When you look at the plastic panel, toward the lower half on each side, you’ll see a round molded portion. Mine had holes in the center as if for a screw. On the inside of the panel at the same spot, you’ll see a molded half circle. It looks as if this tab was meant to fit onto a round anchor point, but there’s nothing on my model micro for it to hook onto. The hole lines up perfectly with a hole on the metal hinge as if a screw was intended for this. So I just used 2 metal screws of appropriate length and attached the panel on both sides to the hinge. No more sagging/wobbling and the door is solid.
Oh and one other thing, if that door keeps binding, it could crack the plastic panel at some point. The panel is about $55 so if your micro suffers from this, 2 screws may save you some cash down the road.
[SIZE=5]Thank you![/SIZE] to everyone who contributed their wisdom to this thread and especially to evo for the wonderful pictures of the reassembly process. My spring is on order from AppliancePartsPros.com. Life is good.
I have a kbmc140hss0 I am stumped I read all the posts for the spring replacement but I cant get the vent off the bottom. The pictures were great in one of the posts but they were for a microwave combo Over/Under. What I have is a Microwave/Convection Oven.
Can anyone tell me how to get the vent of the bottom so I can access the screws that hold the black plastic shield?
[quote=ekraus;332460]I have a kbmc140hss0 I am stumped I read all the posts for the spring replacement but I cant get the vent off the bottom. The pictures were great in one of the posts but they were for a microwave combo Over/Under. What I have is a Microwave/Convection Oven.
Can anyone tell me how to get the vent of the bottom so I can access the screws that hold the black plastic shield?[/quote]
If you look closely with a good flashlight, you will probably notice that the hole through which the screw that holds the vent passes is somewhat oversized. I had to bang mine around with vigor while pulling up on the vent itself to get the screw to pop out of the hole. Getting it back in was a similar exercise. :eek:
At least one person here just took a hack saw blade and trimmed off the screw below the vent. Since the vent does not support anything and surrounded by plastic after re-assembly, it should not be a problem if you have to do that too.
[quote=TucsonMTB;332520]If you look closely with a good flashlight, you will probably notice that the hole through which the screw that holds the vent passes is somewhat oversized. I had to bang mine around with vigor while pulling up on the vent itself to get the screw to pop out of the hole. Getting it back in was a similar exercise. :eek:
At least one person here just took a hack saw blade and trimmed off the screw below the vent. Since the vent does not support anything and surrounded by plastic after re-assembly, it should not be a problem if you have to do that too. :D[/quote]
I hope your talking about the square holes on the bottom of the oven.
I figured it was the Torx screws up in there. I had to use the screw driver on a slight angle to clear the points of the other screws. The came out ok but the vent wont budge. Something up in there must be binding it.
[quote=ekraus;332882]I hope your talking about the square holes on the bottom of the oven.
I figured it was the Torx screws up in there. I had to use the screw driver on a slight angle to clear the points of the other screws. The came out ok but the vent wont budge. Something up in there must be binding it.[/quote]
Hmmm . . . I just Googled your model number (kbmc140hss0) and found a parts diagram at KBMC140HSS0 (the uppercase text to the left is the link to kbmc140hss0.theappliancepartsdepot.com) It looks very different from the model we have, so my advice was poor. :rolleyes:
On this exploded parts diagram, if it is the right diagram, part number 7, which might be the item you are trying to remove, is held in by a screw (number 10) from the rear on the right hand side.
If this is not the correct reference, scroll down on this tall image to see other views of other parts of the oven. Hopefully, seeing the parts in roughly their installed position will help you determine how to proceed.
My apologies for the earlier poor advice based on a faulty understanding of your model and its unique design challenges. :o
I looked at thet diagram and the vent doesn’t look anything like that.
The only screws that are accessable are the 2 Torx ones in the bottom openings. Other that that there has to be something eles that I am missing.
There are several screws located under the vent but short of bending it up there is no way to get them out. Attached is a picture of the Torx screws. DSC00026.jpg (25.0 KB)
[QUOTE=ekraus;332460]I have a kbmc140hss0 I am stumped I read all the posts for the spring replacement but I cant get the vent off the bottom. The pictures were great in one of the posts but they were for a microwave combo Over/Under. What I have is a Microwave/Convection Oven.
Can anyone tell me how to get the vent of the bottom so I can access the screws that hold the black plastic shield?[/QUOTE]
I drilled an small hole through the vent, lined up with the screw for the plastic trim, so that the screw driver could reach the screw.
[QUOTE=Santiago13;349147]I drilled an small hole through the vent, lined up with the screw for the plastic trim, so that the screw driver could reach the screw.[/QUOTE]
I don’t feel comfortable drilling wholes in the vent. Its a $2000 Oven.
So the wife is on me to get it fixed. Problem is they want $129 for them to come out and install the part. So I called appliancepartspros.com customer service for help.
I was told that FACTORY TRAINED TECHNICIANS MONITOR THE FORUMS and chime in on repair issues and they cant help me.
So where are they?:mad: To date no one other than Santiago has the same oven.
So beware you may get screwed and have to call for service!
