Installed abou 8 years ago. Was told only to use WD 40 on the rails
etc. not the heavier "aluminum "grease. Now when it goes thru its
closing cycle it starts to surge in fits and starts, back and forth,
one side then the other, with increasing noise as it does so. As well
when it stops there is often a small 1/2 inch gap left at the bottom
that a push with my foot resolves. Is this a lubrication, alignment,
cable or perhaps other problem anybody have any suggestions info,
thanks Doc

wrote in message
oups.com...
Installed abou 8 years ago. Was told only to use WD 40 on the rails
etc. not the heavier "aluminum "grease. Now when it goes thru its
closing cycle it starts to surge in fits and starts, back and forth,
one side then the other, with increasing noise as it does so. As well
when it stops there is often a small 1/2 inch gap left at the bottom
that a push with my foot resolves. Is this a lubrication, alignment,
cable or perhaps other problem anybody have any suggestions info,
thanks Doc


What brand of opener and what type of door?
The gap at the bottom might require a little adjustment.

Does the door open and close easily if you disconnect the opener?

Your email address reminds me I have to have that done again one of these
days. Recently I saw a listing of remarks heard during the procedure, such
as "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?" and . "Hey, Doc, let me know if
you find my dignity.".

I wondered about that, if I disconnect the emergency release do I just
"reconnect it) (sounds dumb I know). In other words it will
reconnect after I check its ability to opern , yes? If it doesn't run
free any ideas where to start? As far as procedures go you might take
a couple bucks in change, place accordingly, and when the time comes
say "hey Doc there's in more in this for you if you make sure I'm
healthy"..........Doc

When you release the door from the track it should go up and down with
equal force, if not the spring is out of adjustment. It is best to have
a pro do it as it can harm you bad if you dont know what you are doing.
WD 40 is not a lube , I have a 50 yr old door that gets grease in
bearings and oil on chain and hinges, WD 40 actualy washes oil off, it
is a very temporary lubricant, maybe 1 month.

So if I understand correctly you're saying its not a lubrication issue
in any case?

"m Ransley" wrote in message ...
| When you release the door from the track it should go up and down with
| equal force, if not the spring is out of adjustment. It is best to have
| a pro do it as it can harm you bad if you dont know what you are doing.
| WD 40 is not a lube , I have a 50 yr old door that gets grease in
| bearings and oil on chain and hinges, WD 40 actualy washes oil off, it
| is a very temporary lubricant, maybe 1 month.
|

BTB: WD40 was originally an attempt to find a good degreaser for cleanup. Hence Wiping Degreaser #40. They had 39 rejects before they found one which had any use.

--
PDQ

--

Now "'I heard" that the WD stood for "Water Dispersal" as it was
developed by a contractor for the Atlas ICBM program, to rid delicate
parts of any H2O residue. Rest of the mo is the same, 40 for the 40th
try. Anybody have any confirmed history on the origin of WD 40's name
The stuff of urban legends! Doc

PDQ wrote:
"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
| When you release the door from the track it should go up and down
| with equal force, if not the spring is out of adjustment. It is best
| to have a pro do it as it can harm you bad if you dont know what you
| are doing. WD 40 is not a lube , I have a 50 yr old door that gets
| grease in bearings and oil on chain and hinges, WD 40 actualy washes
| oil off, it is a very temporary lubricant, maybe 1 month.
|

BTB: WD40 was originally an attempt to find a good degreaser for
cleanup. Hence Wiping Degreaser #40. They had 39 rejects before
they found one which had any use.

Correct, but it was Water Displacement.


--
PDQ

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote:
So if I understand correctly you're saying its not a lubrication issue
in any case?

Doing the check indicated, may determine if it is a lubrication issue.
Frankly I doubt it is, but it could be. BTW I have never hear of using WD40
for that use. I would think it would be a poor choice. What did the owners
manual suggest? Who told you to use WD40. It's great stuff, but not for
garage doors.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote in message
oups.com...
Now "'I heard" that the WD stood for "Water Dispersal" as it was
developed by a contractor for the Atlas ICBM program, to rid delicate
parts of any H2O residue. Rest of the mo is the same, 40 for the 40th
try. Anybody have any confirmed history on the origin of WD 40's name
The stuff of urban legends! Doc


Totally right on the Water Dispersal.

When you pull the release handle the door is free to move. The next time
the handle passes the trolley it will hook back up so best to release it
with the door fully open.

Brings to mind a story of a friend, a bachelor living alone. He lived in
the tri-level. There was a large beam that ran across the garage right
close to the opener mechanism. He was standing on a ladder adjusting the
controls. He tripped the switch and the door opened, catching his head
between the door and the beam. In the process of trying to get loose he
kicked the ladder out from under him. At that point he said he relaxed,
preparing to meet the end. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw the red
handle. Grabbed it, gave it a pull, the door moved back down and he fell to
the floor.


"Could you write me a note for my wife, saying that my head is not, in fact,
up there?"

"You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married."

"You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?"

It sounds like you have an extension spring (springs stretch along
track on sides & not on a shaft above door). If that is the case, most
likely the bearings in the cable pulleys are bad & all four pulleys
probably need to be replaced.

