This video is hugely helpful. We are all flying blind with these crappy door closures and Larson will charge you $130 plus tax plus shipping if they have already sent you one as a courtesy. As the guy who posted this found out, they leak and the oil level gets too low to damp the final 15 inches or so of closure. As a result, a partially opened door will slam shut with little or no damping. What I did (thanks again to the guy who made the video) is remove the end cap closest to the adjuster screw. The one on the other end is holding in a spring that is scary strong and doesn't need to come out. Clean the screen and refill a little at a time with hydraulic jack oil. The pin wrench needed to remove the cap and the hydraulic oil is sold at Harbor Freight for $16 total. (better than $145 from Larson for a new unit that will only fail again due to leaking). Top up the fluid (it won't take much - maybe a shot glass or so). Leave a gap of 9mm from the sealing shoulder of the body (the surface the cap o-ring seals on) and the top of the fluid you added. If you added too much, remove some. Work the lever to get air bubbles out. Install the cap, install the closure in the door and adjust it to your desired closing speed. You are done. Take the wife out for dinner - you both saved well over $120 and now know how to fix it next time (and there will be a next time - they only last three years at best).
This video was extremely helpful. I appreciate that the difficulties were left in the video; it helps to understand going into something blind. When I did mine, the shaft pulled out of the housing. When re-installing the shaft, the middle gear should point towards the hinge line (though this didn't seem to be critical). Another thing I found is that, if the brass screw is tightened down it keeps the shaft from being deflected after compressing the piston/spring using the crank bar. Meaning, you can crank it around and it will stay vertical so that the cap can be installed more easily. For the O-Rings I used 17mm x 11mm x 3mm (for the small one) and 29mm x 24mm x 1.5mm for the large one.
Larson doors have a limited lifetime warranty. I bought my door over 2 years ago and the closer failed. I filled out the online info and they sent me a brand new hidden closer at no cost. So try that first.
Yea I'm going to call them first. I'm thinking it's mainly the square hole in the arm getting warn and slipping because it kina hold the boom moves a lot then holds the boom moves a lot. So was just going to ask them for a new arm. But if they will send a whole new one that might be even better incase it's also the square shart getting warn is part of the issue too. Seems like they would redesign it to be better unless maybe they have but have a lot of the old style laying around and want to get rid of them.
Well I tried this and they said it was past warranty. I did talk nicely to the person on the line and they sent me a new bar because I told them I thought that was the issue, but it wasn't. I now think it's low oil. Might try taking the top off and the adjustment screw and see if I can add oil that way. If not I'm going to buy a new closer.
Sir...thank you! So, I bought a new one, but I plan to save the old one and repair both when the new one fails. You have paved the way.
This video is hugely helpful. We are all flying blind with these crappy door closures and Larson will charge you $130 plus tax plus shipping if they have already sent you one as a courtesy. As the guy who posted this found out, they leak and the oil level gets too low to damp the final 15 inches or so of closure. As a result, a partially opened door will slam shut with little or no damping. What I did (thanks again to the guy who made the video) is remove the end cap closest to the adjuster screw. The one on the other end is holding in a spring that is scary strong and doesn't need to come out. Clean the screen and refill a little at a time with hydraulic jack oil. The pin wrench needed to remove the cap and the hydraulic oil is sold at Harbor Freight for $16 total. (better than $145 from Larson for a new unit that will only fail again due to leaking). Top up the fluid (it won't take much - maybe a shot glass or so). Leave a gap of 9mm from the sealing shoulder of the body (the surface the cap o-ring seals on) and the top of the fluid you added. If you added too much, remove some. Work the lever to get air bubbles out. Install the cap, install the closure in the door and adjust it to your desired closing speed. You are done. Take the wife out for dinner - you both saved well over $120 and now know how to fix it next time (and there will be a next time - they only last three years at best).
This video was extremely helpful. I appreciate that the difficulties were left in the video; it helps to understand going into something blind. When I did mine, the shaft pulled out of the housing. When re-installing the shaft, the middle gear should point towards the hinge line (though this didn't seem to be critical). Another thing I found is that, if the brass screw is tightened down it keeps the shaft from being deflected after compressing the piston/spring using the crank bar. Meaning, you can crank it around and it will stay vertical so that the cap can be installed more easily.
For the O-Rings I used 17mm x 11mm x 3mm (for the small one) and 29mm x 24mm x 1.5mm for the large one.
If anything I learned a new trick! Drill bits and a crescent… genius!
Looked like a little air bubble escaped right at the end there when you got it working, is oil still getting past the o ring? Better than broken!
Harbor Freight has an adjustable angle grinder nut wrench that works perfectly for removing the round spindle nut.
What kind of oil did you use?
Could you add the oil through port on the right side, rather than going through the one with the closer shaft?
yes
Dude I would not work on this without safety glasses and a good pair of gloves. The spring in this seems like it has a lot of tension on it.
Where are you ?
Replacement parts are $130 I’m going to try this fix first
Larson doors have a limited lifetime warranty. I bought my door over 2 years ago and the closer failed. I filled out the online info and they sent me a brand new hidden closer at no cost. So try that first.
@@fl3702 That only works once. I did it too. You need to fix it
I did same as this guy years ago, I think I used mineral oil in mine, if it wasn’t mineral oil it has to been ISO-22 or GM power steering fluid
I called Larson doors customer service. They sent me a new one.
Yea I'm going to call them first. I'm thinking it's mainly the square hole in the arm getting warn and slipping because it kina hold the boom moves a lot then holds the boom moves a lot. So was just going to ask them for a new arm. But if they will send a whole new one that might be even better incase it's also the square shart getting warn is part of the issue too. Seems like they would redesign it to be better unless maybe they have but have a lot of the old style laying around and want to get rid of them.
Well I tried this and they said it was past warranty. I did talk nicely to the person on the line and they sent me a new bar because I told them I thought that was the issue, but it wasn't. I now think it's low oil. Might try taking the top off and the adjustment screw and see if I can add oil that way. If not I'm going to buy a new closer.
@@mickjager5974 This only works once. They sell the second one for 130 as of today, 11/30/24
This video needs some serious editing.😢
What a butcher.
If you ever wonder AITA, the answer is yes. This guy is flying blind and still gets it to work again. Kudos to him.