Frigidaire PLMV169cd Microwave Exaust Fan Hums but wont run

Thank you for your post, friend!

Based off the information you have provided you would like the exhaust fan CFM specifications for your Frigidaire microwave. The information I have found is a 300/180 CFM. I hope this information is helpful to you. -Matt

its supposted to

There's a humidity sensor in this microwave oven that turns on the fan automatically if it senses an excess amount of humidity (steam from cooking for example) to possibly protect humidity or moisture from building up inside the unit.

You will need to replace the cooling fan motor. Remove it and check the numbers on the fan and then do an online search for the motor. you can also contact a website called the repairclinic.

If the mag overheats because its not being cooled it will shut down until its cool.

If the fan is turning slow you can try oiling it but it likely needs replacing.

Another thing that causes this is that the exaust port is blocked because its upagainst the wall and the hot air can not escape.

In your duplicate post, you mentioned your model, so here you go:

This is due to poor air flow, either to a blockage or a problem with the internal cooling fan or hood vent exhaust fan.

Are the grease filters or charcoal filter clogged?

You may want to check your owner's manual for info on checking the filters. Grease filters can be cleaned, but charcoal filters must be replaced about every 6-12 months.

The installation manual will tel you if there's some error in the installation setup.

You can download Maytag owner's manuals and installation instructions here.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

This is due to poor air flow, either to a blockage or a problem with the internal cooling fan or hood vent exhaust fan.

Are the grease filters or charcoal filter clogged?

You may want to check your owner's manual for info on checking the filters. Grease filters can be cleaned, but charcoal filters must be replaced about every 6-12 months.

The installation manual will tel you if there's some error in the installation setup.

You can download Maytag owner's manuals and installation instructions here.

We're happy to help you with free advice and we'd appreciate your thoughtful rating of our answer.

Found this Frigidaire question posted under Whirlpool but I'll be happy to answer just the same.

The starting capacitor is connected to the line level voltage, as opposed to the high-voltage capacitor evryone warns about.

The starting cap doesn't store enough of a charge to worry about.

The main thing is to be sure the oven is disconnected from the power line. I prefer unplugging it, but some installations make that hard, so you need to turn off the breaker.

Hood fan failure can happen due to many causes:

If a cooktop light bulb blows or is removed or installed while the oven is still connected to the power line, that can damage the circuit board in the area.

The hood fan motor wiring can short.

The starting capacitor can be bad.

There may be dust, hair, debris, etc. in the bearings of the hood fan motor jamming it. The filters are supposed ot help prevent this, but things happen.

Behind the control panel on Whirlpools is a very helpful mini-manual that can help you check and diagnose quite a few problems with these.

On some brands it's located on the control circuit board, in others it's mounted on or in the hood fan assembly.

If you post your brand and model we can probably steere you better on a mini-manual and the capacitor.

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The starting capacitor will be on the circuit board. You need to remove the control panel to see it.

You can usually find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your full model number here: http://tinyurl.com/gv383

We have *critical* safety, disassembly, and troubleshooting info at our site, which is linked at our listing here on FixYa: http://tinyurl.com/yzjozk

I am beginning to suspect that you have a failing relay on the control cirucit board. It may have arced and gotten carbon deposits on the contacts, reducing the conductivity. This means less current flow and reduced or non-existent fan action.

After you've checked all this, feel free to contact me about a possible repair. We could have you send us the control panel assembly and the new hood fan so we can analyze and repair it. The second link above takes you to our site.

If you have an old analog multimeter, you can put it across the motor start capacitor and the needle should deflect to low ohms position then ramp up to the open or infinite ohms position. You can remove it and test it the same way. Also, doing this test should store a dc voltage on the leads which can then be read even with a digital multimeter. I have even used an audio output from a cheap amplifier to determine if audio is transmitted from one lead to another. The capacitor works by shifting the starting current by 90 degrees and the motor acts as you say it does if the cap is bad. Make sure you orient the cap properly with the positive and negative terminals in the proper holes