F1331E - Instructions

Turned the microwave on its side. (Recommend turning it on its top. i had to fish the wire connection back to the center after it dropped away from the motor.) There is a spot under the rotation motor where an access port was stamped in the tin but not cut out. Used the small side cutter to complete the cut where tin had been left between holes. I unplugged the wires, removed the old motor by removing one screw, and installed the new one by reusing the same screw. The motor must have a reduction gear inside the case. The motor coil tested good, about 128 ohms, but it acted like there was a stripped gear inside. I wasn't interested enough to try to open the motor and confirm.

Had to go to the garage and get a small sheet metal screw to close the new trap door.

The "new" motor had scratches on it, made me wonder if it was really new, but it works fine and will probably outlast me.

I had to unmount the over-the-range microwave oven to be able to gain access to the interior of the oven. Complicating removal (and re-installation) was the fact that there is a "pot-filler" faucet installed directly underneath the oven. In retrospect, I should've removed the faucet before doing the repair, but "c'est la vie."

After I got the microwave down, removing the case was also "interesting." I get bonus points for the fact that the previous owner must've had to replace the same diode before - and then re-assembled the microwave case incorrectly - thereby adding to the confusion (BTW, the service manual that I found online said nothing about how to remove the oven's case).

To remove the case, undo all the screws holding it on, and then rotate the case upwards from the back while also pulling the case backwards. There are crimped folds on the inside of the case that mate with the back edges of the front of the oven's chassis, and these folds have to be unclipped from the chassis in order to remove the case.

Replacing the diode itself was the easiest part of the job. The two connectors on the diode are of different types, making it impossible to install the diode with the wrong polarity.

BTW, the diode that had failed was not an OEM diode; I suspect it was a generic component that had been installed by a repairman sometime between 2004-2008 (when our home's original owners still owned the home). On the other hand, the new diode from PartSelect is an OEM part (it came packaged in a sealed Whirlpool bag).

The fact that the oven had stopped heating indicated that it was either the high-voltage diode or the magnetron that had failed. Since a replacement diode costs ~ 1/10th as much as a replacement magnetron, I figured it made sense to replace the cheaper part first. Fortunately, this fixed the problem.

One last thing: I tried testing both the old and new diodes for conductivity and polarity using my volt-ohm meter (VOM), but I was unable to get either diode to "turn on," even though my VOM is powered by a 9-v battery, and I used the 2-Mohm range setting. I guess the test voltage of my el-cheapo VOM isn't high enough to exceed the diode's threshold voltage, (even though I have successfully used this same VOM to test low-voltage diodes).

1. Order correct light bulb for unit and have it with you before removing old lightbulb.
My Microwave is built into cabinet.
2. Disconnect power (Either turn breaker off or unplug unit from wall)
3. Remove face cover on cabinet. (4 Phillips head screws)
I was able to reach in the opening in the cabinet and unplug from the wall.
4. Remove Phillip head screws holding microwave in cabinet.
5. Remove microwave from cabinet.
6. Remove Phillip head screws and torx screws holding outside cover on the back of unit and the side (1 on right side) and then remove cover.
Light bulb is on the top front right side.
7. Remove 1 philip head screw holding light bulb and unplug quick connector wires.
8. Plug quick connector into new light bulb same way it came out and place new light bulb in place and put the 1 philips head screw holding it back in place.
9. Put cover back on and all the screws. Temporary plug the unit in to test light bulb works before securing it back into cabinet.
10. Reverse order 5,4,Plug unit in wall before putting the face back on.
Done.

The instructions on the website were incredibly easy and I saved myself a lot of headache by using this site.