I am going to repost the question and see if there really is a Kitchen Aid Technician out there!
evo, did you try to install the AP6009403 spring in your door? Does it work? The right hand spring (blue tip) in my model # [MODEL]KEMC308KSS01[/MODEL] broke, and on the diagram of kitchenaid’s website it shows #AP6009403 for both left and right springs but when I looked it up on appliancepartpros it said to order AP6009427 RH spring for my model. I spoke to a rep at appliancepartpros and he said not to use AP6009403 on stainless steel doors. The rep at Kitchenaid said that’s the only one they recommend. I’m all confused now.
Thanks to Evo for the detailed pics and instruction. My weekend minor appliance repair project went very well. It took probably an hour for the microwave door repair. The spring installation went smoother than I thought. The advise of holding the heavy stainless steel door while unscrewing the screws is well taken. BTW I fixed a KitchenAid dishwasher door too this morning. It took 20min. I am glad I just saved $200+ for the repairs.
When we bought our new house 5 years ago we upgrade all our appliances to KitchenAid since my wife was a big fan of it. All of our appliances have broken at least once(dishwasher 3 times, micro 2 times). I don’t see how Whirlpool can be still in biz.
Have Maytag Model [MODEL]MMV5207BAS[/MODEL]. Are the doors similar construction to get inside? Have spring and handle problems and can’t figure out how to get inside the door. Thanks.
I have a friend/customer whose microwave door has no support from springs. it is a [MODEL]KEMC308KSS01[/MODEL], aluminum door model. I have yet to take door off as I dont want to make it unusable until the parts come in.
first, how do you use 2 of the 4451009’s when the bends in the springs are different for LH and RH? there are a few people who have posted replies with this same question but noone has clearly answered it for us.
second, does this site offer easy return if I buy a spring and dont need/use it?
third, can you clearly explain the various combinations of springs and doors so that it is easy for us to decipher, also a part of first question. I see references to lightweight doors, aluminum and stanless steel doors, but when I call this site for ordering, they refer to black/white, stainless options. since I have an aluminum door, noone has made it clear what I am supposed to get. when I call Kitchenaid/whirlpool, they say the same parts are used on ALL the doors… this is confusing!
Third: Basically there are 2 different kind of doors - stainless steel and not stainless steel. If the door on your microwave looks like a polish metal then it’s consider as a stainless steel. All other doors are “not stainless steel”.
The RH door spring for a stainless steel door AP6009427
The LH door spring for a stainless steel door AP6009426
Thanks Gene. I wasnt saying I had to use 2 identical springs. I was saying the comments at the beginning of this thread are unclear and seem to be saying to use 2 of the 1009 models… and others who have 2 said they cant get two to work on their model… and ours is not stainless steel but is brushed aluminum. magnets dont stick to it. so that is why I am confused. our door is lighter than the steel, so I dont want a stronger spring unless it prolongs the mean time between failures. with that information, which 2 do i order?? thanks
and if you read their descriptions, they are using horrible english. for one they say not to be used with stainless and to use xxxx for stainless which is clear, but the next one, OMG, i guess the drugs kicked in on that person while writing the description..
Spring, torsion (right hand) - Torsion Spring (Yellow Tip) Not To Be Used On Stainless Steel Model. For Stainless Steel Model order AP3137553(Left Hand) Or AP3082257 (Right Hand)
Item Number: AP3030973
Manufacturer’s Number: 4451009 made by WHIRLPOOL
16A
Enlarge Photo Microwave door torsion spring - Left hand side. For the right hand side order AP3082257 (Blue tip). To be used on stainless steel doors.
Item Number: AP3137553
Manufacturer’s Number: 4452395 made by WHIRLPOOL
[QUOTE=Sgtduckyboy;729188]and if you read their descriptions, they are using horrible english. for one they say not to be used with stainless and to use xxxx for stainless which is clear, but the next one, OMG, i guess the drugs kicked in on that person while writing the description..
Spring, torsion (right hand) - Torsion Spring (Yellow Tip) Not To Be Used On Stainless Steel Model. For Stainless Steel Model order AP3137553(Left Hand) Or AP3082257 (Right Hand)
Item Number: AP3030973
Manufacturer’s Number: 4451009 made by WHIRLPOOL
16A
Enlarge Photo Microwave door torsion spring - Left hand side. For the right hand side order AP3082257 (Blue tip). To be used on stainless steel doors.
Item Number: AP3137553
Manufacturer’s Number: 4452395 made by WHIRLPOOL
seriously, i can not decipher this!!![/QUOTE]
Our apologies for the confusion. I have forwarded these to IT for correction.
Just in case there is any doubt I doubled checked and according your model Gene has given you the correct ones. The manufacturer calls it stainless but in some cases it is a brushed aluminum.
If you have any additional parts questions please feel free to contact us via the chat or by our toll free number at 1-877-477-7278.
First of all thanks for everybody that has contributed to this thread. Without the information I would never have ventured changing the springs myself. I feel I am just a few days shy of not fretting for my microwave when my guests are over :).
I just replaced the RH spring(used part number 4452396). The LH spring was still intact so I did not replace it. However the door still falls with the weight of the stainless steel door. If I dont attach the stainless steel door the spring “vehemently” pushes the glass/plastic door back but as soon as i attach the stainless steel exterior to the door it feels as if the springs are not even there.
Any idea whats going on here? Is it possible that the LH spring is not a spec spring? My micro/oven combo model is KEMC308KSS0
Video of the door with the stainless steel exterior attached is here.
