Garage door opens, but won't close

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
It's a chain-driven, extension spring Lift Master, similar to the one in the attached photo. When closing, it goes about 6 inches, then reverses. I tried cleaning the sensors, but it didn't help. I don't think there anything wrong with that aspect, though - the lights on them are on steadily - one is green and the other is amber. My "gut" feeling is that there is something wrong with one of the tracks although I can't see anything obviously wrong. The troubleshooting section in the owner's manual suggest trying to close the door when it is disengaged from the motor by pulling the red cord. I yanked on it pretty strongly, but it won't disengage. I hate to have someone come for a service all and pay $300 for fixing something as simple as tightening a nut on the track. Any suggestions as to what else I can check that doesn't requite a lot of mechanical knowledge?

liftmaster.jpg
 

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It looks a lot like the system in my garage. I have encountered the same problem and find that these things can be a bit fussy. Sometimes the track is slightly out of alignment, sometimes a little lubricant fixes things, and sometimes those beams are slightly out of alignment.

I use a silicon spray when I lubricate the chain and the tracks, just be sure to move your car out of the garage before you do as you don't want that spray to get on you car finish. I normally have to use a stepladder.

The mechanism attached to the red pull chain can be a bit stubborn and if you do disengage it, then it can be a struggle to get it reengaged.

Good luck, mine has frustrated me more than once.
 
Based on your description, I would suspect some sort of "obstruction" or "Binding" in the chain/track, etc. when the door tries to close. Most openers have a "limiter" on the motor which can detect any extra force needed to open/close the door. There are several good websites which describe such issues, and how to fix them. Here is just one......

https://helpgaragedoor.com/liftmaster-garage-door-opener-troubleshooting/
Search on "liftmaster troubleshooting"
 

Mine did that a long time ago. I tried a few solutions and nothing worked, and like you, I didn't want to spend the money to hire a professional. Since I don't park my car in the garage anyway, I pulled apart a wire hanger and tied the door to the frame to prevent intruders. When I die whoever gets the house inherits the problem.
 
I had a problem similar to yours one year. Turned out to be one of the wheels had froze up and when it reached the downturn portion of the track, it would stop, the bind then caused the opener to reverse itself. A little wd-40 and back to working fine.
 
I have found that the website YouTube is a godsend when trying to repair things around our home. They have videos of just about any kind of repair needed in the home! Good luck!
 
I went out today and examined the track where the roller looked like it started to reverse.There was a small area where the track looked a little bent inward. I tapped it with a hammer and tested the door several times. It worked, even though it shuddered and squeaked.
 
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debodun said:
I went out today and examined the track where the roller looked like it started to reverse.There was a small area where the track looked a little bent inward. I tapped it with a hammer and tested the door several times. It worked, even though it shuddered and squeaked.
Click to expand...

Good for you, and you should probably invite that "handyman" back and educate him just a bit.
 
debodun said:
I went out today and examined the track where the roller looked like it started to reverse.There was a small area where the track looked a little bent inward. I tapped it with a hammer and tested the door several times. It worked, even though it shuddered and squeaked.
Click to expand...
The rollers fit inside the track. The track curves up and around the rollers so I'm having a tough time understanding how you were able to tap the track that was bent in.
 
I saw some online videos about how to replace the rollers. One guy actually bent the track with a crowbar. It seemed like a lazy way to do it and scary. I wouldn't want him to be working on my door.

 

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