JVM1861SD001 General Electric Microwave - Instructions

Turned out the issue was easily solved by replacing a single, inexpensive fuse.

First off, UNPLUG THE MICROWAVE.

The fuse is located under the plastic grill at the top of the microwave. It's held on by two screws. Once you've removed the screws and taken off the plastic grill, you go to the right side of the microwave and remove another screw that holds a small metal grill in place. Removing the small metal grill is probably the toughest part of this repair. You kind of have to rock it back and forth a bit to get it to release. Once that's off, you can get to the fuse. I removed the burnt out one with a pair of needle nose pliers. I also put a small piece of cardboard under the fuse when I did this so I didn't accidentally drop it into the innards of the microwave. I did the same thing when I replaced the new fuse. I then plugged the appliance back in and made sure it worked. Once that was confirmed, I replaced both grills.

Manually with no tools

First I unscrewed the screws that were holding the panel underneath. Then I removed the panel and removed the screws that held the turntable motor in place. Then replaced the old motor with the new and screwed everything back into place.

Noted on partselect.com that someone else with this problem, found it to be secondary door switch. There are three door switches in this model, but online info noted that one of the three might feel "soft" (in my case, one switch clicked in a rather "jiggly" way, the other two were strong decisive clicks.) To access the door switches on this model was the only difficult part. First use a torx bit to remove the two torx screws below the latches inside the microwave. This frees the latching part inside, that holds the door switches, which you will remove after you take off the control panel. The top grill has to come off before you can remove the door panel. Remove the screws above the grill, on the microwave top cover, The grill on this model is covered with a panel that moves out when it vents. After removing the two top screws, the covered grill vent slides left to remove. Be careful, as the sliding tabs are plastic. Wiggle and jiggle it, to slip it off. Below the removed grill, is a small metal grill with one screw in lower center. Remove that screw, and wiggle that out. You'll then see the one screw that holds on the control panel. Remove this screw, and lift the control panel up to remove. Again, go slowly and gently, as the bottom tabs holding the control panel in, are also plastic and easily broken. Lay the control panel on something, (I used the coffee maker) and pull out the wire bundles tucked on the left, that are attached to the latching panel. Wiggle the latching panel gently to lift it up off of it's plastic tabs and pull it out towards you, so you can see the three door switches. Each switch (part number WB24X829) has a little black switch on it. Feel each switch with either your finger, or a screwdriver to see which one doesn't "click" strongly. The weak one is the one you will replace. The door switches are fitted into a tab, and plugged into their wires. Remove the defective switch, pull out the wires, and replace it with the new switch, plugging back the wires, and slipping it back into it's plastic tabs. Then put everything back together in reverse order. The entire job took me fifteen minutes EXCEPT for figuring out how to slide off the upper grill, which I have told you. A repairman would have cost $150, the part was $18. AND, there's a good chance, the other two switches will get "used up" in the next year or so as well, so I'll be ready next time. Thank you, Partselect, why work all day, to make money, only to give it to somebody else, for fifteen minutes of work. All I needed was the knowledge.

First I unplugged the microwave. :) Then, I removed the 6 screws found underneath the microwave, which allowed the bottom piece to hang down so I could see the turntable motor. I took the two screws out holding the motor in place and pulled the electric connectors off the motor terminals. Then I got the new part from PartSelect.com, replaced the electrical commectors, fit the motor back into the slot it came from (cause the pin has to be seated up in the hole) and replaced the 2 screws holding in the motor. Then I put the bottom metal piece back up and put the 6 screws back in. It was really easy - and I'm a chick! ;)

Unscrewed bottom plate of microwave and two screws that secured motor. Disconnect wires. Reversed process when installing new motor. Couldn't have been easier.

Had to take unit off wall and disassemble the main casing.then disconnected the wires from the magnetron.took the mounting nuts off but wasn't able to remove the magnetron until I loosened the transformer out of the way .Then it came out easy.Installed the magnetron ,tightened the nuts,installed the transformer back in, connected the the wires back on and installed the casing on ,screwed the screws and got help to install the unit to the wall again.....Tested the unit before putting back on the wall to make sure it heated....The parts were exac same type and wasn't too hard to do...

Follow directions in the manuel, but getting the grill off to get to the where the filter goes was very difficult, the springs kept poping around. Finally got together. This is the 2nd time I have replaced this grill, don't remember it being this difficult before.

