[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=blue]Hello Cyber Appliance World - Exactly 13 months after purchase my new GE Profile JE2160BF microwave was totally dead - no power, lights, or anything. Since I knew the warranty was just up and GE’s reputation for doing warranty work, I opened it up and replaced the fuse. Viola! Everything worked fine again. I left it open and used it for 5 days before buttoning up and reinstalling with trim kit into wall cavity. Of course, it quit working again. This time all of the electoronic timer and 1-touch button functions are working, and the oven light comes on. I can hear the relay click when I hit ‘start’ and the timer stars counting down, but the turntable does not work and the oven does not heat. I have read most of the related forum threads and would assume the magnetron is bad. What has confused me is that the turntable does not work either. Is there in interconnect of some sort that if the magnetron is bad it shuts down the turntable motor, or could I have something else wrong here. I am a layman who likes to fix things myself, but do not have much experience with electrical diagnosis. If I need to test any of the components or circuits, can you please treat me like a 5 year old in describing how to use my multi-tester as far as what to set it for and what I am looking for. Lastly, I keep hearing that you should replace the HV diode at the same time as the magnetron. Is that correct, and can you tell me where it is located? I have the electrical diagnosis paper that was inside the microwave, but it is not clear on the physical location of the diode, just lists it in the circuit diagram. Thanks for your time and help.[/COLOR][/FONT]
Your problem is Not the magnetron tube. There is always a reason a fuse blows, and in this case I suspect the monitor switch ( on the latch bracket) A bad monitor switch will blow a fuse, it will also not allow the turntable or mag tube to come on.
Hello ‘Bad Fish’ - I was hoping to hear from you. You always seem to zero right in on a problem and give good advice. Plus, based on your avatar, I think you must be a fellow long suffering Seahawk fan!
I hope it is good news that it is a switch problem and not my magnetron. I am not able to find a ‘monitor switch’ or ‘latch bracket’ on either the APP parts list or the GE website parts list. Are you able to give me the part numbers on these items. I find a number of switches listed and a latch slider. Here is a link to the GE parts diagram - could you tell me if the items you mentioned are on there and what the corresponding diagram is that I can match up the to GE parts list.
GE Parts Diagram: http://genet.geappliances.com/IPCNet/Dispatcher?REQUEST=IPCNETGETPDF&file=00000000/00018600/00018617.p01.pdf
Thanks again for your help.
Cole
Washington State just passed a law making assisted suicide legal…Seahawk fans are the biggest supporters of this new law 
Anyway, it is item# 2010 on the diagram, part# wb24x824… It is gonna be the switch (usually in the middle) on the latch bracket. The latch bracket is what holds the door switches. It will be the switch that doesn’t look like the other switches.
Oh yea…Go Hawks!!! and get rid of that damn General Manager
Yeah, I don’t think the Hawks are going to feel the love from NE this Sunday. At least it is a home game and maybe the 12th man will break a record for causing false starts!
Is there a way, or do you think I should, test that switch, or do you think it is necessary? Sounds like that is the likely culprit. It is only $8 on the GE website, so cheap enough to put one in and see.
