Replaced both torsion springs and still the door falls open. Stainless Steel Model.
I ordered the two correct torsion springs (WP4452396 and WP4452395) for the SS model of my KBHC109JSS03 microwave. The RH side, blue tipped part is noticeably beefier than the LH side. The springs that were in the microwave had been replaced with the wrong ones by the previous owner (yellow tip) and they were not properly supporting the door. I though I had the obvious fix by using the right part numbers, but I was wrong.
After replacing BOTH springs with the right parts, the door still falls (albeit a little slower than a freefall) but still basically falls to the point that it feels like it isn’t supported at all. Without the front panel on it has a lot of resistance to opening/falling, it seems like the SS front plate is just too much. I have seen a lot of forum posts claiming the same issue after replacing springs and some suggested using the “medium” strength spring from another model, in place of the LH spring. Does anybody know about this potential fix?
Is there a beefier RH spring or even a beefier LH spring that can support this heavy SS door? Using legit Whirlpool parts didn’t seem to be the fix I had hoped for.
For the time being, I actually took the weaker spring and cranked it around clockwise with a vice and a beefy wrench, to get some pre applied torque on that spring. It basically did get the door to open slower when I rotated the spring hook side ~250 degrees and then installed it (that was not very fun to install) but I’m afraid now that I will be over stressing this spring and just waiting for a failure. I taped everything and used zip ties to hopefully avoid the glass breaking when the spring breaks in the future.
Any advice on this old microwave? Its funny to watch my family open it now and freak out when it doesn’t just instantly fall with full weight. We used it this way for over 5 years since we moved in! Old habits are hard to break.