GE Profie JE1860SH 04 microwave sparks

Wayne,
If your sponge has any metal in it, that would be the cause of the sparking. The only other thing that could cause sparks is grease built up behind the wave guide cover or the magnetron is going bad.

Check diode and capacitor. Instructions should be found inside the unit.

It may be a noisy magnetron if the failure occurs in a second or two of hitting "Start" to begin cooking.

See this FixYa solution. even though your model number is different.

Otherwise, if the internal cooling fan is not running when you are cooking, it will shut down after 30-60 seconds or so and stay off until it cools back down.

Also see http://www.microwavedisplay.com/jvm2070.htm

The fan is for air circulation regulation, e.g. preventing steam (and smoke) from building up inside, and also stops air pressure from building up inside so you won't get a blast of steam coming out or worse. On the convection side it heats the food faster and more evenly. You will need to replace the fan assembly to keep the microwave safe. the noise and sparks are probably due to spent bearings and / or a dislodged fan scraping against another surface or something getting in the way of the fan

Sorry to read about your problem, I hope this helps you out.

Yes you can. BUT you will not get even cooking, and dont use metal pans.

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This has to be grease, food debris, or carbon, probably on the rotating rack.

Run the oven for a few seconds empty - with and without the rack - to find where it is arcing.

Then clean, sand, and repaint with high temperature appliance spray paint as needed.

You can find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your full model number here.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

generally the microwave will only spark if there is metal on the container you are cooking with or you are operating it without anything in it. as it is that old and with all the advances they have made with microwave ovens ... if it is in the budget i would certainly suggest getting a new one

Safe to use unless it begins sparking. There is special microwave paint available to touch it up.
http://www.appliancepartsworldwide.com/Store_Part.aspx?Id=502509
Eric

Sparks in microwaves are caused by metal things in there. What kind of plate - any metal or gold leaf decoration on it?
Try a microwave safe dish.
Make sure you do not use metal items in microwaves.
I do not know the model number of your nuker, is it a new one or old? How long have you had it, and has it always done this?

GE had a rash of "underperforming" magnetrons on these units. They replace the magnetron, stirrer and high-voltage diode at no charge for parts as long as a GE-authorized service center does the work. Sometimes the unit gets run too long in a failing state and the waveguide and chassis of the oven get damaged. To see if yours is covered, see this bulletin: http://www.microwavedisplay.com/ge_mw_mag_kit_bulletin.pdf Otherwise, you need to contact GE Customer Relations at 1-800-386-1215 as soon as possible and tell them your problem and they will put you in touhc with a local authorized servicer.