[LEFT][FONT=Arial,Bold]Here you go :)[/FONT][/LEFT]
[LEFT][FONT=Arial,Bold]Monitor Door Switch Test:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]1. Disconnect power, open control panel, and discharge capacitor.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]2. Remove one monitor switch lead to isolate switch. Check continuity of switch with door[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]open and door closed:[/FONT][/LEFT]
[FONT=Symbol]
[/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial]Door Closed – Infinite Ohms[/FONT]
[LEFT][FONT=Symbol] [/LEFT]
[/LEFT]
[/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial]Door Open – 0 Ohms[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]3. Reconnect switch wiring.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]4. Check fuse (15 or 20 Amp) for continuity and proper size. If needed replace fuse. 15 Amp[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]use WB27X0007. 20 Amp use WB27X3910.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]5. Test Circuit Operation:[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]A) Connect temporary jumper across relay contact and primary switch to simulate shorted[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]switch contacts. Locate convenient connections in circuit to be certain COM and N. O.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]terminals are used.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]B) Connect Ohmmeter (Low Scale) across the two line terminals of appliance power cord.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Continuity must show:[/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol] [/LEFT]
[/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial]Door Closed – Some Ohms[/FONT]
[LEFT][FONT=Symbol] [/LEFT]
[/LEFT]
[/FONT][LEFT][FONT=Arial]Door Open – 0 Ohms[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]C) Remove 20 Amp. Fuse – Circuit must open (Infinite Ohms). If not, check wiring of[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]monitor an interlock circuits.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]D) WARNING! After test, remove temporary jumper leads from interlocks and relay.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Reconnect monitor switch leads. Replace fuse.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]E) Replacement of any parts of monitor circuit requires repeating this entire test procedure[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][FONT=Arial,Bold]WARNING! When (15 or 20 Amp) fuse is blown due to operation of the monitor[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]switch, the monitor switch must be replaced. Also replace relays and/or[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]interlock switches when continuity check shows contacts shorted.[/FONT]
[/FONT][/LEFT]
Thanks, Bad Fish. I am in deep water here but your instructions are pretty clear and I think I can dog paddle through it. However, if I just get a new switch and swap it out (assuming it was bad), is it likely to just start working, or would I still need to be checking those circuits and continuity for something else wrong? I am good with instructions 1-5, but not so good on A-E. Sorry, don’t mean to be a pain and truly appreciate all you are doing for me. If I start sinking, I will send you a note to abadfish66@cox.net to keep from tying up this forum, if you do not mind.l
I don’t mind 1-5 is really all you need to do, the rest is just, well, the rest. I am with about 99% certainty based on the evidence given, that in the previous statements brought forth today that the monitor switch is the guilty party, if not we’ll proceed further
I replaced the monitor switch on the latch bracket and nothing changed. Can you suggest my next step? Something made the original fuse blow, so am I back to a new magnetron?
Hi, AlaskaCole! My GE Profile JE1860BH microwave failed just a few hours ago, and it’s behaving exactly like your second failure mode: All of the electronic timer and 1-touch button functions are working, and the oven light comes on. I can hear the relay click when I hit any start button and the timer starts counting down, but there’s no other sound, the turntable doesn’t turn, and the oven doesn’t heat.
The last time it worked, an hour before, something dangerous happened: When my wife opened the door, the normal loud sound continued, and my wife quickly shut the door again – whereupon the noise stopped! I guess that, if she had left the door open, she’d have been irradiated! (Since this is a safety issue, I wonder if there’s a recall?)
Anyway, I see that it took you 55 days to replace the monitor switch on the latch bracket, only to discover that nothing changed. I don’t want to be that long without a microwave. And while you said you could handle instructions 1-5, but A-E not so much, I’d have just a little trouble with step 2: “Remove one monitor switch lead … Check continuity of switch with door open and door closed” – even though I’ve built my own PC.
“Since I knew … GE’s reputation for doing warranty work” - what do you mean? I discovered that my local repair service wants $75 (non-refundable) just to diagnose the problem, and parts and labor would surely be at least $75 more, so I guess I’ll be buying a new microwave – and not one from GE. I’m thinking Panasonic, which is what I had before the GE. The GE lasted 2 years and 2 months. The Panasonic lasted 21 years (!), and before that we had a Litton which lasted 12 years.
Hello Hippogriff,
I had a backup microwave that I used so wasn’t real quick to get on this forum and diagnose the problem then to fix it. Once I had replaced the switch that we thought was going to take care of things and it did not, I did not get around to following up on it right away. I really like my GE Profile microwave and would like to get it fixed. It does seem from all of the postings on this forum that they may not be the best brand to choose. However, I do have to either fix this one or get another of the same model because I have it built in with the trim kit to match my GE Profile Wall Oven. Otherwise, I would not go with GE again. Their reliability is poor, as is their warranty, and they would not budge on that even though my purchase date was barely over the 12 months and my delivery and install date was less than 12 months.
Anyway, since I have not heard back from the advisor who helped me out originally, I guess I will go buy another. My wife is starting to complain!
Thanks for answering, Cole. I’m glad to hear you’re buying rather than repairing; that validates my reluctance to go down that path again.
When my Panasonic’s turntable stopped turning 2 years ago, I took the box apart, removed the turntable motor, and was able to use the microwave again – but only for another month, when the fan stopped blowing, and (probably because of a fail-safe switch) no heating occurred either. I think it might have been a faulty power supply all along. I didn’t enjoy that experience at all.
That really sucks, having GE ignore your delivery date in favor of the purchase date! Some other manufacturers might’ve cut you a break.