How to Repair Garage Door Springs And Cables
If your garage isn’t opening at all, the problem may not be with the springs at all – it could instead be that another component has failed to work properly. You might just need new rollers or tracks that will allow the door to move up and down smoothly again. Whether your springs are broken or your garage is experiencing an issue with one of its other components, you can explore your options for fixing the problem. It might even be possible to do the work on your own without calling a garage door repair service.
Test Your Springs
Before you call a garage door company, If you’re not sure whether your springs are truly broken, here’s how to test them yourself before calling an expert:
Attach both cables to the torsion tube that holds them. The cable end at the bottom of the door should have a hook that rests against a bracket when it’s attached properly. Make sure it matches up with the hole in the bracket and then secure both ends tightly using pliers. Close your garage door halfway and let gravity pull down on it slightly. If the cable is hooked onto the right part of the bracket, it should stretch slightly. If not, move the cable to another hole on the bracket and try again.
tools You Will Need
- Adjustable wrench
- Screwdriver set
- Grease gun
- Hammer
- Safety Goggles and Gloves
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Wire Cutter/Stripper
- 3 Foot Level or Measuring Tape
Steps in How to Repair a Garage Door Springs
First Step
Remove the bolts that attach the cables to the trolley assembly at top of Track, using an adjustable wrench. Don’t cut your cables! If they are broken, take them to a hardware store and buy new ones to replace them. Remove both cables from the trolley assembly. Make sure you remove the gate track even if you can’t see it – there’s usually one on each side for storing your extension cord or hoses etc… You might want to wear gloves, as this will be greasy work.
Remove Old Cable
In order to remove the old cables from your garage door springs, you’ll need to follow a process that will release the tension and allow you to pull them out:
Unwind each spring about 12-18 inches in one direction and hold it in place with tape. The tension should push against the tape enough for it to stay put. It’s also possible to use heavy objects like screwdrivers or pieces of wood instead of tape. If there are any small pieces holding together the end links of your cable, pry them apart carefully with a flathead screwdriver. With one hand on each side of the spring, slowly rotate it in opposite directions until you feel comfortable that it has enough room to unwind further. You may also need someone else to help you with this part of the process since it’s difficult to do by yourself. Continue rotating each spring until they’re nearly fully extended, but not completely flattened out. This is a necessary step in order for you to be able to remove the cables from your garage door springs safely without them snapping back into place and hurting anyone nearby.
Using heavy-duty pliers, grip the cable very tightly near its end link and carefully pull it up and away from the garage door springs until there’s no tension left between them. If you try pulling on the cable when there’s still tension in it, it can fly back quickly toward you or snap against the side of your garage door opener.
Install The New Cables
The new cables you purchase for your garage door will most likely be the exact same length as the ones you remove. You’ll need to make sure they’re long enough in order to attach them properly. Before attaching your new cable, check the length of it by carefully unwinding each spring until there’s no tension left in it at all. Open and close your garage door once to see if it works smoothly without binding or getting stuck. If everything looks good, then move on to step three.
Once you’re certain that the cable is long enough for your garage door, feed one end through a hole in one side of an end link like before and slide a washer over that end before securing it tightly with pliers or another tool. Repeat the same process with the other side of the cable. If you purchased cables with connectors already attached, simply slide them onto your garage door springs where they’re meant to be. Once the drums are free of their tracks, use needle-nose pliers to remove springs by twisting slowly in a counterclockwise direction. Take note of how the ends of the spring fit into grooves on either end of each section of the torsion shaft.
Need A Garage Door Spring Repair in DC Area?
Second Step:
Once you’re done removing the broken spring, clean any excess grease out of the tracks on your garage door and inspect all of the rollers to see if they are worn or not spinning properly. Also check that none of them are bent or broken, as this can cause extra friction against your garage door track. If there is anything wrong with your old rollers, replace them before installing new springs.
Third Step
Re-grease your tracks after cleaning them – using a grease gun (available at most hardware stores for about $15) – apply grease to both sides of each roller where it will touch the track. Some Doors have a “T” handle at one end of the Roller Shaft. If this type “T” handle is present, you’ll need to remove the L-shaped end and grease the roller shaft itself. Don’t put too much grease in, as it will drip all over the place.
Fourth Step
Before re-attaching your cables and springs, take a level (you can buy these at any hardware store for $5 or less) and mark where they come into contact with the garage door after having been attached to their springs. This will be your reference point when you attach them again back onto their respective guides/tracks on your garage door – if they aren’t perfectly aligned then it’s difficult to get them working properly again! Clean off any excess grease from around where you’ll be attaching your new spring to its cable.
Fifth Step
Use pliers to attach your new Springs securely to the cable, then use a hammer and chisel to flatten the ends of each spring where it will touch its track or guide – this will help get you better results when you re-attach your cables. After attaching your new springs, make sure everything is clean around the garage door areas where you’ll be tightening down your cables (the key thing here is that it’s all CLEAN) – if any of these locations are greasy/dirty then you won’t get proper adhesion between your garage door components and they could fail prematurely!
Sixth Step
Your Garage Door should now be working properly again. If your problem was with broken Garage Door Spring(s), then you can re-attach your cables to the trolley assembly on top of the garage door. Be sure that they are attached securely to both sides of each trolley bracket, and that they are not resting against the track after being tightened down properly, as this will cause friction against your new spring(s) – i.e. adjust them so they hang down vertically from their trolley brackets!
Seventh Step
Tips for best results: Grease all moving parts of your garage door regularly. Replace worn or broken parts immediately (i.e.: rollers). If you don’t feel confident doing these things yourself (and even if you do), it may be wise to contact a professional garage door service provider in order to avoid any further problems that could cost more the longer they go unrepaired.
All Types Of Garage Door Services
Conclusion
You’ll want to use caution while working on the springs themselves since they can become very heavy depending on how much tension is applied when they’re open all the way. In order to open them completely, you may need someone to help pull back on one side while you work with the other piece from below – being careful not to touch the spring since it’s very sharp.
If you’re not able to do these steps yourself because of safety reasons such as age or medical conditions, please consult with someone who can help without hesitation!
Garage door repair can be done by many, but it’s always best to seek someone who has experience working on garage doors to make sure you get what you need done the first time around.
