The writing on the microwave is a little unclear. You can still make out what it says but it takes an extra second or two for your eyes to focus in. More importantly, I can only heat things when the vent fan is on. If it is off, nothing will warm up.
Most likely the problem is a bad control board (aka a smart board).
- The part number for the control board is AP3203496
Here are the break down diagrams and Replacement parts for GE JVM1850CH02 | AppliancePartsPros.com
Gene.
How hard is it to replace that?
This job is not too difficult. Just remove the top grille and open the control panel. Look into the diagram.
Gene.
I’m having the same issue as Melissas17 with the sam model microwave, and I replaced the control board as suggested. Unfortunately, this didn’t correct the problem; microwave will only heat when the vent is running. Any other ideas as to the cause of this problem?
What will happen if you start the microwave without the vent?
Gene.
When I run the vent, the microwave heats the contents without a problem. If I don’t run the vent, the microwave doesn’t heat anything. Everything else will work; light and turn table, but just no heat.
Wondering if anyone was able to resolve this issue. I am having the same problem with my 1.5 year old unit…