Garage door doesn't close and then goes back up

Posted by Jeff on February 28, 2006, 12:57 pm

We moved into an older house a few months ago. The inspector verified
the sensors on the garage door are aligned correctly and that if an
obstacle is hit, the door goes back up like it should. It's a Sears
screw drive opener.
Recently we've been having a weird problem. The door starts to close
and then at various locations it then starts to go back up again as if
it hit something. It could be partially closed at various points like
1/2 way down, 3/4 way, 1 foot to go, etc. We have to sit there and keep
hitting the button and eventually it will make it all the way closed.
This doesn't happen all the time which is what makes it frustrating to
figure out what's wrong.
I have checked the sensors and they're aligned fine. I noticed that the
sending sensor that is installed on the rail was bouncing a bit when
the door got close to the ground so thought maybe that was breaking the
beam. I took it off the rail and mounted it on the wall so it's not
moving at all now, but the problem is still happening.
It's an older door, probably the original from the early 80's, and the
wheels seem to be gliding somewhat smoothly through the rail. The door
does shake a bit when opening and closing. Before I call a repair
company, is there anything else I can try?
Thanks,
Jeff

Posted by louie on February 28, 2006, 1:17 pm

check the track alignment, they have to be adjusted from time to time.
Notice that the wheel tracks are made of multiple pieces? These do
move out of adjustment eventually and have to be realigned so that the
rollers have a nice, smooth transition from one track section to the
next. If there's a jump between two track sections, or if one side is
not level with the other, the door can bind slightly and cause the
controller to think something is blocking the door.
The closing force setting can be adjusted too, but I'm not recommending
that because that could compromise safety.

Posted by Rich256 on February 28, 2006, 2:50 pm

Jeff wrote:
show/hide quoted text
It is obviously binding a bit when closing. Even new doors will do
that, especially in cold weather.
When you disconnect from the opener does it close and open easily?
Do you have the instruction book on how to set the closing force?
If not you might be able to find it on the web.

Posted by hallerb@aol.com on February 28, 2006, 4:37 pm

look for the pulleys the cable goes over, the inner bearing of the
pulley can wear making opening and closing hard.
I had this problem here and have new pulleys to install on the first
warm day
when did you last lube your door?

Posted by Jeff on February 28, 2006, 6:39 pm

Thanks to everybody for the tips. I do have the opener manual. I
haven't lubed the door since we just recently moved in. I'll give all
the tips a shot and hopefully one or more of them will solve the
problem. Thanks again!

Similar Threads	Posted
Broken garage door cable-need to close door	September 13, 2006, 10:33 pm
Chamberlain Garage Door Won't Close	November 15, 2005, 10:39 pm
Garage Door Opener will not close	July 15, 2005, 11:27 pm
Garage door doesn't close 1st time	January 4, 2006, 11:29 am
Garage door opener won't close	August 24, 2009, 10:34 am
Garage Door opener will not open/close	June 5, 2006, 2:28 pm
Sears garage door closer - won't close	September 20, 2008, 11:40 pm
Garage door hard to open/close	August 30, 2009, 5:50 pm
how to bring tension back to garage door?	March 17, 2007, 4:17 am
lift cable came off garage door, how do I rewind the cables back o the two end pullys?	November 7, 2006, 12:31 am