How-To Align Garage Door Cable | Torsion Cable

How-To Align Garage Door Cable | Torsion Cable | DIY Garage Door Repair

Рет қаралды 894,883

4 жыл бұрын

This video will show you how to repair a mis-aligned garage door cable. DIY garage door repair and save money!
If your garage door cable is at an angle, or loading improperly in the cable drum, then your door may be crooked, jammed, or operating very rough. Adjusting a torsion cable is something a DIY'er can do, IF the proper tools and techniques are followed. Visit Parts4GarageDoors in Houston, or Channelview to purchase a set of cables for just $15. Need other parts? We have it all!
CHANNELVIEW STORE:
Parts 4 Garage Doors
16023 East Freeway #56
Channelview, TX 77530
832-728-6540
www.parts4garagedoors.com/gar...
HOUSTON STORE:
Parts 4 Garage Doors
11020 Katy Freeway #116
Houston, TX 77043
832-834-3477
www.parts4garagedoors.com
WE HOPE TO BE SERVING YOU SOON!
Other Keywords: garage door repair, garage door service, garage door company, garage door wholesaler, same day garage door repair, free estimates, DIY garage door repair
Don't have the time to change out your torsion cables yourself? We suggest calling Houston garage door repair company Spectrum Overhead Door LLC. Award-winning garage door services since 2006. Call 281-748-9542 or go to spectrumoverheaddoor.com/ to schedule an appointment today!

Пікірлер: 241

@borincanazambrana3219 Жыл бұрын

I'm from California, I called for a service repair and the guy gave me an estimate of 600$ hundred dollars. So I said no thank you, and decided to fix it myself. I'm 4 month pregnant and I rather to spend 600$ hundred on my baby. Thanks to your video I did it and can't believe I just did that. Thank you very much Sir for sharing what you know.

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

Wow. Great mom! Congrats!

@dawnspiker2237 7 ай бұрын

❤❤

@rossbrodfuehrer6489 2 жыл бұрын

Love how clear, straight to the point, no hype this helpful video and the gentleman explaining it is! Thank you much!

@roberttrego9392 2 жыл бұрын

Your instruction and letting us know why you should or shouldn't do something is fantastic. Your to the point informative ,clear and concise and give great advise for the continued maintenence of the garage door .

@dean3434 Жыл бұрын

I agree Dean Seattle

@NEJoeyG 3 жыл бұрын

Worked, I think I got mine fixed! Thanks so much. You'd be surprised how many wrong ways I tried, before I went to KZfaq and found you. Thanks so much!

@krukhlis 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you from Vaughan, ON, Canada! 15 mins fix and my lady is proud of me + I've saved 100+ CAD. Cheers and stay safe!

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Making women proud of their guys since 2008. LOL.

@POLITICALLYSTUPID 2 жыл бұрын

I've watched 10 vids and this was the best of all! Clear and concise!

@alearellano9382 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🙏 !!! I love the way you explained everything right to the point and very clear !!! My husband and I just fixed our garage door 💕

@claudebieniek7272 2 жыл бұрын

You know I am a 21yr garage door vet. I subscribed not for the knowledge, but because you do a great job on your videos. Good info but most importantly promoting safety, well done. One thing I would add, is when you open your door look and make sure both cables are tight.

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Yes- a loose cable when the door is in the opened position is going to eventually cause an issue, or may become tangled. Aside from tightening the drum on one side, sometimes the door itself is askew from the track. This is usually a result of the back hangers being installed slightly out of square from the vertical track.

@LundFamily505 Жыл бұрын

I tried to redo my cable a couple weeks ago and left the vice grip on when I put the new cable on 🤦 I'll be ordering two new cables to install. My only question is can I put new cables just as shown in this video (garage door down and only winding on first groove)? I've seen other that show garage door in up position stating to wind the whole drum with the cable...

@timweidner3335 3 жыл бұрын

Very simple detail to confirm. Great advice.

@Guenon24 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the video! Took me literally 5 minutes and my door was working normal again. Saved a lot of money and the fix was so simple.

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@gerryquint Жыл бұрын

Thank you. Short and sweet, you've saved me time, effort and frustration. Cheers

@BlackBlt95 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the simple procedure! The door on this house was up about 1/2" on one side that always drove me nuts, finally after 4 years living here I just recently noticed the cable on one side was off the track as you show here flipped over the ridge. So I followed your procedure only I had to let cable drum turn until door settled on the concrete floor for it to release enough tension to flip the cable back into place. I then needed to use a pry bar to hold some tension on the cable as I tightened the set screws - all worked out well and cable is back in place and door bottom is now even. The key was using the vice grips to hold the spring tension on the shaft.

