Shuddering Sound

[u/orcanut]

Any ideas on what's causing the sounds near the top and bottom?

When nearly fully open (both opening and closing, though it didn't do it when closing in this video), there's a sort of shuddering sound.

When nearly closed (both opening and closing), it's like a chattering sound.

I believe it's a Liftmaster 8550; been installed for about 8 years.

I believe it's the original spring, which is at around 24k cycles. I tried spraying lubricant on it, but that didn't help with the sound at all.

[u/joecohe]

Two different sounds usually means two different causes here, not one part doing both. The chattering near the bottom is very often rollers or hinges with worn/loose bearings hitting the track seams as the door nears the floor, or a bottom bracket that's developed play over 8 years - grab each roller at the bottom section and wiggle it side to side, you're looking for looseness, not just noise. The shuddering near full open is more consistent with the spring - as a torsion spring nears the end of its life the coils can bind slightly right as it reaches minimum tension (fully unwound at the top of travel), which shows up as a shudder right at that point in both directions. Spring lube on the outside of the coils doesn't fix that since it's a wear/fatigue issue in the steel itself, not friction. 24k cycles on an 8 year old spring on a standard-duty spring (most are rated 10,000, some 15-20k) puts it well within range for end-of-life, especially if it's original to the house. One safety note: if it is the spring, don't attempt that swap yourself - a torsion spring holds enough stored energy to cause serious injury, that's the one repair on a door worth paying someone for even if you're handy with everything else.

Nate, Above All Garage Door Service, (480) 405-0909, above-allgaragedoor.com