Garage Door Off Track? Check the Cable and Drum!

For whatever reason the garage door won't open and or close... the issue is going to be due to the cable untangling and lodging on the road and drum. It's an easy fix and can be done in minutes GUARANTEED!

[@WideOpenLifestyle]

Thank you so much, I got home late one night when my family was already asleep and I didn’t want to wake anyone up to try and help me so I went to the good old KZbin for help and your video was clear and very concise. Thank you again sir you saved me

[@Ryannl2006]

I was able to fix my door because of this video. Hats of to you sir. Thank you.

[@brendanballard2216]

Getting the cable off the pin was a pain in the ass but this worked perfectly. Thanks for making this!

[@patrickcarroll5226]

This video helped me close my garage door that broke at 10pm. So glad I didn’t have to leave it open all night. Thank you for the help!

[@azielce]

Super clear and concise, I was able to fix my door myself with this help. Thanks!

[@timpeoples5321]

I took me 10 or 15 minutes, but your explanation was spot on. Thank you for your post.

[@padams7638]

A big thank you for this video! I thought that my door was broken. I was able to fix the door myself.

[@tonychilelli2318]

Thanks Sam, a garage door company wanted $175.00 to fix this. It took me about 15 minutes after watching your video. I also subscribed.

[@youview5023]

Great vid, short and to-the-point. As mentioned in comments, you're working area will probably be limited, and in my opinion the most challenging part is keeping tension on the cable to reattach it.

[@vanessadetomasi4208]

Thank you for this video! This single momma just fixed her own garage door! 🎉🙌🏼

[@jayson1270]

Thank you for this! Mine just did this so dang randomly right now (this door gets used FAR less than the other door) and it's 20 degrees outside and it didn't want to go all the way down (My garage has 2 zones of in floor heating), and I didn't feel like heating my neighborhood.

[@tomnelsen690]

Thank you so much for saving me a repairman visit. Easy fix, I wouldn't have known how without the video!

[@ripfrankwhite]

This just saved me a lot of trouble. Thank you very much .

[@richardkinsey1544]

Good video! Thx, helped me fix! Needed vice grips to "round" loop to get around pin.

[@MarkAngelis]

You saved my life today. Thank you.

[@ashleyfoley88]

Thank you so so much for this video. It saved me a lot of money and stress.

[@John3one7]

Perfect explanation. All I needed.👍

[@MoreThanMaintenance]

Glad to be of help thank you for watching!

[@John3one7]

@@MoreThanMaintenance OK so I did it & it works, thanks again 👍. My cable was completely detatched from the drum & just so people know (if you're like me & have never done this before) the very first wrap around goes in a single separate groove on the outside edge of the drum. If you miss that outside lip/groove, the door will close a tad uneven. Also, on the other end of the cable, there's a clamp or sleeve. This slides into a notch on the drum, to hold it in place when u start winding.

[@VRUAN]

There are two directions to wind: 1. hold the cable pointing to the wall, wrap the cable around the drum from the top. This direction is clockwise. 2. it could also be winding the cable to the wall, wrap the cable around the drum by going under the drum. This direction is counter clockwise. The video did not show the wrapping step by step. Which direction is true?

[@MT-pp1dg]

Thank you..... I was tired of scratching my head!

[@rubenkoshy2113]

Thanks you so much! Your video was very helpful!

[@tjmasters7532]

Thanks man saved me!

[@JackLuu]

Thank you!!! Worked well.

[@DAGODER]

My garage door only has 1 cable assembly on the door. I am watching videos, and I see doors have 2. Is it suppose to have 2?? Did the installer get lazy and only installed one?

[@phernando6757]

Very nice!

