KEMS377GAL0 KitchenAid Microwave Oven Combo - Instructions

Turned off the power/ unscrewed the oven from the cabinet and slid it out took the back off the oven and the part was right there. What I would like to know is why this happens so frequently? This is the 2nd time and it always happens after the self cleaning is done.

I was able to convince a local mechanic that he could do this after watching it done four times. The most difficult part was unscrewing and taking out the oven to get to the back. He suggested since this has happened everytime I used the self-cleaning feature, that I cut a hole in the wall for easier access (tongue-in-cheek). The most difficult part was dealing with the extended warranty service plan - this is covered, but they could not find a technician to do this. Then I found out they don't pay mileage so who would want to come out to a rural ND ranch to repair an oven?

I am not a big do-it-yourselfer, so maybe I might have found this more difficult than expected. When I first looked at the oven before ordering the part, I saw a couple of screws and it seemed like an easy task. However, I found that I had to remove to whole door first, which was actually easy. Then I started to remove the case. Then I removed several layers of a puzzle. Oven door had 3 pieces of glass and 3 metal brackets. The installation video was for a completely different oven. Although I got out the broken glass easily, I had difficulty reassembling. The oven diagram for the parts was even deceiving. I had to involve my spouse and after an hour of cursing everything, we finally managed to get the thing back together. Whoever designed this oven must have been a deranged German scientist. However, everything is back to normal and I probably saved a couple hundred bucks for a repairman.

Did not want to remove the pin from the new hinges, so found a proper rod and cut off two half inch pins to use in removing the door. followed the manual instructions. Took all of the screws out but did not notice that the four inside face screws were machine screws while all others were sheet metal screws. Had a little difficulty in getting the four machine screws to engage the bottom holes of the new hinges. Reinstalled the door and all works fine. It is too bad that we could not purchase just a new hinge spring instead of the entire unit. It is kind of a waste. I suspect that self cleaning ovens generate a very high heat which eventually weakens the hinge. The upper oven will likely fail in the future, but at least I know how to repair it.

Once the door was secured with hinge locking pins which I made out of cut off 16 penny nails,I removed the door , layed it on a soft padded piece of vinyl and proceeded to remove the inside top cover which was secured with phillips screws on the top and sides. I was then greeted by 2 sheets of glass before I could get to the front glass which was the one that cracked.These sheets of glass were secures with slotted metal frames which also required removing several screws and braces. I was then able to remove the cracked glass and replace it with the new glass panel. Then I had to reverse the steps to assemble the door which was fairly easy since I made a diagram of the steps when I disassembled the door (this saved me alot of aggravation since my memory isn't what it used to be. The door was fitted into the frame of the oven and once the hinges were in place I removed the pins and closed the door. It was at that point that I got a kiss from my grateful wife. End of story.

I did some research on blogs and identified the thermal fuse as likely culprit. Ordered part from PartSelect.com, but had to call the 800 number because the parts diagram doesn't show this fuse, just the thermostat. The fuse is located on the back of the oven, so it must be removed from the cabinet, but that wasn't a huge project. There are a bunch of sheet metal screws holding the top and back covers that must be removed. The fuse is held on by two screws and has two wire connections. Getting the stove out and disassembling is the hard part, but not really difficult if you take your time. I used a foot stool that was about the same height as the bottom of the oven and just slid the oven out on a piece of cardboard. Make sure you turn the power off before starting.

By reversing the way I removed the door hinges from the frame, per the reinstall instructions. I called the 800# and they emailed me a diagram, but the hinges depicted were different than mine. When my back feels better, I'll keep trying.

I found several posts about Whirlpool/KitchenAid ovens having this problem and most of the time this required a replacement of the thermal fuse. Other than the large number of screws to remove the oven and the sheet metal coverings, replacing the fuse was mostly about waiting to get the part. If I had a local dealer with the fuse, I probably could have been baking Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake that same evening. Even so, this particular repair should be left to those familiar with doing moderate-level handyman type repairs. You have to make sure the breaker is off and beware of the sharp edges on sheet metal. Fortunately, the fuse was easy to find using online documentation for my model. Part Select was very helpful when my original order did not arrive. Their customer service was great!

After reading other repair reports and talking to a representative, I ordered the thermal overload safety thermostat. Relatively easy to install after removing the oven from the cabinet, only it did not work. After going over the wiring with a voltage meter, we discovered there was no power to the upper oven, only the lower oven was working. Took the panel off the top of the oven and found a wire which was not attached to anything. Never needed this part at all. This oven was purchased from a second-hand store and was used in a remodeling. $52 for part and $100 for serviceman to make the oven operational.

re thermostat/fuse breakage after cleaning: I replaced the part a 2nd time within a year, both times after a cleaning cycle and after 10 years of no similar problem . This time, when putting the oven back, I cleaned all around the door frame and noticed the exhaust grill was heavily filled with dust strands. It's possible this reduced the exhaust enough to overheat the oven during long high temp cleaning and blow the thermo fuse. Just a thought.

Turned the circuit breaker off, removed trim and the oven screws, pulled oven out, and placed on a stand in front. Electrical cord was just long enough without disconnecting. Removed the back panel, installed the old thermostat with the new one the same way. Used the same phillips screwdriver for the operation. Installed the oven using reverse order. Turn circuit breaker on, back in business. Prior comments definitely helped me a lot. Thanks.

This site helped me diagnois the problem rating the suggested problem as a 99% chance cause of the problem. Ordered the thermal overload safety thermostat and it arrived in just two days. Repair was quick and easy once getting the oven removed from the cabinet. (It's very heavy so have some assistance or a sturdy stand to set it out on.)#2 Phillips scredriver and needle nose pliers were only tools needed. Overall, an easy repair for anyone.

Removed double oven from cabinet after removing the doors, placing it on a milk crate, needs two people, turned it slightly to access the rear panels, removed panels and lower of the 2 motors and installed new motor, replaced all panels. I now have to check to make sure it is turned on it is so quiet! We lived with this noise so long because the appliance repair people said it was very expensive, about $400.00 to replace the motor, we did it for under $100.00 !!

Took off the covers and replaced the little bulbs. Took a long time to figure out how to get the covers off. Bulbs were $26 apiece!

The only difficult part of this repair was figuring out how to get the oven door off. Most instructions advise you to flip the hinge locking clips, then lift off the door. But this oven does not have hinge locking clips. What it has is holes in the hinges, just behind the hinge pins. To get the door off, you need to open the door and insert some 3/16' pins in those holes, then close the door and lift it off. I almost got this right the first time, but I used 1/8" pins, and they didn't work, too small. It took me a long time to figure out to use bigger pins. Once the door is off, it's just a few Philips screws to work your way down to the glass. There are 4 layers of glass in this door.