# Garage door opener started making a bad grinding noise, won't lift door **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077 "2014-01-06T22:48:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077/21 "2014-01-09T19:45:25Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Probably related: we’re having a sharp drop in > temperature, and it’s -6F outside now. It is an attached garage though, so it wouldn’t be that cold. My kids left it open during and for a while after shoveling the snow, but when my wife closed it, she didn’t notice any more noise. (That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any noise, though.) At any rate, it’s the coldest it would have been for many years. While it’s still cold, check to see if your tracks are binding around the wheels on the door. It may be that the cold is altering the shape of your tracks slightly, which is pointing out other issues that are developing with the actual lift. Silicon lube for the tracks as well as the gears. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077/22 "2014-01-09T22:52:18Z")
I’ve been [dealing with a car](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=712605) lately, but I’m going to wipe off the chain and shoot it with the silicone lube again. Maybe the spray two nights ago helped dissolve old dried oil or whatever. I had sprayed the rollers, but I just now sprayed all the hinges. It sounds quieter to me now, although my wife said it was loud again when she ran it after the door was open for a while. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2014, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077/23 "2014-01-09T23:34:30Z")
IMO, the silicone spray should be regarded as a temporary measure on the chain. It’s okay for now, but chains require molybdenum powder in the lube or something similar, because the individual joints in the chain undergo heavy pressure on every use. Every joint bears the weight of the door. Take a look at the teeth of the drive sprocket. If the teeth are symmetrical, one side of the tooth to the other, the chain is in good shape. If the teeth are “hooked,” it means the chain is stretched and badly worn. The chain and the drive sprocket should be replaced before something breaks. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077/24 "2014-01-10T00:26:13Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > WD40 is one of the worst things you could put on it. Its lubricating effects are rather short-lived. > > Lube it with either a spray lithium lube (Lubriplate Chain and Cable, or a motorcycle chain lube, for example) or whatever the manufacturer recommends. You want something “clingy” so the machine doesn’t fling oil around the garage every time the door goes up or down. This. Don’t ever use the original WD-40 on anything except an old rusty hinge. It’s hard to say what’s “grindy” without looking at it but if you can run the opener with the cover off it should present itself. Before you lube it make sure it hasn’t shaved off any pieces between the 2 meshing gears. In other words, clean it before you grease it. That would make a noise as well as cause additional damage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garage-door-opener-started-making-a-bad-grinding-noise-wont-lift-door/678077.md?page=1)