[@swagglifee]

Those don't just come of on their own usually bad bearings in the drum cause drag and spring won't full turn cable tight

[@MrTonetone2010]

How do i get it back in air its super heavy

[@zmodem4619]

I know this response is two months later, but if the door is way too heavy for you to lift, you (and anyone with that same problem reading this) probably have a broken spring tensioner in the middle of the door lift. The tensioner bar runs across the top of the hole where the door actually sits when it's closed, and the spring sits in the middle. The spring is responsible for making the door weigh very little so the motor barely has to work in order to lift it up. TL;DR: If the door feels too heavy to lift, either the spring that helps counterweight the door's own weight is broken, or the emergency latch hasn't been pulled to release the door from the trolley. Check both, and always be safe!

[@TzUuup]

One of my springs is broken which makes the door heavier but im strong enough to lift it with 1 spring still working. If youre the average man and can bench over 200 pounds than you should be able to life it. If not than it might still be locked on the track. If that doesnt work, try unhooking the wire from the garage door that goes to the pulley spool system. Sometimes when its off the spool itll get caught on the track jamming the door from rolling up or down

[@MahaliaMiller]

Zmodem thank you!

[@johnf.6942]

Why do these unravel?

[@henryn3850]

I have just did this but I find extremely difficult as the cable keep unwinding itself. In the end I installed the cable with the door closed by undoing the drums and rolling it to wind the cable.

[@jimreilly6933]

Sounds like a better method than the one proposed on this video. Thanks for mentioning that. I will apply it to my door fix also.

[@MurrayPolisky]

Yeah but how come you didn’t talk about how to attach the cable to the drum?!

[@I_like_pears]

Good video, but you skip quickly over getting the cable re-connected over the pin. I am having a devil's own time doing so and was looking for tips on that.

[@sticknstonesbrkbones]

I have a question. Everything seems fine with my garage door and operated fine all summer after a few minor adjustments with the opener itself. However, as soon as it starts getting cold outside the cables come off track and it seems that the springs lose tension. Is that normal? for two years i have had to reset the up and down force as well as the distance. Last week there was zero tension in the springs or the pulleys. I tightened the springs to the called for tension. put the cables and pulleys in place. but 3 ups and 3 downs the damn thing started throwing the cable again. Liftmaster is the brand and it is a wall mount if that helps. Any ideas? thx

[@jaLimon-zr8qi]

yeah, one of my springs lost tension too, and one its taken all the tension, i was looking alot of videos and nobody talk about that problem, if you have the solution would be great if you share it with me.

[@rodneykahn6927]

@@jaLimon-zr8qi When you change springs, change them both at the same time.

[@jimreilly6933]

@@rodneykahn6927 Like four foot fluorescent light bulbs !

[@jackwilliams5474]

Problem is, when I open door, the cable comes off the pully again and again

[@suzannefye8300]

My cable came off my garage door at midnight…I came in and watched a couple of videos, and was able to fix it within 5 mins. Thanks you SO much!!

[@jenniferweeks7445]

This worked perfectly!!! THANK YOU!!! We saved $260 because that is what the repair estimate was for this issue. Took about 10 min. AND we are having record low temps so this was a life saver!

[@beckyschneider7357]

Same!!! I’m so thankful for this video!

[@cuw_ave1220]

wow. i saved 260 too! crazy easy and crazy cost to fix it with a professional.

[@muytico2709]

FYI: Maybe it has been said in previous comments, but what had the cables off the drums, in my case, was that when I tensioned the spring I did not torqued to the proper turns. My error was that I only turned the spring 17 quarters instead of 17 FULL turns (31 quarters). Obviously, there was no tension to keep cables under torque.

[@WilliamBrown-vf9ou]

Thank you! I was literally moments away from booking a repair from a garage door contractor. Then I found your video. It was perfect. Fixed it myself in only a few minutes. Saved time and money. thanks again!!

[@chrismusser9508]

Thank you for helping me fix my garage door at 10pm in the dead of winter. It took me awhile but appreciate you guidance, especially the part of holding the cable tight so it doesnt unspool (only made that misstake once...)!

[@elliott7601]

yeah. I am stuck with no lock on the garage door inside my home lol.

