Microwave runs for 3 seconds and shuts off

Our 3 year old microwave will no longer cook. The display is fine;it will function as a timer. But, when you set a cook time and power range, it only comes on for 3 seconds and then quits as if its cook time is complete. We have taken it in for repair twice. Both times, the microwave works fine at the repair shop. I brought it home, plugged it into two different outlets on a different circuit and it fails as described above. Any idea whta could be wrong? Thanks,

Anonymous Mar 14, 2014

My 4-year-old over-the-range KitchenAid microwave quit working and have no power to it. I have tested the outlet and reset circuit breaker and made no difference.
Anonymous Mar 16, 2014

The microwave runs for 3 seconds and then shuts off. After about ten seconds the display reads PF. After it resets it does the same thing each time. Should I trash it and buy a new one?

1 Answer

William Miller

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9,179 Answers

This is an inverter-driven model, and this is one way the inverter fails. Often it will tick, too, but the cooling fan may be too loud to hear ticking. If you haven't had smoke, then it may not yet catastrophic. I would bet that a thorough resoldering would take care of it. A good technician can troubleshoot and repair this, as needed, but often they will just replace the inverter. Sometimes that's actually cheaper. Troubleshooting an inverter is way too much for someone without good solid technical experience. I would call a shop and ask for an estimate to replace the inverter. Good luck.

Posted on Oct 14, 2006

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