Symptom check
The motor runs and the door stays put
When the opener runs and the door stays put, the door has come loose from the drive, most often through a release cord pulled during an outage. Relatching is a quick check; a stripped gear or a snapped belt is an opener repair.
Updated
Check the springs before you relatch anything
Do not pull the red release cord while the door is up or partway open. Look at the spring shaft above the door first: a coil with a gap means the door is dead weight, and the opener could not lift it anyway. With the door closed and both springs whole, relatching the trolley is safe.
What usually causes it, in order
Start with the release, because relatching a trolley is a fix you can make yourself, and work down to the worn parts that need an opener repair.
- Most common
The trolley is still unlatched from the door
What you notice: The chain or belt moves and part of the trolley travels along the rail, but the door arm and the red cord stay behind with the door.
The repair: Relatch the trolley with the door closed; if the latch will not catch, we repair or replace the trolley. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
- Common
A stripped drive gear in the motor housing
What you notice: The motor whirs inside the housing for the length of a normal trip, yet the chain or belt never budges, sometimes with a brief ratcheting sound.
The repair: Install a gear and sprocket kit, or price a new opener when the unit has other worn parts. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
- Common
A broken spring the opener cannot lift
What you notice: The door jerks up an inch or two or not at all, the opener quits or reverses, and one spring on the shaft has a visible gap.
The repair: Replace the failed spring (both, when the door carries two), then set the balance before the motor takes the door again. Garage Door Spring Replacement, from $245
- Less common
A snapped belt or a chain thrown off its sprocket
What you notice: The belt or chain hangs slack below the rail or drapes over the door, and the motor spins with nothing to pull.
The repair: Replace the belt, or rethread and tension the chain, then check the trolley and rail for damage from the break. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
- Less common
A slipping collar on a wall-mount opener
What you notice: On a jackshaft opener fixed to the wall next to the spring shaft, the motor runs for more than a couple of seconds while the shaft barely turns.
The repair: Reseat and tighten the drive collar on the torsion shaft, and check the door balance while the opener is off. Garage Door Opener Repair, from $155
Safe checks before you call
Each check happens at floor level with the door closed, and none puts a hand near a spring or a cable.
- Standing on the slab, study the torsion shaft for any coil pulled open, and stop there if you find one.
- Trace the red cord to the trolley and check whether the curved door arm is still latched to it.
- Press the wall button once and watch the rail: a moving chain or belt with a still door points to the release, a still chain points to the gear.
- Look for a belt or chain hanging below the rail or lying across the top panel.
- On a wall-mount opener beside the door, note whether the spring shaft turns at all when the motor starts, and unplug it if the housing smells hot.
How to reconnect the garage door to the opener
Relatch with the door closed on the slab and the springs intact, and most openers pick the trolley up again on the next trip.
Lower the door to the floor
With both springs intact, bring the door down by hand until the bottom seal rests on the slab. It should move smoothly with modest effort; a door that drops hard or feels heavy has a spring or cable problem, so stop and call.
Set the latch to catch
Pull the release cord the way the label on the trolley or your manual shows. Models differ on the direction, and the goal is to leave the latch set so it grabs the carriage as it passes.
Run the opener once
Press the wall button. The carriage rides along the rail and locks into the trolley with a click, and the door follows on that trip or the next press.
Watch the first full cycle
If the carriage slides past without catching, or the door shudders as it moves, stop using the opener until a worn latch, bent trolley or damaged rail is replaced.
Why Clark County doors come unhooked after a storm outage
An outage is the usual reason a trolley sits unlatched: the power drops, someone yanks the cord to free a car, and nobody relatches it when the lights come back.
Outages like the one after the January 2024 arctic front, when 24,675 Clark Public Utilities customers went dark from January 12 to 14, are when doors get opened by hand and left that way. A door relatched while partway open, or with ice holding its seal, is how trolleys and door arms get bent.
The federal opener rule caps the pull needed to release that handle at 50 pounds, so it is easy to use and easy to forget. Battery backup keeps an opener running through a short outage, which is worth weighing where the garage is the everyday entrance.
What the opener repair involves
We start with the springs and the balance, because a new gear or belt fitted to an opener that is hauling a dead door will strip or stretch again.
A stripped gear means opening the head, pulling the old gear and sprocket, and fitting a kit. On a belt or chain drive we replace or retension the drive, then check the trolley, the rail and the travel limits. When the board and motor are tired too, we put a new opener price beside the repair so you can choose.
Opener runs, door stays put: questions and answers
How do I reconnect the opener trolley when the motor runs but the door won't move?
Close the door, set the release latch the way your manual shows, and press the wall button so the carriage rides back and catches. Most trolleys lock on with an audible click on that first trip. If the carriage passes the trolley without catching, the latch or the trolley is worn and needs replacing rather than forcing.
What does a stripped opener gear sound like when the door won't move?
It sounds like a healthy motor spinning with nothing attached, a steady whir from the opener head while the drive stays motionless. Some worn gears also click or grind as the teeth slip past each other. The fix is a gear and sprocket kit fitted inside the housing, usually in a single visit.
Can a snapped belt or chain make the opener run while the garage door stays shut?
Yes, and it is easy to spot: the belt or chain hangs below the rail or lies on top of the door. Belts crack and split with age, and a chain left slack for years can jump its sprocket. Either way the opener needs a new or retensioned drive, then a full test run.
How do I rule out a broken spring when my opener runs but the door won't lift?
Look at the spring shaft over the door from the floor. A broken torsion spring shows a clean break, with the coils on either side pulled apart, and a broken extension spring along the track hangs loose or stretched open. If you see either, keep the door closed, pull the opener plug and call for spring replacement.
Can I keep using the garage door by hand while the opener runs without moving it?
Yes, provided neither spring is broken and the door is balanced: it should lift with modest effort and stay put around waist height. Leave the trolley released and lift from the inside handle. If it fights you, sinks on its own or tilts, its springs or cables need checking before anyone lifts it again.
Why did the drive gear strip on an opener that ran the door fine for years?
Many drive gears are nylon, and they wear faster when the door is heavy or binding. A spring that has lost tension makes the motor push harder on every trip, and a dry or bent track adds drag. We check the springs and the track before fitting a new gear, so it lasts.
Where to go next
Nearby service areas
This call comes in from Hearthwood and Airport Green, Lewisville, Ogden and North Garrison Heights and the rest of our Washington service area.
Want a price before anyone drives over?
Call and describe what the door is doing, or text a photo of the door and the spring above it. You hear the likely repair and where its price starts, then decide.