ACO1840AW (PACO1840AW1) Amana Microwave - Instructions

Unplug the microwave. Then remove the six screws that hold the lower panel which has the light bulb cover and a couple of vent filters. The light bulb sockets are on a fixture that is connected by a quick connect electrical connector. Disconnect that and the whole panel is free to access the bulbs. My bulbs were very fragile and trying to twist them out resulted in the glass twisitng loose with the base still in the sockets. I needed to use a needle nose pliers to remove the bases and then I replaced the bulbs and put every thing back together

Husband replaced the bulb

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!

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).

Philips screwdriver
Removed screw (1)
Removed light bulb
Put in new light bulb
Closed door to bulb compartment
Returned screw.

Pro tip! Check how many bulbs you need before ordering. Mine only needed two. I got two. I suspect I’ll buy a new microwave before new bulb burns out again. Ordering/delivery was fast. No need to have spare on hand.

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

I had a son put in the new light bulbs. Rather simple

Did an online search for repairs and found PartSelect. Simple to order the part and had it installed myself less than a week later. Thank you!!

replaced door frame assy

Had to put one screw in each. A little hard to reach up. also hard at first to get them in.

I was able to find the part on line and within a few days received the part and installed it with no problems thanks to the website drawing information.

Unscrewed glass panel, removed old bulb, cleaned glass panel and installed new bulb. Screwed panel back into place.

Removed one screw lowered glass cover removed burned out bulb replaced with new one put glass back reinstalled screw. Dune 5 minutes back in business

Open compartment, installed bulb, closed compartment

After reading on-line about other Amana microwaves, that said the arching was probablly due to dirt or grease & I knew it wasn't dirty, I decided to try the sandpaper recommended to clean the carbon from the wall where the shelf holder had burned several years ago. This caused the remainder of the clip to become loose. I then took a sharp knife & popped the clip out which left a neat square hole which your shelf holder popped right into. The filters were an afterthought because I didn't want to pay shipping for only a $2 item