[@jerkstore76]

Ditto! Just fixed my cables using this video. Tonight it’s a balmy 9° evening in St. Louis 😁

[@TexasBuyer2001]

Great video. When the garage door is open, how tight is that cable suppose to be?

[@IndianaDoug]

The main reason these come loose is because the cable was installed when the garage door is shut. -ask me how I know🤣

[@XsavioR38]

thanks boss. I just did this repair , at 1 am but just blocked the door withmy shoulder and unbolted the whole bracket. Well my wheel mangled the bracket and i had to rebend it to make it work . Now i know how to make sure the door doesnt clobber me next time. ty.

[@adelghoneim7669]

Thanks, straight to the point. I just followed your way and fixed mine. The difficult part is removing and connecting the wire to the door. It needs showing the trick in removing and attaching it.

[@tago8039]

1 question - it came unwound becase the lock bolts on that pulley came loose or there was an obstruction somwhere that caused the door to bind briefly. When that happens the tension on the cable still on the pulley is holding all the door weight. Rewinding the loose side allows you to lower the door but the tension won't be equal. What do you do?

[@rodneykahn6927]

You need to adjust the tension on both sides to be equal. The side that came loose, the bolts came loose, and the drum moved on the bar. You loosen that drum, rotate to tension the cable, and then lock it down. Read up on that.

[@LighthouseBurning]

6 year video still helping people out. My door got off kilter from a broom and this video helped me get my garage door on-kilter! Thanks!

[@scottsullivan6340]

Just helped me out!!!👍🏻👍🏻

[@jgwoody1]

This video still saving people in 2023…and in 100 degree Texas heat!! Thanks so much! What caused it for me was I moved something on a shelf too close to the left side of door and it hit the windstorm crossbars and prevented it from shutting on that side but the motor kept turning and the slack in the wire caused it to come unspooled. Learned my lesson. Thanks again!

[@carolineholden1008]

I second this! Summer 2024 in Texas!

[@ataleph1]

This thing worked! Amazing, thanks so much!

[@yo9845]

Great info! My cable came off, my grandson and I were able to follow your instructions and BAM! Door fixed!!! Thanks!

[@malinchoneska8554]

Is that Lars Ulrich from Metallica helping us fix garage doors?.....WOW

[@58walt]

Thank you so very much for this video. It was extremely helpful, considering I am not a "handyman," and made the job quite easy. Thanks again.

[@cinderellaslifeadventures7269]

Thank you so much for making this video. Ours came off today and did not want to call a garage guy, so we got on youtube and found this video. Followed the directions and it worked perfect. Thank you again. Keep up the good work.

[@THEFEDORALAWYER]

Thanks, that is more simple than I thought. But what if the cable came completely off the drum so that it is not attached at all. Is there a way to reattach a new cable to the drum?

[@PriorityWC]

Thank you so much, this made it perfectly clear. The vise grip trick to stop the door from sliding back down was the best part

[@TzUuup]

Great explenation. Save me alot of money and time having to call in the pros

[@15901111]

We had this Garage door issue last week . We called a Contractor to fix the cables. But After I watched this video I think I can fix it next time. Thanks for the video .

[@anums2323]

Thank you!

[@Roy_Of_Essex]

Some crackhead hit my door and bent it out of shape. Your video on the cable helped but I'm having trouble with the whole secti9n that's dented.

[@jaimegonzalez6926]

You are bad ass well explained doors HVAC what else you are our favorite.

[@2aharvey]

Thanks so very much! My hubby is deployed in Korea for 1 year and this saved me the expense and time waiting for getting a garage door person to come and repair it and charge me several hundred dollars! Thanks Again!

[@kentsimpson8804]

Right on! I just landed a side job putting a garage door back together, the vice grips thing is great

[@betydodd9496]

My cables came off but the door slammed down closed. Can I still hook up the cables with it down? It's too heavy to open.

