Door hanging crooked? One side dropped? That’s usually a cable issue — but the cable isn’t usually the problem.
Most customers call us thinking their cable snapped. In 15 years of garage door work across Portland, we can tell you: cables almost never actually break. What happens is something else caused the cable to come off the drum — and that’s what we need to find and fix.
Garage door cables are galvanized aircraft-grade steel — 7×19 construction, meaning 19 wires per strand and 7 strands per cable. These are built to handle thousands of cycles without failing.
So why is your cable off? The three most common causes we see:
A spring broke. This is the #1 reason. When a torsion spring snaps, it releases tension on one side. The cable goes slack, slips off the drum, and the door drops or hangs crooked. The cable itself is fine—it just needs to be put back on after we replace the spring.
The door got stuck or went off track. If the door binds, jams, or gets hit while moving, it can go crooked. That uneven load pulls the cable off the drum on one side. The fix here depends on what caused the door to bind in the first place — could be a bent track, a broken roller, or debris in the track.
The cable is frayed. This is the one case where the cable itself is actually the problem. Years of friction against a worn drum, a rough edge, or a misaligned pulley will wear through individual wires. Even minor fraying means it’s time to replace — a frayed cable will eventually snap under tension, and you don’t want to be near it when that happens.
Cable repairs are straightforward to price:
Cable replacement (frayed or damaged cable): $245 — parts and labor included. We use 7×19 galvanized aircraft cable on all residential doors.
Cable came off due to a broken spring: The cable is included as part of the spring replacement — no extra charge for the cable. Spring replacement runs $289 to $450, depending on your door.
Cable dropped from a track or a balance issue: $189 to put the cable back on. If the door is off track, partially open, or jammed, the total cost depends on the situation—door size, the cause, and the labor involved. We diagnose it on the spot and give you a clear price before any work is done.
Our service call is $89 and is credited toward the repair. So if you’re not sure what’s going on, there’s no risk in having us come look.
Most cable repairs take 30 to 60 minutes. Here’s what happens:
We carry cable, drums, and common hardware on every truck. Most cable jobs are one-visit repairs.
We understand the temptation — the cable looks like it just needs to go back on the drum. But garage door cables run through a system that’s under serious spring tension. One wrong move and that tension releases in a way you’re not prepared for.
Our technicians handle cable work every week and follow safe procedures. This one isn’t worth the risk to save a couple of hundred dollars.
We handle cable repairs across the entire Portland metro — Portland, SE Portland, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, West Linn, Oregon City, Gresham, Hillsboro, Wilsonville, and Vancouver, WA. Same-day service on most calls.
D&L Garage Doors & Locksmith, Your Neighborhood Garage Door Pros since 2010, Oregon CCB #194109 | Washington License #DLGARGD820CF
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Look at the cable itself. If it’s still one solid piece but hanging loose or coiled on the floor, it came off the drum — usually because a spring broke or the door went off track. If you see individual wires sticking out or the cable looks fuzzy and worn, it’s frayed and needs replacing. Either way, don’t try to operate the door.