The tray drive motor arrived quickly. I opened the package and made sure the correct motor arrived. I shut off the power to the microwave/exhaust hood. Then I grabbed a screwdriver and dropped 5 screws from the bottom of the microwave. I then removed 2 more screws that hold the motor in place. Unplugged the 21 volt power clips. Placed the new motor in position and replaced the screws and attatched the power clips. I then placed the bottom pan in position and replaced the 5 screws that hold it to the bottom of the microwave. Turned the microwave on and it worked properly! The total cost was $40 and I probably saved more than a hundred dollars on a service call. What a happy ending and it took about 5 minutes to perform the repair! Thanks PartSelect. You are the best!

This coupler has a tab on it that keeps you from being able to push it straight down onto the motor from the inside of the microwave.
Turn off the breaker to the microwave or unplug it. Remove five screws that hold the bottom cover of the microwave. The cover will hinge down and hang on tabs at the back.
Unplug the wire connector on the drive motor by pulling it straight off. Remove one screw that locks the drive motor in place. Turn the motor slightly to unlatch it from its mounting tabs.
Place the new coupler into the opening inside the microwave. While holding/turning the coupling with one hand, insert the motor shaft into the coupling. It will only fit one way. Press the motor and coupling together until the motor can be latched into its mounting tabs. Secure motor with screw and install bottom cover.

Removed two screws then took off decorative panel. Put hinges on and attached springs, mounting decorative panel onto the grille. placed back in unit and replaced two screws, viola!

Inserted new greese filters by unscrewing fan and light holder over range. The new filters were 1/4 inch shorter than older filters and are loser than the original filters, but they will work. Not sure if I inserted them correctly, and would like to see instructions on how to insert filters of that type. Thank you for your fast and curtious service.

To get to the switches you need to remove the metal cover/housing of the microwave, by first removing several screws that hold it in place, and then sliding the cover towards the back of the unit. You'll find the switches in some plastic holders above the door-open button, and it's its easy to see how the mechanism engages/disengages the switches when the door is opened and closed.

If it is not obvious which switch is bad, in our case the bad switch felt "soft" when we pressed the switch button with our fingers. A good switch has a firm "click" when pressed.

The switches are easy to replace - pop out the old switch (no tools required) and pull off the electrical connectors. Then pop in the new switch and reattach the connectors.

A great place to start is to reveiw the posting from "Marla From Arlington TX" posted on 8-3-09. It provides an excellent description of the process that you will need to follow. The only additional thing that I would add is to check the contacts on the switches. In my case I found that all three of the switches had a small build-up of corrosion. I used sandpaper to clean the contacts. Because none of the switches had a "soft" click to them, it was hard to identify the bad one. I basically picked the worse looking one and then cleaned the contacts of the other two. I'm not sure if I actually even had a bad switch or if they all just needed cleaning. Whatever the case, it worked. I would suggest checking the contacts first. You may get away with not having to replace any of the switches. And in my case what makes me think that it may have just simply been dirty contacts is that the heating mechanism would engage every now and then. It wasn't dead 100 percent of the time. It's worth a try anyway.

There are 4 thermostats (aka TCO = Thermal Cut Out) in the GE JVM1440BH04
The schematic is under the cover in a black envelope to the top left of the unit if you face the door.

Check the fuse first. You can remove the front grate, then the numpad on the right. The fuse is right behind it. It's a 250V 20A Class F fuse.

There are four (4) TCOs or Thermal Cut Out thermostats in this puppy:

1) There is a thermostat behind the button panel to the left, facing down. If blown, it breaks the power coming into the unit and will cause a no power situation.

2) There is another TCO or thermostat near the top lamp, to the left, in a small cavity. That one also breaks power to the unit and will cause a no power situation. It's a 100 C / 0 C thermostat. This was the one that blew on me after I left the stove running (for heating in a black-out) under the microwave.


"Cavity TCO" or "Thermostat" part number 61 on the schematics, part number PS239319


3) There is yet another power-breaking TCO or thermostat in the cavity behind the fan that cools the microwave coils. You have to remove the sheet metal on the right of the microwave to access it. This one also breaks power and will cause a no power situation.

1), 2) and 3) should test out to be 0 Ohms with a resistance meter (Digital Multimeter) if working correctly.

4) There is a thermostat which normally does not let current through it. It is mounted in a vertical position to the back wall behind the front panel on the right. This one is used for the sensor reheat function apparently and will close when the temperature in the microwave reaches approx. 60 C.

4) should have infinite resistance with a resistance meter under normal circumstances.