My GE JES1344SK01 countertop microwave, suddenly went dead. I have checked the outlet and power cable and they seem fine. Is there an internal fuse to the unit, or am I looking at having to purchase a new unit.
A microwave can be dead
for many reasons.
It
may be the fuse, which is usually located behind the grille or on the
floor of the oven behind the control panel or between the door switches.
If
the fuse is good, it may be an open thermostat or thermal cutout (TCO)
/ thermal fuse on or near the magnetron or on top of the cavity / body
of the oven.
If it goes dead for a
while during or after cooking
then comes back on, the magnetron is probably overheating and causing
the magnetron thermostat to open.
Then when it cools, it
closes the circuit and allows power through again.
When
checking TCOs or thermostats, if it has a hood fan thermostat,
that should read
open, as opposed to the others, which should read closed.
If the cavity thermostat
needs to be checked or replaced you'll need to pull the oven from the
wall, in which case you can download GE
owner's manuals and installation instructions here.
If it went dead almost
immediately after pressing the Start pad, that's usually a shorted
high-voltage capacitor.
If it went dead a few
seconds after pressing the Start pad, that's usually a failing
high-voltage transformer.
If
it goes dead or blows the breaker (or GFI) when you plug it in or open
or close
the door, then there's a problem with a door switch or door switch
mount.
If it's intermittent or
random, it may be a bad
connection, usually on the control board or a loose fuse holder, or
even an intermittent fuse.
You should do a
continuity test on
the fuse while it's in the holder (with the microwave unplugged, of
course) then turn the fuse by hand or take it out and put it back in,
then test it again.
If you remove the fuse,
then press the meter
leads against the ends, it can allow internal contact to be made and
make a bad fuse appear to be good.
There
should be a "mini-manual" hidden inside the unit behind the
control panel or hidden on the left side behind the grille, which is
very
helpful
when troubleshooting & testing.
You can usually find
helpful exploded view diagrams by entering your full
model number here. Once you have the part numbers, though, I would suggest ordering parts here at a much lower cost.
We're
happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful
rating of our answer.
Dead appliance, power on wall outlet.
YOUR
SAFETY IS PARRAMOUNT!
Attempt
this only if you are competent.
If
your appliance has absolutely no functions at all, remove it from the
mains supply, remove the case and see where the mains lead goes in to
the appliance and follow the cable until you find the main fuse.
ONLY
USE THE SAME TYPE AND RATING OF FUSE TO REPLACE IT.
The usual
cause of this fuse failure is the door switches are contaminated or
sticking. Check the door switches before putting power back on to the
appliance.
Hope this helps.
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The help I received was great. I unscrew the bottom, reached in above the fan, pulled out he fuse, and sure enough it was a blown fuse. I spent $1.00 instead $149.00...THANK YOU!!
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