new seal into place. This process is
much easier if you have a helper.
Lubricate the cable
connections and springs
While you shouldn't attempt to
replace or adjust cables or
springs, you should lubricate them:
• Apply one or two drops where the
two cables connect to the bottom
roller mount brackets. This is also a good time to check the cable for wear
(see below).
• Run a bead of oil along the top of the
torsion spring. The oil will eventually
work its way down, coating the spring
and preventing corrosion.
Check cables and
cable connection
points for wear
Cables can fray and break in
two places: along their length
and at the ends where they connect
to the roller brackets and spring
mechanism. Inspect your cables;
hire a professional to replace
frayed cables immediately.
Click Image to enlarge.
Click Image to enlarge.
Tighten bolts on
garage door and
garage track brackets
Tighten the bolts that connect the
hinges to the door and those that
secure the mounting brackets to the
garage framework. Bolts on steel doors
(like the one shown) rarely loosen;
those on wood doors tend to loosen
and should be examined and tightened
regularly.
Check the safety reversal features
Click Image to enlarge.
Today’s garage doors and automatic
openers include several safety features.
To check the safety reversal system,
set a 2x4 flat on the ground centered in the
opening as shown. Close the door using the
automatic opener. When the door contacts
the 2x4, it should reverse itself and open.
To check the safety reversal sensors,
start closing the door with the automatic
opener, then wave your hand between the
safety reversal sensors (photo above).
The door should reverse and reopen.
If your door fails either test, read
the opener owner’s manual for
adjustment guidelines. If your adjustments
don’t fix the problems, consult
a trained professional to repair or
replace the opener. If your opener
lacks these safety features altogether,
replace it.
Click Image to enlarge.