No you should not use grease in the rails since grease will collect
dust & dirt and actually make it harder for the rollers to move thru
the track. The door rails don't need any lubrication, but the rollers
(if they have bearings), hinges, and pulleys should be oiled on a
regular basis w/ oil made for doors or even light weight motor oil.
WD40 evaporates rather quickly & leaves a sticky residue so using it
has no benefit at all.

Doordoc

On 8 Dec 2005 17:47:35 -0800, wrote:

Now "'I heard" that the WD stood for "Water Dispersal" as it was
developed by a contractor for the Atlas ICBM program, to rid delicate
parts of any H2O residue. Rest of the mo is the same, 40 for the 40th
try. Anybody have any confirmed history on the origin of WD 40's name
The stuff of urban legends! Doc

Only what they say, and they should know:

WD-40
Fascinating Facts
In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its
staff of three set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents
and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry, in a small lab in
San Diego, California.

It took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked
out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret
formula for WD-40 which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the
40th try is still in use today.

MM says:
And there's more, and it's interesting. I wish other companies would
have decent history pages. Usually "About Us" only goes back 3 or 4
years. For example, Wanamakers in Philadelphia was the first store in
America to sell clothing and drygoods for fixed prices, around 1860 or
70 or 80, but iirc their webpage didn't mention this. Until then
everyone dickered for the best price.

http://www.wd40.com/AboutUs/our_history.html continued:

Convair, an aerospace contractor, first used WD-40 to protect the
outer skin of the Atlas Missile from rust and corrosion. The product
actually worked so well that several employees snuck some WD-40 cans
out of the plant to use at home.

A few years following WD-40's first industrial use, Rocket Chemical
Company founder Norm Larsen experimented with putting WD-40 into
aerosol cans, reasoning that consumers might find a use for the
product at home as some of the employees had. The product made its
first appearance on store shelves in San Diego in 1958.

In 1960 the company nearly doubled in size, growing to seven people,
who sold an average of 45 cases per day from the trunk of their cars
to hardware and sporting goods stores in the San Diego area.

In 1961 the first full truckload order for WD-40 was filled when
employees came in on a Saturday to produce additional concentrate to
meet the disaster needs of the victims of hurricane Carla along the
U.S. Gulf coast. WD-40 was used to recondition flood and rain damaged
vehicles and equipment.

In 1969 the company was renamed after its only product, WD-40.

WD-40 Company, Inc., went public in 1973 and was listed
Over-The-Counter. The stock price increased by 61% on the first day of
listing.

Since that time, WD-40 has grown by leaps and bounds, and is now
virtually a household name, used in numerous consumer and industrial
markets such as automotive, manufacturing, sporting goods, aviation,
hardware and home improvement, construction, and farming.

In 1983, WD-40 Company sales reached $50.2 million. Many companies
attempted to introduce imitation products, going so far as to copy the
distinctive blue, yellow and red colors of the WD-40 can.

In 1993, WD-40 Company celebrated its 40th anniversary by breaking the
$100 million sales mark. That year the company was also listed among
the Top Ten Most Profitable companies on the NASDAQ exchange. Not bad
for a company with only one product!

WD-40 was found to be in 4 out of 5 American households (it seems
everyone has a can or two) and was used by 81 percent of professionals
at work. Sales had grown to more than one million cans each week.

The most interesting piece of WD-40's history is the uses for the
product, now numbering in the thousands. The uses include everything
from silencing squeaky hinges and removing road tar from automobiles
to protecting tools from rust and removing adhesive labels. But they
get a lot crazier than that.

Over the years, thousands of WD-40 users have written testimonial
letters to the company sharing their often unique, if sometimes just
plain weird, uses for the product—many of which are shared in other
parts of this Web site. Some of the most interesting stories include
the bus driver in Asia who used WD-40 to remove a python snake which
had coiled itself around the undercarriage of his bus. Or when police
officers used WD-40 to remove a naked burglar trapped in an air
conditioning vent.

Very few brands will ever match the popularity of WD-40. In fact, the
variety and uniqueness of uses for WD-40 proved so popular that The
WD-40 Book, (Bad Dog Press 1997) featuring many user testimonials and
the wacky humor of the Duct Tape Guys, was published in 1997. But
WD-40's literary legend doesn't end there. The familiar blue and
yellow can has been featured in other books ranging from The Big Damn
Book of Sheer Manliness (General Publishing 1997), Polish Your
Furniture With Panty Hose (Hyperion 1995), WD-40 for the Soul: The
Guide to Fixing Everything (TV Books 1999), and Talking Dirty With the
Queen of Clean (Pocket Books, 1998) to college textbooks.

The WD-40 Book

However, WD-40 was starting to get a bit lonely as the only product,
so in 1995, WD-40 Company acquired the 100-year-old brand 3-IN-ONE Oil
from Reckitt & Coleman. 3-IN-ONE, with its precise applicator spout,
made a wonderful match for WD-40.

