nrsmd

My garage door won't (chain drive opener) open except for 1-3 inches, and then it stops. There are two wires that connect from the bottom of the door to a rotary gear above the door on both sides where the rollers are.

What are these for, and can they stop the door from opening?

Any ideas why the door starts to open but stops?

Its a Sears 1/2 HP motor, probably 15 years old.

sequimrehab

Have you checked to see if the track is bent or dented.

glennjanie

Welcome NRSMD:
The two wires are probably what the opener uses to raise the door, or they are attached to a spring shaft for counter-balance of the door.
Release the door from the opener and see how well it functions manually. It should raise and lower with very little pressure; maybe not one finger but certainly one hand. Clean, lubricate and align the tracks and rollers until it will work with one hand and reattach the opener. It should work fine then if the limit switches are working.
Glenn

kok328

No, don't cut anything. You are talking about the lift cables that are used to lift your door up. Do as glennjanie says, and disconnect your door from the opener and see if you have smooth manual operation. Also, cycle the opener w/the opener disconnected and see if that runs smoothly too. Unplug the unit for a few minutes to reset any error codes. If it continues, there will be a flashing light to tell you what the problem is. Another possiblity could be that your springs need to be retensioned/rebalanced and/or the lift unit needs a strength adjustment at the unit. Finally, take the cover off and see if you can identify the nylon gears, inspect these for missing teeth. R&R as necessary.