[frankm17]

Thanks to Dan O's advice, I was able to repair the door-open switch on this oven, but in the process I dropped/broke the bulb. I got a Maytag replacement bulb (although this just appears to be a 12v 10W halogen which I can get at Home Depot etc.) and noticed it did not fit into the socket snugly at all. The light did not come on when I restored power, and when I jiggled the bulb it blew right away. Subsequent bulbs suffered the same fate, they did not come on or when they did they just blew out right away.

Is there some trick to putting in the replacement? The holes at the bottom of the ceramic socket seem to be too big for the pins and as a result there is a very loose fit, which I think would explain why the bulb blows out when it finally does make contact.

Thanks for any help with this!

Frank

[Dan O.]

Is there some trick to putting in the replacement?

Not to my knowledge... besides having power disconnected at the time.

The holes at the bottom of the ceramic socket seem to be too big for the pins and as a result there is a very loose fit

It would usually be the contacts inside the sock responsible for holding onto the bulb terminals tightly. Maybe the socket is worn or damaged internally?

LINK > Halogen Lamp Assy.

when I jiggled the bulb it blew right away.

Are you sure there isn't a short or a problem with the transformer for that light?

LINK > Transformer

I wouldn't expect a loose contact to "blow" a bulb. It might cause it to fail prematurely due to heat generated by the loose connection but that would most often take at least some time.


JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[frankm17]

I made a voltage probe to check this out and it seems that the socket is getting 120VAC when the light circuit is on (door open or oven light switch engaged). I thought this was supposed to be a 12VDC bulb, according to the specs online. This would obviously explain the blown bulbs! So is this supposed to be a 120VAC bulb? The specs I have been able to find online show a 12VDC bulb. If that's the case, then I guess it could be the transformer, although it would be kind of odd for that to fail at the same time I dropped/broke a bulb to begin with and coincident with the door open switch losing a mounting screw.

How hard would it be to replace the transformer anyway? Hard to tell exactly where it's located based on the parts lists I have been able to find.

Thanks as usual!

Frank

[Dan O.]

So is this supposed to be a 120VAC bulb? The specs I have been able to find show a 12VDC bulb.

I thought (although don't know for certain) that all halogen light bulbs were low voltage. The wiring diagram does show the light in your model connected to a transformer and the only one of those I see for your model is labeled "Transformer (stepdown)".

LINK > JMW9530DAB Transformer, Stepdown

How hard would it be to replace the transformer anyway?

I wouldn't imagine it would be difficult.

Hard to tell exactly where it's located based on the parts lists I have been able to find.

You didn't see it in the control console during your previous service? That is where I might expect it to be but you could follow the wiring from the light if necessary.

it would be kind of odd for that to fail at the same time I dropped/broke a bulb to begin with

Was power to the appliance ON at the time?

and coincident with the door open switch losing a mounting screw.

I've heard of stranger coincidences. You know what they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[frankm17]

I have not been able to get to the transformer - did not need to remove the control panel to get at the door open switch, it was just covered by a panel with ventilation holes. The light socket assembly is up against the right side of the oven and the wires are held in place with some sort of foam insulation, so I don't see how I can get to the transformer to check it out without taking the whole oven apart!

Does the control panel come off easily, and is that where the transformer would be located?

As always, thank you!

Frank

[Dan O.]

Does the control panel come off easily

They are usually designed to be fairly easy to remove for service. I don't know about on your specific model.

is that where the transformer would be located?

Again, I don't know about your specific model but that's where the parts list shows it. Those parts lists are not meant to be an absolute 'blueprint' of the product though.

JMO

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~

[frankm17]

Well after a few weeks away I came back to this and got it sorted out. I finally found the wiring sheet inside the oven and compared it to the service guide available online (which was published 8 years ago)! The diagram clearly shows the socket connected to 120VAC. Anyway the bulb I ordered from this site as a direct replacement was indeed 10W 12V, but there is 120VAC to the light socket. As everything else in the oven works perfectly, I cannot accept a blown transformer as a reason why there would be 120V here. So, I got a 120VAC 20W halogen bulb and had to bend the pins ever so slightly to fit, but they fit into the socket without "slop" like the 12VDC bulbs did, and it works perfectly! So, I guess the moral of the story is, don't believe everything you read online...that being said, it would be nice if manufacturers made specs available online, for example they could list the bulb as 120VAC 20W or whatever rather than some obscure part number. It really ticks me off to think I bought several 12V 10W bulbs (which all blew out) thinking I was doing something wrong, while all the time I was putting in the wrong bulb.

Again, Dan, thanks for all your help with the original problem!

[Dan O.]

.
Glad to hear you figured it out. Thanks for the follow up.

Dan O.
www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site
=D~~~~~~