Garage Door Opener: Making noise

As the drive shaft and sprocket rotate, they drive the trolley that lifts and lowers the garage door. The plastic gear on the drive shaft is designed to fail if the garage door gets stuck in the travel tracks, protecting the expensive drive motor from damage. If the gear is worn or damaged, the door won't move properly. Replace the gear shaft and sprocket assembly if it's damaged or worn out.

The worm gear attaches to the motor shaft and rotates the drive gear to spin the sprocket which drives the chain to move the door. Made of plastic, the worm and drive gears strip out to protect the motor from damage if the door suddenly hits an object in its travel path. Replace the drive and worm gears if they're worn or stripped.

The motor pulley drives the belt to move the trolley along the rail to lift and lower the garage door. If the belt frays or breaks, replace it.

Brackets fasten the garage door opener to the garage door. The brackets can wear out, break or be damaged. Physically inspect the brackets and other door hardware to see whether the components need to be replaced.

The cable pulley at the front of the rail of the garage door opener must rotate freely for the door to open and close smoothly. If the cable pulley is worn, bent, or damaged, replace it.

To keep the garage door operating smoothly, periodically check the garage door opener for proper alignment and settings, following instructions in the owner's manual. Inspect hardware and lubricate moving components. Check the safety sensor for proper operation.

When the garage door opener doesn't work operate properly, check the alignment of the motor unit and/or the rail and realign if necessary. If necessary, adjust the settings for travel limits and force limits, following the instructions in the owner's manual. make sure that the photoelectric eyes of the safety sensor are aligned.