# How to remove old garage door screw drive lubricant?



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Why would you want to? Just add new and run it a few time to spread it around.


----------



## dpreznik (Oct 13, 2006)

joecaption said:


> Why would you want to? Just add new and run it a few time to spread it around.


Because manuals that i read online said i should remove the old lubricant first.


----------



## RWolff (Jan 27, 2013)

dpreznik said:


> Because manuals that i read online said i should remove the old lubricant first.


Not sure how to do this, you might need to open it up to do it, but lacquer thinner works well for disolving old grease and it's usually pretty cheap. but it IS flammable and should be used outdoors.
I use it for cleaning up any greasy/oily machines I have to repair.

Simple green used full strength with a brush may get some of it, but either way it will be a chore.


----------



## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

If you really want to get it out, try WD-40. But it's going to make a mess. I install doors and openers and have never taken out any old grease. Use the low temp grease in the tube that is designed for the screw drive openers. Run a bead down the length of the screw and run the door up and down a few times. Watch for goobers to drop off and wipe those off. I don't install screw drives just for this reason. They are usually the noisiest openers going and they always make a mess. And P.S., quit reading so much on the internet. :wink:
Mike Hawkins


----------



## dpreznik (Oct 13, 2006)

Thank you everybody who answered!


----------



## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

just a note for an old post, wd-40 and three rolls of paper towels will do it but it takes hours, and its messy. i take the rail down, pull the screw out, run solvent and a rag down the empty rail. Then i take the screw portion, put it in my oversize drill. use the drill to drive the screw and hold a towel with solvent around the screw and activate the drill. the towel will walk all the way down the screw and off the end. degreased. 2 hours minimum,for a pro. worth the effort though. and whenever possible use genie authorized lube. The brand is lubriplate the model name they use is "aero" its good stuff. anything else can seize the screw in the rail. Which is why they want you to remove the old stuff. there's no telling what was used on it. i don't work for them but i like this opener. very few problems and cheap to fix. Yes it can be LOUD. but it will lift a door with a broken spring for six months. better applied torque. 3/4 hp got nothing on these guys.they were kicking 1 hp when 1/2 was cool.


----------



## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

It goes real fast if you release the carriage from the screw then turn on the motor. It will just keep running until a stop gets activated. While it is spinning you spray the contents of a large can of WD-40 along the length of it. I used old newspaper along the ground to catch the mess.

Apply the new lithium the same way, while it is turning.


----------



## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

the screw is directional if you spray solvent while the engine is running it either runs the grease out of the end of the rail above the door and makes a huge mess or if the screw is running the opposite way it sucks it into the motor cavity. both are not a good solution. the motor will overheat rather quickly as it has no cooling fins and is not designed to be run like that. if it overheats you must wait 20 minutes for the power to come back on. then it over heats quicker the next time. it must cool for several hours before normal operation is restored. short bursts will allow the grease to be extracted but is very time consuming and messy. Lithium can be used but genie authorized lubricant is the recommended solution. (lubriplate aero) they have tried other solutions to save money and always switched back. there must be a reason. 30 years door repair./// the only reason to degrease this opener is if someone used something other than lubriplate to lube./// 30 years door repair


----------



## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

Shaynecalkins said:


> the screw is directional if you spray solvent while the engine is running it either runs the grease out of the end of the rail above the door and makes a huge mess or if the screw is running the opposite way it sucks it into the motor cavity. both are not a good solution. the motor will overheat rather quickly as it has no cooling fins and is not designed to be run like that. if it overheats you must wait 20 minutes for the power to come back on. then it over heats quicker the next time. it must cool for several hours before normal operation is restored. short bursts will allow the grease to be extracted but is very time consuming and messy. Lithium can be used but genie authorized lubricant is the recommended solution. (lubriplate aero) they have tried other solutions to save money and always switched back. there must be a reason. 30 years door repair./// the only reason to degrease this opener is if someone used something other than lubriplate to lube./// 30 years door repair


 Gravity trumps which ever way the screw is turning and the slop falls straight down. The motor will not overheat with no load on it. The point of this operation is too remove the dirt that has built over the years and is causing the screw to bind. Genie authorized lube will get dirty and need cleaned out too. White lithium is the better buy.


