How do I fix my garage door door cables that came off the pulleys?

Answer 1

This is something that could be dangerous for a novice but, not unheard of. You have to release the tension in the springs. Than lift the doors and clamp them in place. Put the cable back in place and take the tension back up on the springs being very careful. Lock them in again and release the door. Your going to need help and it's a good idea to get someone that really know what they're doing, Good luck.

Answer 2

I would recommend having a garage door repairman come out and repair your garage door. I watched my dad repair their garage doors a number of times. It can be very very dangerous. There is a large spring on the rod above the garage door. That spring is used to help lift the garage door up. That spring will need tightened the correct number of turns. That is done by drawing a straight chalk-line across the spring. So you can see the number of times the spring has been turned. There are special notched tools that garage door repairman use to turn the spring, but you can use two very large pipe wrenchs on the rod. If you have a hand lifted garage door you have to tighten the spring tight enough so that it will lift the garage door all the way up but not so tight that it won't allow it go all the way down.

Normally, the cables will come off the pulleys for one of two reasons. On hand open garage doors they will come off if the door is slammed too hard to the ground. The cables will jump when the door hits the ground hard and come off. The other reason they will normally come off is if the cables are old. As the cables get older the start twisting more and more like an old telephone chord or a yoyo string. The more twisted they become the easier they come off the tracks, so you might want to consider getting new cables so you don't have to possibly fix the same problem again later.

That spring is very very powerful and and hard to twist. Some times the old springs can break while you are trying to retwist them back tight and if a piece shoots off there or your wrench flies up it can come up with enough power to possibly kill.

Be very careful. I myself think it is worth it from all the headache and stuff just to call a garage door repairman unless the repair price is astronomical. The only reason my dad attempted it was because my uncle used to own a garage door repair shop and he showed my dad how to repair them.

As one person mentioned you'll want to make sure the door is tracking right, meaning that the door is level and one side is not wanting to raise a little higher than the other side.

Also, if there is still tension on the cables, you will want to clamp that rod in place so it won't move then raise the garage door releasing the tension on the cables. However, most of the tension is probably already released if the cables have come off the pulleys.

Answer 3

I feel that there is too much hype about the dangers of replacing the cables yourself. Sure, if you have rusty or broken hardware that is crumbling in your hands, there may be a significant risk, but most likely this isn't the case. Upon reading the advice of previous responders, I was almost scared into calling a repairman, but I am glad I did not.
Last week a long metal rod tipped over and got jammed in the garage door tracks. My wife didn't see it and used the automatic door opener to lower the door, causing one of the cables to come off its pulley. Here's what I did to fix it. I started by unplugging the door opener for the outlet (you should always unplug electrical equipment before working on it). I disconnected the door from the chain by pulling on the rope that hangs off the chain, and disconnected both ends of the loose cable from the pulley on top and a knob on the bottom of the door. I rolled the door all the way up and blocked it in its tracks by inserting a screwdriver in a hole in each of the rails. I then reinserted one end of the cable into the groove on the pulley and carefully rewound the cable. If in doubt, look at the other pulley. At this point, the cable was about 4 inches too short to reach the knob. However, when the door is in the raised position, there is so almost no tension left in the big springs. I was able to pull the cable with just three fingers far enough to reattach it to the door. There was almost no resistance to speak of. Finally, I dislodged the tracks, lowered the door, plugged in the door opener, and reconnected the door to the chain by running the automatic opener once.

Answer 4

I have been in the garage door business for 20 + years. The first thing you do is go to the side of the door that is the lowest (assuming the door is half way up) and raise it until the bottom section is about to break back in the radius of the horizontal track and clamp that side off with vice-grips. If the door is down just skip this and bar off your springs. Go to the side of the door that came off the drum and re-wind it on the drum without loosening the set screws that bind the drum to the torsion shaft. Once you have that re-wound, remove the vice-grips and lower the door all the way to the ground. You should see one side higher than the other by about 1". For the next step you will need cold rolled steel about 5/8" in diameter. DO NOT USE A SCREW DRIVER.... It could break and that would ruin your whole day. Above the door you will see one or two torsion springs. Place the bar in the holes in the winding plug on the spring and wind up towards the ceiling of the garage. This will cause the door to rest fully on the ground an the cables to go slack. With 1 bar resting against the top section of the door to keep the spring from unwinding, loosen the set screws in the drum on one side and re spool the cable. Go to the other side and do the same thing. You must have the same tension on both cables or you will have the same problem. After you get the drums set, remove the winding bars and you are ready. This is very dangerous. I always suggest that you get someone trained to do this for you. They came off for a reason and the garage door is the largest moving object in your home and it can kill you if you are not very careful. Have someone look at it to make sure.