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Great job!

@FullsendBill Жыл бұрын

Thank you. I did mines differently, but your video helped understand the mechanics and safety issues that come with. Thank you 🙏

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

Thanks

@c.cokernator4726 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, you just saved me money!

@bmanly77 2 жыл бұрын

Nailed my issue, thanks for explaining how to do it safely!

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@RockHanger 4 жыл бұрын

EXCELLENT! What & Why is always good.

@parts4garagedoors278 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@georgepeck8005 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video. I had no idea what was causing my misaligned door, and your video explained it quickly and correctly. I had to buy some vise grips, but that's much cheaper than calling someone out would have been. Thank you!

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

@josetorres2985 3 жыл бұрын

thanks for your time and help

@jeraldjones1652 8 ай бұрын

What size socket did you use?

@27613James 2 жыл бұрын

Nice video. I use lithium wheel bearing grease on the new cables, light coating will extend the life of the cables, silicone spray on the torsion springs will keep them quiet.

@enriquerodriguez6031 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for posting this. Just saved me some money!!!

@fernandezjunior4724 Жыл бұрын

Thank you sir , for the valuable information.

@mikev3956 8 ай бұрын

Your video was very helpful!

@ToyMotr 8 ай бұрын

When garage door is up, how much tension is suppose to be on the coil of wire? My garag doors wires popped off when it hit something that I had stacked up next to the door guides and I cracked the nuts loose to try even the tension while the door was up but it isn't working properly, any help would be much appreciated 🙏🏼

@rcnpalmbeach2375 7 ай бұрын

Great tutorial! Thank u!

@tuannguyen-ly7xu 8 ай бұрын

Thank you sooo much! you are the best!!!!

@dr1742 7 ай бұрын

Wonderful, sir. You just saved my door and my wallet 😄. Thank you very much.

@1000buffalos 3 жыл бұрын

Worked like a charm. Thank you.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@uladzimirtsikhan3305 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Boss. Very help me.

@paullarouche4648 3 жыл бұрын

Very clear and understandable explanation.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@marko7843 Жыл бұрын

@danielwake2430: I had a similar thought, and you're right about getting fingers caught... I used something with a better bite than vice-grips would be preferable: a pipe-wrench. I grabbed the tube just inboard of the sheave to avoid deforming the end outside the bearing, and rolled it back that 1/8 to 1/4-turn I needed to get the wire back in the right groove.

@rudyaguirre4103 2 жыл бұрын

Hello before I saw your video I replaced the right side cable on the rt side (from the inside) I loosened the cable drum, did not realize I was supposed to put vise grips on the torsion bar. How do I get tension back on the right side ? Please advise.

@camm5837 2 жыл бұрын

good one! - quick and to the point! - Much appreciated!

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped!

@user-dx6pj8bz2j 15 күн бұрын

Worked great !

@whitetiger8652 Ай бұрын

Great video.Should I buy brand specific cables my door is a Clopay. Thanks.

@behunin1963 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Exactly what I needed. Thx so much.

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@Countryboylife228 Ай бұрын

Nice I found this video after I took it all apart now I’m fixing it for the third time

@scottyoung1161 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks a ton for this video. It helped me immensely and saved me $$$! Best Wishes from Calgary in Canada

@parts4garagedoors278 4 жыл бұрын

Glad our video could help!

@MPDPIO1 3 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU

@mattetor6726 2 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@richardhyde6418 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting......

@JamesWattMusic Жыл бұрын

should the cable be pretty tight after spring replacement? Mine are, it seems the spring torques the pulley, then pulls the cables tight, even if I try to loosen them. is that ok?

@kommoncents5853 Жыл бұрын

Is there any way to lower a garage door with the opener disconnected, Figured I would start that way first goes as far as i can but still have a 3/4" gap.

@davidgood1072 2 жыл бұрын

IT WORKED... THANK YOU!! 🙂🙂🙂

@SpectrumGarageDoorsService 2 жыл бұрын

Great!