----------



## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

its not dirt causing the screw to bind. its the lithium. i never had to degrease an opener the had never been serviced. only ones where some cowboy thought lithium would work on anything. as cheap as the factory is, dont you think they would be using the cheapest stuff that ACTUALLY worked. ive done hundreds of these. genie is all i sell. and the only genies ive seen fail are the ones where someone thought lithium was the solution to everything. ive tryed what your describing and i can assure you the motor develops heat under NO load. dont do it. you will suck oil into the engine cavity and game over. capacitors are going to be the least of your concerns. run short durations back and forth three times and rest then repeat.if you overheat that motor its gonna take you longer.
why would you question the technician. if i could do it your way, you would think that i would. I HAVE. thats how i know. learn from MY mistakes not yours, its cheaper that way.if you screw something up i wanna hear about it. so i can learn. but to keep correcting me, your not learning anything. 30 years door repair oh and genie grease is two dollars. you dont get much, but you dont need much. lubriplate AERO, order it direct from lubriplate if 2$ is too much. works on other things too.


----------



## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

Sorry, but I have done many screw drives in about a half hour each start to finish and know it works great from observation. So you can do it the hard way all you want Mr. Genie Guru. I'll keep going cowboy here and spend the extra money on something other than a phony professional.


----------



## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

i would say your the phony professional mr "ILL MAKE SOMETHING UP" its because of people like you i have to waste my very expensive time doing this tedious task. So youu keep doing it your way andf ill be happy to take your wasted 200 dollars to bail you out. you got to be some sort of dipstick telling a 30 year veteran hes a phony. whats wrong with you. bumped your head one too many times doing tasks left to the pros. i clean up your type of work every day. if they would have just called, i would have told them howw not to call me. i dont like cleaning up after you, but if youve got money to spend... il take it. I really do have better things to do than reason with a unreasonaqble person. I wonder how much other wrong advice you have given these people. i thought this forum was for learning the right way to do things. not....here hold my beer.


----------



## PoleCat (Sep 2, 2009)

I am not a professional, phoney or otherwise. I watched the garage door serviceman from Genie when I was about 14 fix my dad's screw drive when it started to screech and bind. He did exactly what I described. Since then I have followed the same procedure on several relatives and friends units pro bono. Works like a charm everytime just like it did 1974. Not sure I would trust you to hold my beer.:wink:


----------



## Shaynecalkins (Jan 17, 2013)

my dad used to say this is how we used to do it. I tried to tell him that was ww2 we dont do it that way anymore cuz people were getting killed. he said hrmph, never killed me. just cuz you lived to tell the tale dont make it right. I would say that serviceman is the reason why you can spot a phony. I just got a call late last night from a "guy that watched me do it" he nearly got himself killed. its ok i charged him double.He was a lot like you. watched me install his door then changed a bunch of stuff after i left and then said that i installed it that way. the only bad thing about doing it yourself, is lying about it when it screws up. From your general attitude i would not trust your advice to people that need real help. Your not helping anybody. I saw somone do it this way once is not justification. i did it that way once and bought the customer a new opener. guess what? we dont do it that way anymore. but if you can afford to replace the stuff you destroy, go right ahead. I think you have not been following my posts because your off in your own little world. You cannot be wrong, EVEN WHEN YOU ARE. i know a buncha old people like that.(ww2 vet) this is supposed to be about helping people and the only person your helping is yourself. your in the wrong forum..go attack your kind,old man. im right, your wrong get over it before you have heart attack. I could provide proof, videos etc. i do this every day. But standing in a room yelling at a mentally disabled person "i am not mental" serves no purpose because he just looks at you and smiles and says "yes you are" and off you go again. are we learning yet? you need to pay attention to that last part, its important, i get that alot. mentally challenged people trying to tell ME, I dont know what im talking about. I learn something new everyday from people just like you. All you have done is spew filth. Teach me something old man, i want to learn.....please :thumbup:


----------

