Doors – Adjusting Craftsman Garage Door Motor Height Travel

Lots of things can be wrong with your garage door or opener:

1. It could be something as simple as needing to replace the springs. If they are torsion springs, you're going to want to consult a professional, as they can store a deadly amount of tension. Consider it as dangerous as electric repairs.
2. Some garage door openers operate on battery. You might need to replace them.
3. Some garage door openers have adjustable settings. This is probably not the problem because you've noticed a degradation in performance and haven't indicated fiddling with the settings at all.
4. It could be a misaligned track, causing unnecessary work for the motor.
5. If all else fails, it's the motor. It's cheaper to replace it!

6. If I manually close the garage, the garage door chain will run with no issue.

Does this mean you detached the door from the drive?

Does all of this mean that there is an issue with the actual door?

Not necessarily.

It could be the chain is fouled somehow, or that the door opener casing has shifted or loosened.

In my experience in the damp Pacific Northwet is that the (wooden) door has swollen with the onslaught of autumn rains and now binds slightly against the door frame.

To confirm this as the cause, raise and lower the door manually being careful not to push or pull the door into or away from the frame and see what parts might be touching. If the door is large, a helper is quite useful.

Also, inspect the rails and roller guides to see if there is anything amiss. Give all the parts a good firm wiggle to see if they might be shifting under the strain of the door moving.