@PSUNATION 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Just what I was looking for!! So should I put the garage door up to hook the cable to the side of the garage door. I tried it closed, but it didn’t go up. Thanks

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

The cable should have stayed attached if following the video. I don't have enough info to safely advise you. This was a few days ago so I hope you have it worked out!

@jean-guybernier3292 2 жыл бұрын

My pleasure !

@hindusupportgroup987 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome thank 🙏🏽

@berserkerusmc7613 Жыл бұрын

As the cable is going down to the bottom bracket, should it be at a slight angle? Or dead straight ?

@hectorbernal5071 3 жыл бұрын

eXCELENTE.. You saved me a lot a time and money

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help

@LundFamily505 Жыл бұрын

@zixautomatizacion Жыл бұрын

Hello friend, what are the principal garage door suppliers you can recommend on Texas?

@fredfaustman3659 2 жыл бұрын

thank you

@FM-sq8qp Жыл бұрын

Hey thanks a lot buddy

@seymoure3594 5 ай бұрын

Really informative!

@TOPLS70 2 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU!!!!!

@scottkim8805 4 ай бұрын

thanks for this!

@santembb Жыл бұрын

Got same length torsion spring and followed the steps for replacement of springs; but issue I see is garage door only lift up till 1 foot , stay stuck and does not move up regardless how much manual lift force I put in (in manual mode). please guide. I tried going up to 33 quarter turns (16.5 half turns) as 31 or 30 turns was not helping, rotation was clock wise for 33 quarter turns.. my old part was 218 wire x 29 long spring and new one is 225 wire and 29 long spring.

@ballsolove Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

@dwanemeans3779 Жыл бұрын

Great clip

@cchristianed 11 ай бұрын

Awesome video, thank you.

@mrweisu Жыл бұрын

What’s the torque on the set screws? I d rather not to guess the number of turns. Thanks

@samvan007 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Welcome!

@jose4805villa 3 ай бұрын

Really help !!

@rubyjackson9539 Жыл бұрын

Nice video!

@alanwagen 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, it worked. You da man !!

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Glad I could help

@billmacfarland3200 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!!

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@sanstephen5971 2 жыл бұрын

I'm interested in this job ..it's good 👍🏼

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Good luck!

@eddiec1841 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks amigo 👍

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

De nada

@esanchezp 3 жыл бұрын

Much appreciated, you just saved me $160 CA. It's delinquent what they ask for just to do a quick fix.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Very true! Great job!

@teddiefehn7628 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very informative

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@benthompson2205 3 жыл бұрын

Cheers.

@gigilovemath Жыл бұрын

Thank you for the clear video. I have a question about my garage door, my door is 7 feet 4 inch height, can I use the 8 ft door cable for replacement?

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

Sorry for the late response. A cut cable would be ideal. Cut 8 inches off the 8 ft cable and crimp on a new end. If the cable is too long it will fill up the drum and possibly come loose and get tangled.

@jasonvanboesschoten6680 Жыл бұрын

My torsion cable keeps coming off, is their a way to adjust the torsion drumb so it doesn't come off anymore?

@laurareyes2463 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks dude, I’m on my moms phone right now, but took the car last night and hit the garage. Just fixed it all.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Great!

@1agaragedoorssacramento Жыл бұрын

Great video!

@jasonmorton7678 3 жыл бұрын

I’m coming to your video after loosing the cable but I forgot to put the pliers on the underside and the door came up a little bit. Should I loosen the torsion springs and reset everything? And should I replace the torsion springs as well?

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Unwinding the springs, then rewinding is going to be your best bet. Only replace the spring if it is older, rusty, or near the end of it's cycle life.

@olenazhenochin4905 2 жыл бұрын

what socket were you using on those square headed screws on the drum? Special 4 point one (which Home Depot does not carry) or something else?

@SpectrumGarageDoorsService 2 жыл бұрын

12- point 7/16 socket, or 3/8 open end wrench

@kauaireed9006 Ай бұрын

Is this why my door is higher on one side, when it’s in the open position? Thanks

@mandlangcobo4119 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Learned a lot. I would like to know what causes the cable to jump out when clossing the door?

@SpectrumGarageDoorsService 2 жыл бұрын

It usually jumps when it’s going up, but you don’t notice it typically until you go to close it. A lack of spring tension, or raising the door too high, or raising it too fast, are some of the common causes

@paulhoward1520 2 жыл бұрын

@@SpectrumGarageDoorsService if I can turn the cable drums does that indicate a lack of torsion on the spring? I has the cable come off one side,tried to do re spool and noticed I could turn drum by hand.

