Opener runs but the door doesn't move
Check the emergency release cord first, because that one is free. If the cord has been pulled, the trolley is disconnected and the opener is running on its own with nothing attached. If the trolley is engaged and you hear grinding, the nylon drive gear has stripped, which is the most common failure on chain-drive openers past about ten years. A gear kit runs $185 to $390.
Check these first
Two minutes, no tools, and sometimes it's the whole answer.
- Look at the trolley on the rail. If the release lever is hanging down and disengaged, slide the trolley to meet the carriage and re-engage it, then run the opener once.
- Listen. A grinding or whirring noise with no movement is a stripped gear. Silence with a running motor is usually the trolley.
- Look for chain or belt slack, or a chain lying loose along the rail.
- Lift the door by hand with the opener disconnected. If it's heavy, you have a spring problem as well and that needs sorting first.
What not to do while you wait
- Don't keep cycling it. Running a stripped gear grinds more of it away and can take the sprocket with it.
- Don't re-engage the trolley while the door is part-way open. Lower it fully first.
What it usually turns out to be
- Emergency release pulled Somebody disconnected the door to open it by hand and it was never reconnected. The free fix, and always worth checking first.
- Stripped nylon drive gear The single most common opener failure past about ten years. The gear is a wear part and it's designed to be the thing that gives.
- Broken chain or belt Less common, and visible. The chain hangs slack or the belt has parted.
- Sheared trolley or carriage The plastic carriage that the door arm bolts to can break, particularly if the door has been running out of balance.
What it costs
$185 to $390 for gear kit, chain or belt, or carriage replacement. The diagnostic visit is $39 and it comes off that in full when you go ahead the same visit. Full detail on the garage door opener repair page, and every other range we charge is on the cost page.
Where we cover
Newark, Fremont, Union City, Hayward, with Hayward limited to 94545 and 94544 in the south of the city. Call before noon and Newark, Fremont and Union City are same-day appointments. The areas we cover, in detail.
Questions we get asked
Is a stripped gear worth repairing or should I replace the opener?
On a sound unit under about fifteen years, a gear kit is good value. Past that, the next component is close behind and a new unit often makes more sense. We give you both prices before you decide.
Why did the gear strip in the first place?
Usually age, and sometimes an unbalanced door. If the springs have weakened, the opener has been lifting weight it wasn't sized for, and the gear is the part that gives out first. We check the balance at the same visit.
Other things doors do
- Garage door won't close Almost always the safety sensors.
- Garage door won't open If it feels heavy, it's the spring.
- Garage door spring broke The bang was the spring letting go.
- Garage door opener is completely dead Power first, then the logic board.
- Garage door remote or keypad stopped working Battery, programming, or a light bulb.
Tell us what it's doing
(510) 509-9998. If a car is shut inside, say so first and we'll book you ahead of the queue.
Newark · Fremont · Union City · Hayward