How to · 1 hour
How to replace garage door rollers
With the door closed, take one roller out at a time by unbolting its hinge, and swap it. Nylon rollers are the single cheapest way to make a loud door quiet. The bottom roller is the exception, and it is a serious one: it sits in the bottom bracket, which is under full cable tension.
Read this first
Never unbolt the bottom bracket. It holds the lift cable under the full tension of the springs, and it will let go with enough force to break bones. Leave the bottom rollers to somebody with the tools to hold that tension.
What you need
- A socket set
- A set of ten nylon rollers
- A stepladder
5 steps
Doing it
- Close the door and unplug the opener.
- Start at the second roller from the bottom and work up.
- Unbolt the hinge, tip the roller stem out of the track, fit the new one, bolt it back.One at a time. Two hinges off at once and the panel can flex out of line.
- Do the top roller last, and check its bracket is tight to the panel.
- Lubricate the stems, plug back in and run it twice.
Where it stops being yours
The bottom two rollers, and any roller you cannot reach without leaning on the door.
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Also asked
When it does not go to plan
Can I do all of them myself?
All but the bottom ones. The bottom roller sits in the bottom bracket, and that bracket is under full spring tension — it is the part with the warning label on it and the part that injures people. Middle and top rollers are a straightforward job; the bottom pair are not yours.
Nylon or steel?
Nylon on sealed bearings, if there is a room over the garage. It is the single change that most alters how a door sounds from inside the house, and it outlasts the steel roller it replaced. Steel is cheaper and is what most doors ship with.
How do I know they need doing?
Look at the wheel as the door moves. A worn roller wobbles on its stem or slides rather than turns, and the door starts to feel like it is dragging. Grinding on the way up is the sound people describe.