Hello,

I have an over the stove Whirlpool GH5176XP Microwave that worked fine on Thursday night. On Friday morning I went to heat something and it did not work.

I placed an item in the microwave, set the timer and hit start. Everything ran as normal but when I removed the item it was still cold. Everything appears and sounds normal and there are no error codes. I tried a different power level and unplugged the microwave for a few minutes and tried again. Same results, nothing heats up.

Any idea on what it might be? Any suggestions for troubleshooting?

I called a local parts/repair store I have used in the past and they recommended just buying a new one. He said the cost of troubleshooting, labor, and parts would be more then a new one. He advised against self repair because of the high voltage involved.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Brian is our microwave guy, but hes on vacation this week.

Jeff has a couple of free forums here you can ask in:
http://www.applianceaid.com/qanda.html

Jake

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Thanks for the update, I did post in Jeff's applianceaid.com forums. Here is a little more info on my Microwave: Full Model#: GH517XPS-0 Manufactured: November 2004

Ok, thanks, was Jeff able to help you?

Jake

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Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
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Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
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Hi,

Yes, Jeff gave me some information to get started he pointed me to the following Tech Sheet. Also as a correction I missed a digit in the complete model # above the correct model is GH5176XPS0.

Below is the post I placed on Jeff’s site. I am not sure if I should post on both sites but I wanted to keep you up to date and if there is anything you can add I would appreciate it. Your site in the past has helped me out greatly.

I finally got around to taking the microwave apart and I tested the magnetron using the tech sheet info above. I want to make sure I did everything correct before proceeding with replacement.

I removed the 2 white leads from the magnetron and using a meter I measured across the leads and received less then 1 ohm which should be ok. When I measured from either lead to chassis I got 250 ohms (according to specs this should be infinite). So does this mean the magnetron is bad? Should I test anything else?

Is the magnetron something that is fairly easy to replace and do you have a step by step guide to removing and replacing this part? Based on the model do you have the part # of the magnetron I need to order?

Sorry for all of the questions but I repair computers for a living not small appliances. However with some general guidance by experts in forums like this I have had pretty good luck in repairing many other appliances.

Thanks for your help.

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Wish I could help, but I don't know anything about Microwaves. I'll see if Brian can help too.

Jake

__________________
Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

If you need more repair advice help on your appliance, click Here

Look-Up & Order Parts

Shop Home Appliances

Hey Kevin,

Based on the measurements you took, looks like the magnetron has an internal short and needs to be replaced. If you were able to get to the mag to take your measurements, you can see how it is mounted using four screws. There is no manual or guide for the replacement, but if you can get to where you already are, then the replacement shouldn't be to difficult. Your model uses an inverter to drive the mag instead of the normal transformer, capacitor, and diode setup so you shouldn't have anything else to check. But if I was working on it, I would verify you have 120vac going to the inverter when a heat cycle is started. Then you at least verify the rest of the unit is working fine. If not, then you have a problem in the control or safety section of the unit. Take a look at how the mag mounts to the chassis. Most likely, you will need to remove much of the ventilation section just to get to the mounting screws. It would be a good idea to pull it out and look at the end to see if it has any burn marks as the waveguide may need to be repaired prior to installing a new mag. Just food for thought.

Brian

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Thanks Brian,

Jeff at http://www.applianceaid.com/qanda.html was able to find a install guide for me and it helped quite a bit. The hardest part was getting at the screws to remove the magnetron.

I was able to find a magnetron at a local parts store and just installed it awhile ago. The microwave seems to be working fine again.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Glad we could help.

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TechnicianBrian



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