I'm currently in the middle of this repair. In my case, I found a hole in the lower half of the case (rock?), the case full of grass clippings, and the gear stripped. Ordered the gear and the lower case from searspartsdirect.com (very reasonable). The specified sealant (Dow Corning 709) doesn't seem to exist. Sears service advised that they'd have to "look into" the matter of the sealant and what lubricant to use. When the parts arrive, I intend to use 85W-140 gear oil and seal the case with Permatex Blue RTV - unless I hear otherwise from Sears Service...

Thanks for the response. Sorry I didn't mention that is the new spring in the photo. The problem is that I can't get the leverage to load up the spring to hook it under that shaft. I don't know if I need to slide the shaft out of the bracket that the left arrow points to and try to get it on that way, or if there is another way it should be done.

luvr29 if you have a door that weighs 400lbs that has extension springs, you need to have a professional come out and change out those springs. You don't need new cables if they are not freyed and the last thing you want to do if you are unsure of your anchor points, as you refer to them, is close you your door and check them with the spring fully loaded like that. I have no idea what you are talking about with this tool that looks like a bolt cutter to remove torsion springs. Individual bars are used they are called winding bars, the clamp you and referring to is called a winding cone and the only reason the vice grips are on the torsion bar is to hold the cables in place until you get tension on the springs. There are various types of torsion spring systems out there. Some doors only have one spring, others two and they are not always mounted in the center. Some are mounted on the left and right side. You don't always wind up on the spring, sometimes you wind down. Amount of turns depends on drum diameter. For the doors today most of them require as many turns as the door height plus a quarter to a half of a turn, others require only 5-6 turns (1" 19/32nd in particular). Springs are to be taken very seriously no matter what kind they are. They are all dangerous even if you know what your doing. If you want to learn how to do them, I would recommend watching a professional a couple times and have him or her supervise while you attempt to change them.

I have this exact scenario - 3 torsion springs (2 are broke) and a heavy wood door that I cannot lift up. Money is tight right now so I'd prefer to repair myself. Should I replace both broke springs, giving me a total of 3, or just replace the 2 toward the center of the door? Was this a typical design back in the late 70's/early 80's? Unlike the original poster, mine sort of looks like the 3rd spring may have been added later. Thanks for any suggestions. Gary