Greasing garage door
 

Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease, but it
did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys use ??
Thanks.

JackRabbit wrote:
Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease,
but it did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys
use ?? Thanks.

I don't think you are going to fix it with any form of lube. Better
wheels and tracks seem to be the answer. (rubber wheels)

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia's Muire duit

JackRabbit wrote:

Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease, but it
did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys use ??
Thanks.

Ear plugs... :)

If it's riding in the track and not rolling, the bearings may be shot.
Otherwise, perhaps the alignment is out so one side is rubbing
somewhere.

Whatever it is, grease/lube on the tracks themselves isn't the answer.

More often the noise is not where wheels contact the track.
More often, the noise is rusting ball bearings. Any use of
lithium grease must be in the bearings - not on the wheel
surface. This is also true of the wheel that carries cable
from counter weight spin to bottom of door. This wheel's
bearings also require a good grease such as lithium.

Also balancing the counterweight springs so that the door
does not 'skew' will help. Be careful. Those springs can
contain a surprisingly large amount of force.

JackRabbit wrote:
Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease,
but it did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys
use ??
Thanks.

On Tue, 19 Apr 2005 11:47:46 -0400, "JackRabbit"
wrote:

Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease, but it
did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys use ??
Thanks.



Personally, I've moved away from greese. I use motor oil/light
machinery oil. I put a drop or two into each wheel/axle area, and
wipe down the whole track with an oily rag.

Greeses were collecting dirt, and not going where they were suppose
to.

imho,

tom

Hi-Tek Lube
http://www.garagedoorsupply.com/hi-tek.html

w_tom writes:

Also balancing the counterweight springs so that the door
does not 'skew' will help.

A skewed door is not caused by any imbalance, nor corrected by "balancing".

Be careful. Those springs can
contain a surprisingly large amount of force.

Not "can", but "absolutely do":

http://www.truetex.com/garage.htm

Richard J Kinch wrote:

w_tom writes:

Also balancing the counterweight springs so that the door
does not 'skew' will help.

A skewed door is not caused by any imbalance, nor corrected by "balancing".
....

Well, if it has tension springs on each side and they're not matched or
tensioned, evenly, "balancing" them so they match force will certainly
go a long way....

Duane Bozarth writes:

Well, if it has tension springs on each side and they're not matched or
tensioned, evenly, "balancing" them so they match force will certainly
go a long way....

"Tension" spring? Do you mean extension? Or torsion? Most doors use
torsion springs.

JackRabbit wrote:

Hello,
My garage door is squeaking in the tracks. I tried lithium grease, but it
did not work. It collects too much dust. What do you guys use ??
Thanks.




Hi,
Used syringe to lube the bearings, not the roller?
Tony

Others have tried to fix a skewed garage door by only
greasing the rails. Inspection is required to first determine
if those two springs are properly balanced. If the springs
are not balanced, then the door will (obviously) skew within
the tracks and make more noise.

Oiling bearings will trap dirt just like grease. Getting
grease on ball bearings is not as easy as applying oil. But
then there is good reason why ball bearings (especially on the
wheel high above the dirt that supports a 90 degree cable
turn) are so often greased - not just oiled.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
w_tom writes:
Also balancing the counterweight springs so that the door
does not 'skew' will help.

A skewed door is not caused by any imbalance, nor corrected by "balancing".

Be careful. Those springs can contain a surprisingly large
amount of force. ...

Richard J Kinch wrote:

Duane Bozarth writes:

Well, if it has tension springs on each side and they're not matched or
tensioned, evenly, "balancing" them so they match force will certainly
go a long way....

"Tension" spring? Do you mean extension? Or torsion? Most doors use
torsion springs.

I don't know about "most"....I'd grant "many" but have no data on
fraction of total installed base. All the ones I currently have are
not torsion, although have had previously...

Which means the first thing the Original Poster should do
before trying to solve the problem with grease is check for a
skewed garage door - as was stated in a very first reply.
After all these posts even about torsion bars, nothing useful
was posted - other than the OP should check for a skewed
(unbalanced) door. And perform the inspection with caution.

Duane Bozarth wrote:
I don't know about "most"....I'd grant "many" but have no data on
fraction of total installed base. All the ones I currently have are
not torsion, although have had previously...

w_tom writes:

Which means the first thing the Original Poster should do
before trying to solve the problem with grease is check for a
skewed garage door - as was stated in a very first reply.

Not necessarily. Depends on the type of spring.