20 Most Recent GE JVM1850 1000 Watts Microwave Oven - Page 5 Questions & Answers

Hi!!

Some GE microwaves have a defective power connector to the magnetron. Unplug the unit and remove the metal cover, you should be able to see it on the right side, if you are facing the unit, if still can not see it, just follow the burnt smell. I had a couple of units that worked fine some times, others quit after a couple of seconds, other times it took three of four tries to start up until it quits completely. Just tightening the terminals with a pair of needle nose pliers fixed the problem. I hope this is also your case.
Any repairs to this units will be more costly than replacing the microwave.
Good Luck!! A HELPFUL - 4 THUMBS - rating for this solution would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for using FixYa.

Hi,
The most common problem is the Magnetron going out on the microwave.
These are replaceable but the repair is usually going to cost more ar nearly as much as a new microwave.

Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101

Hi,
Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with yourMicrowave Oven....

Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101 ..

Hi,

Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with your Microwave Oven....Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tipsheatman101

Hi,
Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with yourMicrowave Oven....

Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101
dghjd

There is usually a 125V, 20 AMP line fuse inside the microwave, mounted at the point where the power cord enters the back of the unit. Unfortunately, you will need to uninstall the oven (if this is an over the range model), UNPLUG it and remove the exterior case to access. The case comes off in various ways depending on manufacturer and model. Parts are available at any of the following webistes: searspartsdirect.com pcappliancerepair.com appliancepartspros.com repairclinic.com The first three sites include illustrated parts listings that can help you locate and properly identify any parts you may need. If the model number you listed this question under is correct, the line fuse is connected in line with the power cord inside the unit and is listed as part of item 47 in the parts listing (part number WB27X10388). This microwave oven is also equipped with various thermostats that (if blown) can cause similar symptoms to that of a blown line fuse. So, if the line fuse is NOT blown, you may want to check all the thermostats to see if they are still good. You will need to remove each one and measure across the terminals with a multimeter. A good reading is 0 ohms. NOTE: The various thermostats are listed as items 27, 61, 74, and 77 in the parts illustration. The thermostats typically will trip if the oven cavity has been overheated. Cooking items that are high heat producers such as popcorn or baked potatoes in rapid succession can often cause this problem. Allowing the oven cavity to cool a few minutes with the door open between cooking can prevent this from occurring.


If the line fuse is blown, you can usually purchase a box of fuses at a hardware store for just a little more than what the manufacturer charges for a single fuse. 125V, 20AMP Ceramic Slow Blow fuses are recommended.

If you have any questions, or need additional assistance troubleshooting, please post back and let me know. I hope you find this information helpful.

NOTE: Make sure you take any resistance readings with the microwave UNPLUGGED and the component under test isolated (removed) from the circuit. These ovens can blow a fuse by simply sitting idle. This can occur from any power fluctuations, brown outs, voltage spikes, etc. Or, it could be the symptom of a component that may have failed. If you find the internal fuse blown and replace it, only to have it blow again, you have a more significant problem than a simple blown fuse.

Hi,

Here is a tip that will help you to figure out what is wrong with your Microwave Oven....

Microwave Oven Basic Troubleshooting Tips

heatman101

A hard reset would be the first thing I'd recommend, but unplug it for about 2 minutes, plug it back in, and watch to see what it does.

Wait at least 60 seconds after powering it up to see if an "F3" code comes up.

You can download GE owner's manuals and installation instructions here. See what it says about a demo mode.

Otherwise, I would suspect a shorting keypad.

If you need more help, we can let you know what your options and costs would be and send you other helpful info.

At our Web site, we have a video available showing how to remove a typical over the range control panel assembly in under 5 minutes.

Feel free to contact me directly (and please remind me of your full model number from the tag on the unit) for more information & help.

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

William E. Miller, AS-EET
[email protected]
http://www.microwavedisplay.com
Microwave Oven Control Panel Repair Nationwide

The owner's manual and installation instructions will tell you how much free space must be around the oven for proper internal cooling.

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

I believe your turntable is belt driven as opposed to direct drive. Your little belt is nearing the end of its useful life, I think.

Remove the cabinet. Turn the oven on its back. Look at the bottom.

You must have the fan running to cool the magnetron tube. It would burn up in short order without the fan.

With the details you described, the high voltage diode might be shorted( usually HVR 1X). It is connected from the Capacitor and the chassis, or else the capacitor is the one at fault,but not common .

could be main fuse inside microwave. on the high voltage transformer

I fixed the problem with my microwave turntable motor without having to replace it.
I removed the motor from the microwave and placed it in a small vise. Using a very small flat head screwdriver I was able to pry up the four tabs holding the casing together. You may need a slightly larger screwdriver after that to bend them back out of the way so you can remove the motor cover plate.
Carefully take out all the plastic gears and note their position for re-assembly. You will find that the primary gear, at the bottom of the rest of the gears is attached to the motor magnet. It has a shaft that acts as a bushing passing through the center motor magnet. On the underside it is attached to a plastic washer. This is where it breaks. The motor magnet spins free of the gear/bushing/washer assembly. I used JB Weld epoxy to glue this assembly back together and it works like brand new. Note: On mine there were four indentations on each side of the motor magnet which corresponded to little ‘bumps’ on the underside of the gear on top and washer on the bottom.
Place all the plastic gears back into the motor in the correct order, slide on the motor cover plate and use a small cold chisel with a round end and tap hammer to bend the tabs back into place.
If this worked for you please let me know – [email protected]

Do you smell something burnt inside? If so then you have a shorted transformer. You can replace it, but it is hard to find these transformers.

If there is a loud humm the magnatron tube has gone bad. and some times there is no humm at all but i would say its the mag tube has gone out.

all i can say at the moment is do not attempt to go fiddling around inside it without knowing what you are doing.

there are some very high voltage components in side it ( capacitors) that can hold thousands of volts for up to a week without being being plugged into the electric.

I think its the mag tube, mine went out the same way. GE will provide the mag tube for free just call them...have a local ge certified tech out to put it in.

It probably blew the main power fuse in side the oven. This may have happen because of a failure in the microwave or a line voltage surge or what ever. Repalce the fuse and see if it work. be sure to unplug it before doing this, If this does not fix it then you have a failure in the oven some were.
good luck