DIY Garage Door Repair

Garage doors are big, bulky, and expensive contraptions. It’s usually next to impossible to lift them on your own because they can weigh several hundred pounds. This means that you are in a lot of trouble if they stop working on you, especially if your car is still inside the garage. 

Keep reading to learn more about DIY garage door repair.

Lock Down the Door

Clamp a C-clamp or locking pliers to the track that is above one of the rollers. This is going to stop the door from jolting up and hitting your face when you wind the new springs. You also want to pull the cord and unplug the garage door opener before you begin any garage door spring repair.

Loosen the Unbroken Spring

Push a winding bar into a bottom hole of the winding cone of the unbroken spring. Hold the winding bar in place while you loosen the two setscrews.

Hold on tight as the spring is going to push with a lot of torque as the screws start to release. 

Unwind the Unbroken Spring

Insert a second winding bar into the hold at a ninety-degree angle. Take out the bottom bar and unwind the spring a one-quarter turn at a time. Leapfrog the winding bars over each other with each turn. 

Disconnect the Springs from the Center Bracket

Take out the two bolts and nuts that keep the stationary spring cones connected to the center bracket. You then want to slide the springs closer to the end brackets. 

If Your Car Is Trapped

If a cable or spring snaps while your car is parked in your garage, then the garage door will not open and you will be stuck. Paying for an emergency service can be very expensive. However, if you’re able to get your car out of the garage, you can take more time to repair the garage door yourself.

Call in your strongest friends to help you raise the door and hold it open. Use locking pliers and lock the door in its fully raised position. Then, move your car out of the garage and have your friends assist you with bringing the door back down. 

Secure the Torsion Tube

Snap a C-clamp or locking pliers onto the center bracket. This is going to keep the torsion tube in the bracket.

Then, you want to loosen the setscrews on the right and left lift cable drums. This will allow you to disconnect the lift cables. 

Remove the Old Spring

Go to the right side of the door. Slide the torsion tube to the left so that you can take out the cable drum.

Once you do this, slide the old spring off of the torsion tube.

Install the Left Spring

Buy some new garage door torsion springs. Slide your new torsion spring onto the torsion tube with the stationary cone facing the center bracket.

Once you do that, you want to reinstall the cable drum with the garage door wire. Then, reinsert the torsion bar into the left-side bearing bracket.

Install a New Center Bearing

Push the torsion bar to the right. Then, slide the torsion bar onto the center bearing. 

Install the left spring and push the bearing into the stationary one. Once you do that, you want to reinstall the drum. Then, connect both of the stationary cones to the center bracket. 

Replace the Lift Cables, Rollers, and Bottom Brackets 

Snap the lift cable loop over the pin so that it connects to the new bottom bracket. Once you do that, insert the new roller.

It’s important that you then put in the new bottom cables and brackets. 

Thread the Cables

Run the garage door wire, or the lift cables, straight up between the rollers and the doorjamb. Slide the lift cable stop through the slot that’s in the drum. 

Tighten the Drums 

Snap your locking pliers onto the torsion tube to lock it into place as you make the drums tighter. Rotate the drum so that you can wind the cable into its winding grooves.

You then need to pull the cable as tight as you can before you tighten the setscrews. Leave the locking pliers where they are and repeat the tightening process on the other side. 

It is important that there is equal tension on both sides. If there isn’t equal tension, then your door will not open evenly. 

Wind the Garage Door Tension Springs 

Slide your winding bar into the cone. Then, wind the bar toward the ceiling.

Turn your spring at one-quarter turns each time. Leapfrog the winding bars over each other as you do this.

Follow the spring supplier’s recommendations for the total amount of turns. 

Before you are totally finished, you want to lubricate the springs.

The Importance of Knowing About DIY Garage Door Repair

Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better idea of how DIY garage door repair works and how you can repair your own garage door. Doing this will save you a lot of money and also provide you with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Of course, if a job seems too dangerous, don’t be afraid to call a professional to help you out.

Are you looking for other helpful and interesting articles DIY like this one? If you are, then you should definitely make sure to check out the rest of our site today for even more!

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