@SpectrumGarageDoorsService 2 жыл бұрын

@@paulhoward1520 well, the two drums and shaft should turn as one. When the spring is applying proper counter balance- yes you will be able to turn it by hand! Pretty easily too. The idea is to be almost weightless because of the assistance of the spring.

@jasonconklin3250 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks worked great

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear it!

@marcellorochha6594 2 жыл бұрын

Top 👍

@thomassmith8063 3 жыл бұрын

I have a rear torsion spring and my drum is on the outside of the bearing plate on both sides, is that correct? I don't see any on youtube that show them there? It seems its there so the cable runs outside the tracks.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have seen systems like this.

@h60flyer 2 жыл бұрын

Hello, what if both sides have loose cables? Does that mean the spring is bad or can I do what you din in this video and rotate them back, thus taking up the slack?

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

If the door is open and the cables are loose: either it's opened too high (should only be opened the height of the header) OR the spring(s) don't have ample tension. (29-30 quarter turns on a 7ft tall door, and 33-34 quarter turns on an 8ft tall door.

@h60flyer 2 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 Thank you!

@imager09tube 3 жыл бұрын

YOu do this with the door open (No tension) or door close(full tension)?

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

You can do it with the door closed. Just be sure to firmly plant the vise grip on the top side of the bar as described.

@AR-vp3hw 3 жыл бұрын

Hi! How can we repair the cable if it has come off the reel and onto the rod that goes across the top? It's a REEL mess in our garage.

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure you already fixed it, but my suggestion would have been to follow the same process as shown, but back turn the cable drum enough to eliminate tension on the cable and pop the end loose from the slot in the drum. Now that you have the end of the cable unravel it completely from the rod. Next you would feed the end back into the slot in the drum, rotate the drum to tighten the slack. hold cable taught while you tighten set screws on the drum to secure it in place.

@AR-vp3hw 3 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 Thanks for the advice! Yes, that's what we did. It was a tough job, my hat off to the pros like you that teach us how to make it work.

@taowen85 2 жыл бұрын

I've adjusted my torsion springs to level the door but I have a half inch gap on both sides. The door has a slight bend in it because the cables seem too tight. I've tried backing off the springs but then they dont provide enough lifting support for the door (when off the track will slam close from 1', or will close on it's own when half open). I'm stumped on what I can do?

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry, this one might be difficult to truly understand the issue without seeing it in person. Definitely sounds like the springs are undersized for starters.

@_1ben Жыл бұрын

My problem as pet your video, my cable has slack when the door is in the up position, it is tight when in the down position, should I raise the door and repeat as your instructions on in the up position ?

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

This usually happens when the rear hangers (the angle iron coming down from the ceiling) are askew. In other words, they are slightly diagonal when compared to the straight vertical track that is on the sides of the door. Moving them over as needed (both in same direction) to the left or right even just one inch can make a big difference. Note- moving the hangers will also move the upper track which is what you are trying to do.

@chadbrinker7885 6 ай бұрын

Why would there be loose tension on a cable when the door is up, but proper tension when the door is down?

@rickschlessenger3464 Жыл бұрын

Here are my problems. I hope you can help me. My electric garage door opener had a short. I have been forced to manually open and close the door. This went well for a few months. One day after opening my door (21 ft. in length) it got stuck. A little higher on the right side. I tried for an hour to get it to move with no luck. The cable had come out of its wheel. In desperation I cut the cable on the right side. This did not solve anything. It would not move. I knew the middle part had these tightly wound cables and to stay clear of them. I hid behind some heavy boxes filled with other items (for protection) and used a long handled looper to cut the other cable. BANG it came off and put a hole in the drywall next to the garage door. Better it than me! Now I thought I could open the door. The door is shut like there are 500 pounds of bricks on it. Any SAFE suggestions besides calling a pro. Thanks to the government everything is so expensive I want to try to do as much as I can.

@robbinanderson768 3 жыл бұрын

Is the tension rod have to be tight before u tighten the cables

@tomerph 3 жыл бұрын

tension should be taught not to loose or tight so u can set cable as the same to the other side very critical you're welcome

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

The torsion tube is held stationary by the vise grip. The cable is simply pulled straight, then the drum tightened. Once the vise grip is removed, then the cable will become super tight.