Answer 5

I agree with the other answers concerning getting help and the technique to put the cable back on . Why did the cable's come off in the first place is what a major concern should be.

There can be numerous different reasons that this has happened, but look at alignment first. Does everything track like it should? Be sure to check the alignment to make sure this does not happen again.

There could be wear on the bolts running through the pulley, recommend replacing them. The pulley itself may be wore and sloppy when rolling. Those need replaced as well.

For a simple fix, if there is room, get an over-sized washer to place on each side of pulley to maintain a better alignment. Place the washer on what ever side of the pulley you need to, to regain alignment and put all of it back together.

Be careful of those springs, they can be a KILLER. Good Luck

Answer 6

Before you begin replacing a garage door cable on your garage door, make sure you have the necessary tools. It is not possible to predict all repair circumstances.

The following steps must be followed in order to prevent any damage to a door and a person. We highly recommend hiring a professional technician to do this job and do not take any responsibility for any outcome of someone implementing the following steps.

Take it Apart

The garage door size determines the cable size. For the most common residential 7 feet tall door, you will need an 8’6” cable. Sizes of tools used for cable replacement may vary in size, too, so have a combination of sizes available.

You will need locking pliers or a vice grip, a set of cables, wrenches, winding bars, sockets, stepping ladder, ratchet, safety glasses, and gloves. A proper outfit (e.g. gloves, work boots, and safety glasses) is needed, too.

Be cautious of pointed edges on cables to avoid injury.

To begin with, unplug and disengage the garage door opener by pulling on the emergency release cord. There should be a red rope with a handle that is positioned on the top rail (depending on your opener). Doing so will allow you to manually open and close the garage door.

Close the door and make sure it touches the ground evenly. Walk toward the center of the garage door and slacken the set screws on the springs with 1/4 turns. Don’t forget to fully insert the winding bars as well as use both bars at the same time to prevent injury. Do not get in the bars way!

Unwind the spring until all of the tension has been removed. If the door has two springs, do the same with the second spring.

After springs’ tension is removed, take a wrench and slacken the set screws on the cable’s drum at the top left corner of the garage door. Then, remove the cable from its drum. By the bottom of the door, release the cable where it connects to the bottom bracket.

Installing the Cable

Install the new cable onto the bottom bracket. Then, thread the cable up toward the cable’s drum. Make sure the cable is running behind the rollers (between the tracks and rollers). Do this for each side of the door.

Insert the cable into the slots of the drum. Validate that the cable is set properly and is not overlapping. Wind the cable onto the drum, and then slide the drum over toward the bearing plate. Then, turn the drum counterclockwise (right drum-clockwise) until the cable sits tight. Now, tighten the set screws, but do not overdo so.

While holding the cable, use your vice grip pliers on the metal shaft that goes across the entire door (along the wall) to hold it tightly in place. Then, go to the other side of the door and follow the same instructions. After completion, increase the springs’ tension using your winding bars. Remember to only increase the tension at a ¼ turn at a time.

Remove the locking pliers from the metal shaft and check that the garage door is balanced (i.e. stays at the same place where you leave it). Before plugging the opener back in, make sure to manually lift the door all the way up, while checking that there is an even tension between the drums and cables. In case there is no tension on one side, repeat the process again, until you get an equal tension. Engage the door by pulling the emergency release, and then plug the opener back in. Again, make sure there is tension between the drums and cables while the door is fully open.

Answer 7

Garage Door Pulley

Answer 8

Garage Door Cables

Answer 9

I jut fixed mine. Its a manual door. I lifted it all the way, which took the tension off the springs. I then routed the cable correctly on the pulleys and pulled the door down. Done. What caused it to come off was my wife pushing it all the way up, which caused the tension to slack and the cables to come off the pulleys.

Answer 10

fix garage door door cables pulleys