Whirlpool MH2155XPS Stainless Steel 1000 Watts microwave suddeny is making a loud vibrational noise. lights come on but sounds like it is ready to blow up. ideas?

William Miller

• 9179 Answers
• Posted on Apr 29, 2007

SOURCE: GE JVM1650SH Stainless Steel 1000 Watts Microwave Oven?

It sounds like you may have had an issue with a high voltage part such as the magnetron, diode, or transformer. It's also possible that you had an arcing stirrer. I would also check to see if your model is covered by / affected by this bulletin: http://microwavedisplay.com/ge_mw_mag_kit_bulletin.pdf If you or a friend decide to work on it, we have *critical* safety & disassembly 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 (without the suffix) here: http://tinyurl.com/gv383

SOURCE: Maytag Rangehood Microwave Loud Humming

Sounds like you just fried your magnetron. Normally when they go bad, they make a very loud noise like what you described. The smell concerns me because you may have ruined the waveguide as well. If the magnetron burns through the protective painted surface of the waveguide, the waveguide is ruined. In most microwave ovens this means replacing the entire unit because the waveguide is not replaceable. Putting a new magnetron in a damaged waveguide will result in the same arcing and eventual failure. In addition to the magnetron, the following components are part of the same high voltage network: HV Transformer HV Diode HV Capacitor Magnetron Thermal Cut-Out Any one of these components could have also been damaged. I DO NOT recommend taking any voltage measurements inside the HV network. Potentials of over 4000 volts can be reached and make it very dangerous for the do-it-yourselfer. Taking resistance readings with the unit unplugged is strongly encouraged. If you decide to pursue a repair, inspect the magnetron tip and inside of the waveguide first. If the magnetron is melted and/or there are burn marks inside the waveguide, a new microwave may be a in order. This actually may be a better option than an expensive repair. I hope you find this advice helpful.

William Miller

• 9179 Answers
• Posted on Sep 22, 2007

SOURCE: Whirlpool mh2155xps microwave door handle

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 model number here: http://tinyurl.com/gv383 Your model does not show up. You can double-check it or look up model MH1150 - it should be close enough to help you see how it works. You may need to remove the choke, as shown in the attached sample drawing.

William Miller

• 9179 Answers
• Posted on Aug 21, 2008

SOURCE: Whirlpool microwave MH1170xsy0 1000 watts

With the symptoms you mention, I would suspect:

- loose or corroded connection at the magnetron
- bad magnetron
- shorted high voltage diode

You can usually find helpful exploded view diagrams and order parts by entering your full model number here.

There should also be a "mini-manual" hidden inside the unit behind the control panel or hidden on the left side behind the grille, which is very helpful when troubleshooting & testing.

Here are some links you or someone you know can use for test help, but read their safety warnings first:

http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/diode.html
http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/mag_test.html
http://www.gallawa.com/microtech/xformer.html

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

SOURCE: Whirlpool MH1150XMQ 1000 Watts Microwave--NO HEAT

About 95% of the time it is the magnatron. If the microwave is under 5 years old that part is often covered under warranty. I would check your manual. If not the p/n is 8206335 and it's about $80 and fairly easy to install. I just looked and the magnatron is covered.

http://www.managemyhome.com/mmh/lis_pdf/OWNM/L0523111.pdf

Labor to replace it would be about $125