Garge door uneven

[Bojans]

One of my garage doors (9' wide, single spring) is uneven, probably a 1/2" gap on the left side. I went up last night to adjust the drum only to realize it could not have slipped, the shaft and drums are keyed together. This is a high lift door with a Lift Master 8500 opener (tapered drums, the cable is on the correct path). I am at a loss as to why this would be uneven if the drum didn't slip. Could a cable have stretched that much?

Any ideas to correct this are much appreciated.

 

[LB-1911]

Till others chime in, information you may find of use -

DDM Garage Doors
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/index.php

Garage Door Troubleshooting
http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/troubleshooting.php#problem-6

 

[CNGsaves]

This is thread that needs PICS so that GJer's can SEE what you're talking about.

 

[upndown]

One quick check would be, look at both cables. Make sure neither is frayed.
As a cable frays, it becomes longer, doesn't take much to create a 1/2" gap.

 

[Bojans]

Neither cable is frayed. I will take some pictures tonight. Thanks

 

[Paultergeist]

I rather doubt that this will be the issue in your case, but my garage door had a gap (space, opening) at the bottom on one side because the concrete slab was not level. I did not notice this with my original (old) garage door, as that old door had so much *slop* in the hinges that the door settled into the un-even space. When I had a new door installed, however, the gap at the bottom was prominent because the new door had no play in the hinges (and the door was installed level). Just something to consider, perhaps....?

The other thing you might be able to do -- from a diagnostic standpoint -- is put a straight-level across the door panels. Is one or more of the garage door panels off from level?

 

[Bojans]

My first thought was that the slab had settled in one area but in looking at the door it is clearly not level. The right side top is nearly rubbing on the track and the bottom right has a solid inch between the door and track.

 

[upndown]

Bojans, just curious how old is your door?
You are right, pics may help. Something definitely shifted!

Usually it's a drum or a cable.

 

[Rookie2]

I haven't seen any shaft that was keyed, if it is then there needs to be a way to adjust the cables left to right. look at the both ends of the cable , does it have a crimped collar that could have slipped ? pictures are worth a 1000 words.

 

[Bojans]

Pictures...
Img 1 - Left door bottom, notice seal is not compressed
Img 2 - Right door bottom, seal is compressed
Img 3 - Right side of door, notice top is much closer to the track than the bottom
Img 4 - Keyed drum
Img 5 and 6 are close up of the top and bottom of the right side of the door.

 

[6t7gto]

http://ddmgaragedoors.com/diy-instructions/leveling-garage-door.php

 

[DeliveryGuy]

Look up at the head shaft that the drums key into. Does it have a coupler in the middle? If so, then it's a two piece shaft, and this coupler is adjustable. It's very possible it may have slipped, and the two halves are out of sync.
P.S., a "bird caged" cable is sometimes hard to spot. It's different than a fray. The cable unravels, and the inner core pops out the side, shortening the cable. Triple check the high side for a popped core.

 

[Bojans]

Ding ding ding! Delivery guy has it with the "bird caged cable". I owe you a beer. Now the question is do I call someone or do it myself?

 

[Bojans]

Here is a picture of the cable on the high side. I was so focused on the low end I never examined the high side.

 

[DeliveryGuy]

I'm drinking beer right now, actually! I'd call around to get prices. If you don't know what your doing when you're manipulating spring tension, you can get hurt badly. Now that you know the problem, you can weed out the repair guys that will try to rebuild the door from the ground up. Changing one, or both cables is a quick and easy job.