-it was built in unit - so I needed to pull the decorative grill from around the outside to remove it from the wall
- removing the back of the case involved removing phillips head screws from along the side and back of the unit. the only issue I encountered on removing screws was the fact that the "torx / star" screws could not be fit with the wrench that I had (they had a pin in the center that would not allow the wrench to fit into the star). However, a pair of pliers was handy and they were removed just easily.
- I had ordered both the high voltage diode and magnetron because I didn't know which item was the problem. I grounded the diode with two screwdrivers while wearing rubber gloves to be safe. the warnings on this did the trick as it was the only scary part of the operation.
- the diode was a little hard to spot looking at the schematics, but is is found on the lower right corner of the right side of the panel and easily pulled out and replaced. I tried the microwave again to see if it worked...and it did not. So I confirmed that the magnetron was the issue.
- removing the screws for the magnetron and putting in the replacement was a dead easy and I tried the microwave again before putting cover back on. Worked like a charm. Super easy!

Took microwave out of builtin cabinet with 4 screws.
Put microwave on center island and removed cover.
Tested interlock switch with volt meter and it appeared ok so I put my kit back in box and sent back.
Took out magnetron unit and replace with new part.
Put cover back on and test.
All is working and installed back in cabinet. Two weeks later all still working great.

removed a dozen screws-discarded large cap-replaced diode-replaced a dozen screws(took longer to replace them than remove for some unknown reason). Microwave now works(wife happy).

Removed some cosmetic panels. Removed the assembly with micro switches. Examined the faulty switch by checking the clicking action of switch. Two others were ok by this method. Replaced the switch with new one. Works fine so far. Thanks to web site and YouTube videos.

Access is via RT. SIDE Panel as you face microwave. There are three screws on the bottom right edge to loosen. After that the side panel slips down and off. the fuse is located in the rear near where the power cord comes in. It is the white ceramic tube 1/4" in dia. and 1-1/2" long. Pull it out like any fuse and replace with new one. Reassemble and you are done!

Replaced the broken piece with the one purchased at Partselect.com. I was concerned that the part would not be correct since all we did was enter the model number of the microwave. PartSelect.com was really easy to use and sent the correct part. Thanks so much for making this process easy.

It seems that the heat of the microwave cracks the part over time. It is a very simple installation.

Required that i remove the built in frame and mounting. Required tamper proof socket to remove housing. I removed the old bulb and simply replaced and reverse installed the cabinet.

Removed the broken plastic base that the glass turntable sets on and put in the new plastic base. Took 5 seconds max! The part arrived in about 24 hours! Great service!

Remove 2 Philips Head screws on left side of microwave. Remove 3 Philips Head screws from bottom rear of microwave. Remove 4 security screws from back of microwave (holding the cover to frame). These are the security type tips that are like a Torx bit, but need to be hollow in middle to accommodate pin in center of screw. Then back plate of microwave with heavy transformer still attached slides up and away. The wires aren't long enough to allow it to rest flat on the bench, but weight is low so it's easy to hold it upright while removing the motor unit. Separate connector from motor (simple) Remove motor by unscrewing 1 phillips head screw and rotating counter-clockwise a tiny bit. Remove Motor. Reverse steps to re-assemble. Note that there are a series of tabs at the bottom of the back cover that fit into holes in the baseplate of microwave. It can be a little tricky to line them up with the weight of the transformer, but it's not too bad. Once lined up, it drops in nicely and all the various screw holes line up. The microwave is a bad cooker when the plate doesn't spin. This simple and inexpensive fix saved me from having to buy a whole new oven.

Using fingers, the old turntable roller guide was pulled up off the motor shaft. The plastic roller guide shaft coupler was found to be broken, allowing the motor shaft to spin without turning the roller guide. The hole in the floor of the oven was inspected, and no broken pieces were found which could interfere with the new roller guide. The new roller guide was then gently pressed down over the motor shaft. Very easy.

Watched a you tube video prior to installing new switch. Followed the video which gave me confidence i was up to the task. After removing the touch pad I found my design was not exactly like the you tube model but I found the defective switch, replaced it and put the microwave back together. Works great. Again watch the videos