In 1999, WD-40 Company added to its fortress of brands when it
acquired Lava, from Block Drug Company. Lava is the most famous brand
of heavy-duty hand cleaner in the U.S. More important however is that
people who use Lava are many of the same consumer and industrial users
as WD-40 Company's other multi-purpose products. There are many more
who will now have an opportunity to try Lava.

Also in 1999, WD-40 Company added to its 3-IN-ONE product line a new
delivery system, the Telescoping Spout. Reminiscent of an old-time
oilcan, the plastic bottle comes with a five-inch extendable spout
designed to get at hard-to-reach places. The 3-IN-ONE Telescoping
Spout has won numerous awards since its launch.

In 2000, WD-40 acquired Solvol, the leading heavy-duty hand cleaner
brand in Australia.

In 2001, WD-40 Company added Global Household Brands to our fortress
of brands. The addition of X-14, 2000 Flushes, and Carpet Fresh to our
line-up, makes WD-40 Company a leader in household cleaning and
maintenance products.

In 2002, WD-40 Company acquired Heartland Corporation, complementing
its line of household products with Spot Shot carpet stain remover.
Spot Shot proprietary formulation has rendered into a high level of
customer satisfaction and loyalty.

In 2003, the 3-IN-ONE Professional line was born, with 4 great,
hard-working products that cover every job's lubrication needs. Also
in 2003, the new WD-40 Big Blast can was introduced, featuring a
wide-area spray nozzle that delivers WD-40 quickly and efficiently
over large areas.

In 2004, several products were added to the WD-40 fortress. The 2000
Flushes line expanded with the introduction of new Spring Meadow
Clip-On and Spring Meadow Clip-On with Bleach, the only clip-ons that
last up to 4 months. The 3-IN-ONE Professional line expanded with the
introduction of a heavy-duty cleaner degreaser, an engine starter, and
a high-performance lubricant with PTFE.

Also in 2004, the X-14 line expanded with the introduction of X-14
Orange All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner, an aerosol featuring a wide-area
spray nozzle and a powerful concentrated formula, and Oxy Citrus
All-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner a revolutionary cleaning system
incorporating the power of both oxy and citrus. And finally, the Lava
Pro formula was born, combining pumice power with natural orange
solvents to create the ultimate heavy-duty hand cleanser.

In 2005, we created another convenient delivery format for our leading
carpet stain remover. The Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover was
released in a convenient trigger spray bottle. It's yet another way we
keep serving the loyal customers who rely on the WD-40 family of
trusted household brands.

Since those early days of the space race and workers sneaking WD-40
out of the shop, WD-40 Company has grown to more than 200 employees
worldwide with annual sales of more than $238.1 million.

The Corporate Brand Support Centre and manufacturing site has expanded
to include two strategic account offices in the United States, and
wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia,
as well as offices in Europe and Asia. Believe it or not, WD-40
Company products are now sold in more than 160 countries around the
world.

More to come...

(If you liked this, be sure to check out the WD-40 Virtual Tour)

Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

First check your cables for fray which can cause the cable to "stretch"
enough to give you operational problems. Make sure your tracks are securely
bolted to the jambs and are plumb.
Next with the door in the down position, without the "push of the foot",
check the cables for equal tautness. Also check to see if one of the drums
"slipped" on the shaft, both drums should be starting at the same position
on the shaft, you can determine this by checking the point at which the
cable is fastened to the drum and starts to wrap onto the drum.
When the door is in the open position check the cables again see if they are
equally taut and that they are winding properly onto the drums. Use
clamping pliers under the bottom rollers while the door is in the open
position to prevent the door from coming down. Grasp the cable drum firmly
and twist it back and forth to see if there is any play on the shaft. The
drums should be firmly fastened to the shaft with no play whatsoever. If
the door moves while you are twisting don't confuse that action with drum
slippage, secure the door and try again. If the drum moves even a little
bit on the shaft then you must reset the drums.
If you aren't mechanically inclined or aren't comfortable working in close
proximity to the cables, drums and springs, then call someone with more
experience to find and correct the problem for you.

Rich
http://www.garagedoorsupply.com


wrote in message
oups.com...
Installed abou 8 years ago. Was told only to use WD 40 on the rails
etc. not the heavier "aluminum "grease. Now when it goes thru its
closing cycle it starts to surge in fits and starts, back and forth,
one side then the other, with increasing noise as it does so. As well
when it stops there is often a small 1/2 inch gap left at the bottom
that a push with my foot resolves. Is this a lubrication, alignment,
cable or perhaps other problem anybody have any suggestions info,
thanks Doc

Wouldn't that "sticky residue" also collect dust & dirt like the
grease?

On 8 Dec 2005 19:25:01 -0800, wrote:

No you should not use grease in the rails since grease will collect
dust & dirt and actually make it harder for the rollers to move thru
the track. The door rails don't need any lubrication, but the rollers
(if they have bearings), hinges, and pulleys should be oiled on a
regular basis w/ oil made for doors or even light weight motor oil.
WD40 evaporates rather quickly & leaves a sticky residue so using it
has no benefit at all.

Check your 'electric eye' lenses on each side of the garage track for dirt.
If they are dirty it will give a false indication that something is in the
way and the door will not close or will be very jerky.