@jean-guybernier3292 2 жыл бұрын

My trade is millwright since 35 years. I instaled my new garage door recently. Leveled everything with my laser level. One simple problem with it. The two cables have the same tension on both side when the door is close but at 3/4 open, they are well seated on the pulleys. The left cable is getting loose and the right one is very tight. It takes all the load. Took my caliper and measured the pulleys. The right one is 0.015'' shorter than the left. Since the pulley is grooved on it's width to make the cable running, couldn't put shim stock over it to make it bigger. Decided to put some electrical tape layer instead until equal tension on both side and voilà ! When tape will be worn, I will just put new one. No more problem. Different mold for casting and it doesn't take much difference on circonference to cause that problem. Call the manufacturer door installer. Told me 1 out of 3 doors have that same problem and they never found any solution. Told the guy mine and was very happy to ear it.

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Great solution. Thanks for sharing!

@TheSeriesofTubes 2 жыл бұрын

He probably didn’t care and was happy to get you off the phone

@jean-guybernier3292 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think so ! When you talk to a man, an aged one for about 20 min, a very nice man asking questions and you can feel the appreciation in is voice and attitude and if it's so... hope he has learned something that day ! Happy new year from Montréal, Québec !

@MegaJohnnyrock 2 жыл бұрын

Have been installing garage doors for 27 yrs, still can't figure it out???

@jean-guybernier3292 2 жыл бұрын

@@MegaJohnnyrock About the difference between cables? Beleve me, I scratched my head for a couples of hours trying to figure it out ! And nothing else but the circumference must be in involve here. As I said previously, took my caliper and yess, it was 0.015 smaller. Mould difference from China !

@kimberlycollins1694 Жыл бұрын

What if your cable goes into a bolt with a pin how do you remove

@Dhi-fe5eu 2 жыл бұрын

My door springs are broken and door is closed. Can I run the cable to the bottom of the door since I am unable to lift the door at this point. Great video.

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

I would need more information. Thanks.

@redcan5254 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks ... March 24 2022 (2133 hrs)

@parts4garagedoors278 2 жыл бұрын

Your welcome!

@paulprata3351 Жыл бұрын

Do you do the same thing on the other side?

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

Yes

@Ojeramup12 3 жыл бұрын

I bought some cables from Amazon but they came without a stop ferrule. Suggestions? Do companies that install motors, springs, and cables carry these stop ferrules?

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Most do. You could also buy a ferrule at Home Depot or Lowes. You may have mistakenly bought extension cables instead of torsion cables. the length also needs to be correct. For a 7 ft tall door the cable length would be 7 ft 6 in, and for an 8 ft tall door the cable length would be 8 ft 6 in.

@Ojeramup12 3 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 I thought for a 7 foot door it was 8ft.6in. Can you check?

@danepane527 3 жыл бұрын

Do I need to release the spring to do this?

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

Ideally yes it is better/safer to release the spring tension first. The trick shown here is to use the vise grip firmly planted as described to hold the tension of the spring while performing the task (without having to unwind the springs first- it's a shortcut) Please re- watch as needed.

@danepane527 3 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 Thanks for the reply! I have one side where the cable is loose.. going to rewatch but am thinking of just using the vice grip approach. Thanks again!

@jasoncharbonneau9588 Жыл бұрын

How do yo u fix the door when both cables come off the rollers? I tried to do it, but it looks like the spring has no tension so it didn't work when I tried to lower the door.

@parts4garagedoors278 Жыл бұрын

This is a more complicated issue. You are pretty much starting at the beginning- as if you were installing springs. You should look up videos for winding garage door springs for more details.

@TheRealFilthyfletch 3 жыл бұрын

My door is a 7 foot 8from bottom to top. Do I use 7 ft cables or 8 foot cables?

@tomerph 3 жыл бұрын

add 19'' inches plus door height Universal Overhead Door Co

@tomerph 3 жыл бұрын

have a 2nd vise grip to lift so cable is just loose enough to reset

@parts4garagedoors278 3 жыл бұрын

A 7 ft tall door takes cables that are 8 ft 6 in. An 8 ft tall door takes cables that are 9 ft 6 in. Always add 18 inches to the length of the cable on top of the actual door height. Your door should have 110 in cables. The only caveat is if the door is high-lifted.

@tomerph 3 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 Thanks i changed it

@gregoryhall2967 3 жыл бұрын

@@parts4garagedoors278 or rear mount torsion.......