[@dannypena1218]

Was thinking you had to wind the wire pulley, guess not... I'm assuming it fixed

[@KCTrier]

Am I supposed to clamp the torsion spring before rewinding the cable?

[@mjmeternal2696]

The video was helpful. I want to download it. My garage door has got the same issue

[@warthundercinematic.113]

Mine did this today. Un tangled it, I just lowered it by hand and it went back on the wheel.

[@cesarjuarez2066]

Brother in Christ. This saved me. Thank you so much for sharing !

[@dabig_guy2204]

Have had a few these cable events and most of the videos are too superficial in their explanation. One has to assume that the cable is already off the pulley before the work commences.This will require the garage door to be opened fully, *HOWEVER* Releasing the lock with a manual release cable and pushing on the bottom of the garage door to open requires a very slow movement otherwise the other side will have the cable come of the pulley also. I mean very slow.

[@codyforemanable]

Same problem.. I spent all evening recoiling on side .. just to see the other side all fkd again!!!! . Doors stuck .. vice grips.. everything... geeze what a mess

[@codyforemanable]

Ohh.. sry to reply to YOU. I thought it was the original guy.. ... geeze so you felt with a door stuck closed!!!! Mary cross Christ md Joseph:.. (I was hoping for weird emojis .. Sry) So I'm screwed!!.. call a guy??

[@dlaneyconnerwellman9396]

I have been dreading fixing our door had already fought with it for over an hour. This video helped me fix it in less than 5 minutes!

[@williampage8882]

Why did that happen? It's going to happen again, what caused it

[@percyfaith11]

What issue cause the cable to come off in the first place?

[@shineriseliu7104]

I have the same problem with my new house and I found it is a systemic error, or a stupid mistake by the door installer - the cable is a bit longer than it should be. If you have seen this cable getting off the drum more than once, especially when the garage door is fully opened, then it is almost certain that the cable is too long. If it is the case, then here is a quick but temporary solution and you don't need any tool to take the cable off the pin or lock the garage door using locking plier: 1. Simply open the door until the door panels are fully raised to the top (yes, you don't need to disengage the emergency release either), regardless how messy the cable is winding around the steel bar. 2. Rewind the cable back to drum using your bare hands, or with gloves. It is very easy because in this case the cable is too long as after winding the cable back to the drum you will see there is no tension on the cable at all and that's why it can easily get off the drum. 3. Close the door carefully, the cable may get off the drum again. Once it happens, just stop, reopen the door, rewind the cable and then close the door. Once the door drops a bit and the cable becomes straight due to the tension, then you can close the door as usual. But be very careful next time when open the garage door, never let it go up too high. Once it is fully opened, the tension is lost and the cable can get off the drum again. I am still trying to figure out how to adjust the length of the cable or the travel distance of the motor to preent it from happening again.

[@rodneykahn6927]

I think you have to loosen the 2 lock bolts on the drum. Then the drum can rotate about the bar. You should tension both cables left and right to the same tension. and then lock that drum to the bar. Read up on how to do that.

[@jimreilly6933]

@@rodneykahn6927 Assuming he has enough room on the drums to take the extra cable !

[@anthonychase4945]

Buy the correct size cable.

[@usmcvetoif0313]

Thank you for posting this vid👍😎

[@nickdeliso7026]

You make it look easier then it is. I disconnected cable to change out bottom rollers. Putting cables around the drum is a pain in the butt, especially since there is not much room to get up there. I got it done but it was not that easy.

[@youview5023]

Yes it's because vids look easier because you're not actually doing the work.. have also found this on almost everything I fixed after looking at a vid...

[@Bowhunter1997]

I thought it was pretty easy. Only took me about 5 min

[@onemorepullslotsgaming9920]

It worked for a moment but the 3rd time I opened it cable on right drum keeps jumping off any suggestions

[@warthundercinematic.113]

Need some lube.

