[whatsthis]

Hi! I have put in a Stanley garage door opener (Was brand new and not fitted by PO) All is well, up to a point. When I close the door, it gets to a point about 9 -12" off the fully closed position, then stops (as though it had hit an obstacle, but there is nothing there) and reverses. When i hit the button again, it stops, hit it again and it will close fully.I should point out that this happens about 1 time in four, and is not a continual problem (which makes it all the more infuriating)
I have adjusted the door closing force on the unit, I inserted the "L" shaped bracket at 45 degrees, as the manual said, BUT when the door closes, it does so, smoothly, until the last panel starts to 'tip over' from the horizontal plane to the vertical, then there is an uneven shudder and I think that this is what contributes to the stopping. BTW the IR sensor is not triggered, so it isn't that. Any thoughts?

 

[Stillwerkin]

Just guessing, but there might be something binding in the track system-they probably don't line up between the curve and the straight sections.
When the door rollers roll over the bump, the motor senses the extra amps drawn, and "thinks" it's hitting something.

Also, disonnect the drive and see if the door operates smoothly by hand.
-Watch the rollers, and make sure they aren't radically moving in and out(uneven spring pressure or misaligned track).
-Make sure there's no binding in the slide bar, and/or the chain is straight and lubed.
-Check motor mounting bolts to ceiling joists and make sure that isn't moving around under load.

 

[Ron6519]

There are limit adjustment screws on the unit. If you can disconnect the door from the carraige and open and close it, it, it's probably the closing limit screw that needs adjustment. The instructions for your unit should guide you through the adjustment process.
If you don't have the instructions, you should be able to access them online.
Ron

 

[whatsthis]

Hi again, and thanks for all the info. I have adjusted the opening & closing force (I think thats what you meant?) but it still does it. I have to say that the misaligned tracking sounds like it could be the problem, as there is no obvious obstruction on the "rails." The door does run free and smooth when disconnected and operated by hand, but thats not to say that some small misalignment isn't causing the problem, so to that end, I will go and check it out! There are a further two questions I have, just while I'm here...
1/ What would you use to lube the chain? I have a silicone spray I bought some time ago from a bicycle shop, which is supposed to be for bike chains (doesn't attract as much dust - supposedly!) would this be good?
2/ When the door is in the fully open position (as I recall) there is a fair amount of sag in the chain. Is this normal? I set the chain (on the adjuster, where the chain & cable meet) at the number of turns recommended by the manual for the initial installation, but I don't know if it needs any more adjusting, i.e., is it too slack? Under operating load, there is no slack, just seems to be when stopped at the fully open point.
Thanks again for the help and any other thoughts would be much appreciated!:thumbsup:

 

[fixrite]

the slack is normal when it is in the open position. There is also the chance that the door is not closing fully if there were sufficient shutter to cause the beam safety lights to misalign and trigger. Just a thought.

cheers

 

[whatsthis]

Thx Fixrite. Thats a good point about the juddering of the door. Athough the "magic eyes" aren't touching the track, I'm thinking that if there is a jusdder caused by a track misaligment, it migh be enough to shake the "eyes" out of alignment. Will check that out too! Thanks.:thumbsup:

 

[Ron6519]

"I have adjusted the opening & closing force (I think thats what you meant?) but it still does it."

No, thats not the items you adjust.
You need the instructions. Do you have them? If not, get them and read them to understand what you need to do.
Ron

 

[whatsthis]

Thanks Ron. I have the instructions, but can't find a "screw" I have adjusted both the up and down "Force" knobs on the back of the unit, and also set the up and down limits. Beyond that, I can't see any other adjustors on the unit.

 

[fixrite]

Have you checked to see if the door is square to the tracks??? Just a thought

cheers

 

[whatsthis]

Thanks Fixrite. Yep seems to be. Heres a funny thing though... when it's closing, as the last panel tips over the "top" the wheels LIFT from running on the bottom of the rail to running on the underside of the top part of the rail (If you know what I mean!) It's this jump that seems to give the unit the message that theres an obstacle. I'm wondering if the "L" shaped bar (from the traveller to the bracket on the door) is either too far up or too far down, relative to the last panel and needs the angle adjusted? Just a thought! OH BTW, if I GENTLY (without pressure) rest my hand on one of the ridges of the door as it approaches the problem area, it goes right down to the closed position without a hitch. It's almost like it could use a few ounces of weight, does that make any sense?

 

[Ron6519]

It's the limit adjustment screws that you would need to adjust. When you adjusted them, did the door stop at different places? If it didn't, then the limit screws are not working and would need to be repaired or replaced. For every 1/2 turn of the screw, the trolly should stop at a different position on the track.
With the door disengaged from the opener, press the garage door button to see if the trolly moves all the way to the front of the garage. It should stop about 15" or so from the end of the track. If it doesn't, it's the limit screw adjustment because the door is now not part of the equation.
Did you disengage the opener from the door to see if it operated smoothly by hand?
If it operates smoothly, the force indicator screws might be at issue.
Does the door reverse on the down cycle if it meets resistance? When you initially put the door in, did you adjust the down pressure using the 2x4 on the floor guidline?
Have you checked the electric eyes to see if they are tight? If loose, the door vibration might have them lose sight of the other while the door is moving. This would be unlikely if the door reverses at the same place every time.
Ron

 

[Ron6519]

Thanks Fixrite. Yep seems to be. Heres a funny thing though... when it's closing, as the last panel tips over the "top" the wheels LIFT from running on the bottom of the rail to running on the underside of the top part of the rail (If you know what I mean!) It's this jump that seems to give the unit the message that theres an obstacle. I'm wondering if the "L" shaped bar (from the traveller to the bracket on the door) is either too far up or too far down, relative to the last panel and needs the angle adjusted? Just a thought! OH BTW, if I GENTLY (without pressure) rest my hand on one of the ridges of the door as it approaches the problem area, it goes right down to the closed position without a hitch. It's almost like it could use a few ounces of weight, does that make any sense?

If that's the case, Fixrite is right. It's the track and it's relationship to the door. If the tracks are not mirror images of one another and/or not parallel to one another, the door will come down in a shutter. The controls will see that as an obstacle and reverse.
Recheck the track setup.
Ron

 

[fixrite]

OMG I might be right:laughing:
cheers

 

[whatsthis]

Many thanks guys, looks like we're getting there!:clap: