Grinding noise/noisy turntable

The only cause of clunking I can think of is the turntable motor not engaging the drive spindle of the platter properly. Remove the platter and see if the noise goes away.

make this test and fix it. God bless you

1. MagnetronIf your microwave is emanating high pitched or growling noises during operation, the magnetron could be going bad. Normally a nearly silent part, the magnetron uses high voltage and induces the frequency required to cook food. Although normally not a safety hazard to operate, this is a sign that the magnetron is failing and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
   
2. Exhaust fan motorIf your microwave is making a very loud humming noise during operation, it could possibly be the exhaust fan motor. If defective the part will need to be replaced to silence the appliance once more.
   
3. Stirrer motorAnother leading cause of a noisy microwave is an expired stirrer motor. With use this part becomes worn and makes a loud grinding noise, which is usually a leading indicator that the part needs to be replaced. The stirrer is a metal blade that is slowly turned by the motor. This action disperses the microwave energy in a random pattern, which heats the food evenly. If the stirrer motor is determined to be nearing expiration, it should be replaced to halt the grinding noise.
   
4. Turntable motorA very common cause for a noisy microwave is a worn out turntable motor. This is a relatively easy repair and will put an end to the noise once replaced.
   

The turntable system consists of the motor, the coupler, the turntable support with rollers, and the tray.

You can see and hear a video of how a turntable motor should sound when you rotate it by hand.

If yours is not set to be off via the control panel, and it won't rotate or it sounds like it's grinding, etc., you may have a bad motor or plastic coupler.

To replace either, you need to unplug power, then remove the bottom cover of the oven.

On some, you have to cut the motor cover off with snips, then use a screw when reassembling it.


You can find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your full model number from the tag on the oven here.

follow this steps and use the VOM , and fix it. God bless you

1. MagnetronIf your microwave is emanating high pitched or growling noises during operation, the magnetron could be going bad. Normally a nearly silent part, the magnetron uses high voltage and induces the frequency required to cook food. Although normally not a safety hazard to operate, this is a sign that the magnetron is failing and will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
   
2. Exhaust fan motorIf your microwave is making a very loud humming noise during operation, it could possibly be the exhaust fan motor. If defective the part will need to be replaced to silence the appliance once more.
   
3. Stirrer motorAnother leading cause of a noisy microwave is an expired stirrer motor. With use this part becomes worn and makes a loud grinding noise, which is usually a leading indicator that the part needs to be replaced. The stirrer is a metal blade that is slowly turned by the motor. This action disperses the microwave energy in a random pattern, which heats the food evenly. If the stirrer motor is determined to be nearing expiration, it should be replaced to halt the grinding noise.
   
4. Turntable motorA very common cause for a noisy microwave is a worn out turntable motor. This is a relatively easy repair and will put an end to the noise once replaced.
   

see this causes and fix it. God bless you
Magnetron If the microwave is loud or noisy only when cooking, the magnetron tube might be defective. The magnetron uses high voltage, high current DC power to generate the microwave frequency that cooks the food. Under normal circumstances the magnetron is nearly silent. However if it is damaged or nearly burned out it can begin emitting high pitched or growling noises. It's not normally dangerous to use a microwave oven when it makes these noises, but they are an indication that the magnetron is almost dead and will need to be replaced.
Exhaust Fan Motor If the microwave is loud when running the fan motor might be
Stirrer Motor If the microwave is loud or noisy the stirrer motor might be worn out. The stirrer is a metal blade which slowly turns around, deflecting the microwave energy in a random pattern inside the microwave oven. As the motor nears the end of its useful life it begins to make grinding noises. The microwave will not heat food evenly without this stirrer, the motor should be replaced.
Turntable Motor If the microwave is loud or noisy the turntable motor might be worn out. This is a common problem and relatively easy to replace.

The motor for the turntable in these ovens is bi-directional. This is normal.

As for the noise, it is very common that the main turntable wheel track-ring under it is dirty at its wheels, or its pin-pushings have some wear. It is also posssible that the main turntable motor has become noisy from use and age.

I have had microwave ovens make a grumbly sound when one of the cooling fans are going defective.


Jerry G.

Many thanks to e3enigma above! I removed the synch motor under the turntable; all other microwave functions work fine and the grinding noise is gone, hooray! A trip to the appliance parts store tomorrow for a replacement synchronous motor and all should be well. Thanks again!

Sounds like the turntable motor is going bad.

If you or a friend decide to work on it, we have *critical* safety, disassembly, and troubleshooting info at our site, which is linked at our listing here on FixYa: http://tinyurl.com/yzjozk

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

This sounds like the stirrer. If it sticks or stops, the microwaves can damage or destroy it. You may have a bad stirrer or magnetron. There is an important bulletin that covers these problems. To see if yours is covered, see: http://207.234.249.73/mwd/ge_mw_mag_kit_bulletin.pdf If you need more help, please follow-up.

It will need a new turntable motor. If you or a friend decide to work on it, we have *critical* safety, disassembly, and troubleshooting info at our site, which is linked at our listing here on FixYa: http://tinyurl.com/yzjozk You can find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your base model number (without the suffix) here: http://tinyurl.com/gv383