[@LamontezTezlamon]

This just happened to me last night!!!

[@omarmoreno8937]

Thanks it was very helpfull

[@codyforemanable]

Everytime I'm recoil one side.. the the other side springs loose -Peew everywhere!- Tracks are aligned seems simple enough but the the drums don't want to wind together: If I take step back I'm sure it Would make sense ... but what's your opinion? Lol I said pinion ... ಠ_ಠ shut up ... ok

[@DiWoodard77]

Can anyone offer an explanation why this happens? Ours literally did this 30 minutes ago and we don’t know why. We just moved in and it’s a rental. I was scared to call the rental company because I didn’t know what they’ll say. Just curious why it happened.

[@josephbenites7315]

Thanks few minutes out of your day helped!

[@scottgamble7767]

You didn't cover the one aspect I desperately needed. Not knowing anything about how all of this works, when my cable spun loose from the spindle, the OTHER end came off the take up wheel. Where does _that_ reconnect? Your video gives me some hope (the garage door company wants $167 to come out to fix it and can't come out until tomorrow...20 hours from now!), but your jumpy editing leaves something to be desired... and leaves out details.

[@debrasmith1564]

Wow I call the garage repair to come fix my garage. Because it was off track. My daughter look this up on here. We fix it are self thank for all the help. They wanted to charge me $325 to fix it. Save lots of money. Only took me 10 min to repAir my garage.

[@07011a0526]

Thank you. It saved me $$$.

[@hollykawula1709]

Agree with Jennifer Weeks! We were bummed about not only the expense but about the estimated wait for the repair. 10 minutes is spot on, thank you Sam!

[@MrBENTPIN]

But what causes it in first place

[@Sasataf]

WARNING: The cable is under tension from the spring in the center of the door. So reconnecting the cable to the pin means you'll need to yank the cable down while keeping the door up. So make sure your vice grips are tight!

[@Toorealprod47]

Great video . But why not loosen the screws and spin the drum around the cable . It would be quicker IMO

[@Kaptain_001]

Glad I saw this, I'll give it a try but I'm wondering what caused the problem in the first place? by the way good video, straight to the point.

[@tone2616]

great video, i hope i can get this as fast, -2 outside right now so leaving the door open or a jar isn't ideal. i appreciate the extra comments about warnings and things to look out for first time trying to attempt.

[@VAMCVETS]

Thank you, sir. Mine came off after a bracket broke on the opposite side. Now I have a cable, bracket, and roller to install.

[@timh5072]

That's pretty good stuff bro I just had the problem on my garage I was going to call the garage door people and I thought let me go on KZbin and guess what there you were thank you you saved me some bucks happy trails

[@kdssupplyllc2720]

Thanks Sam you help a lot

[@vanewhovane4263]

So mine had this problem yesterday. And it was fixed but today it was having the same problem. Can it be that my cousins husband didn’t rewind the wire back up correctly and cost it to happen again ?

[@_1ben]

When my door is in the up position my cable has slack or play, how do I remove this slack?

[@wjb111]

This is exactly what just happened to my door. We will give it a shot. Thanks for the insight.

[@drpoundsign]

I'm wimping out and calling the pros...maybe we should all have screw drives!

[@JStarPropertyServices]

Huge help thank you

[@JStarPropertyServices]

Huge help thank you

[@philzerkel3486]

thanks Sam, mine is a smaller unpowered door but your approach was easy to follow

[@Noearthlygood82]

Thank you sir.

[@smullyp]

Vice grip was key, and double checking opposite spool as well….thanks for the video

[@balangovender6012]

this video was well presented and the advice was accurate and gave safety tips. thank you, We pray GOD Bless all with good health, happiness and prosperity

[@mariel.4566]

How were you able to lift the heavy garage door without the cables connected ? I’m trying to get my riding lawnmower out because the spring broke

[@desklamp1175]

To the point without some of the silliness you sometimes have to muddle through. Thanks