We have been using a Magic Chef white microwave oven - MCO160UW.
It suddenly went dead. It is as if the oven is not plugged - but it is.
Since it is completely dead, I assume it could be the fuse. Where is the fuse box of this unit?
I checked the power source, it is fine. Home fuse/circuit breaker is also fine.
Please help me locate the fuse box.
A microwave can be dead for many reasons.
It may be the fuse, which is usually located on the floor of the oven behind the control panel or between the door switches.
If
the fuse is good, it may be an open thermostat or thermal cutout (TCO)
/ thermal fuse on or near the magnetron or on top of the cavity / body
of the oven.
If it goes dead for a while during or after cooking
then comes back on, the magnetron is probably overheating and causing
the magnetron thermostat to open.
Then when it cools, it closes the circuit and allows power through again.
When
checking thermostats, if it has a hood fan thermostat, that should read
open, as opposed to the others, which should read closed.
If it went dead almost immediately after pressing the Start pad, that's usually a shorted high-voltage capacitor.
If it went dead a few seconds after pressing the Start pad, that's usually a failing high-voltage transformer.
If
it goes dead or blows the breaker (or GFI) when you plug it in or open or close
the door, then there's a problem with a door switch or door switch
mount.
If it's intermittent or random, it may be a bad
connection, usually on the control board or a loose fuse holder, or
even an intermittent fuse.
You should do a continuity test on
the fuse while it's in the holder (with the microwave unplugged, of
course) then turn the fuse by hand or take it out and put it back in,
then test it again.
If you remove the fuse, then press the meter
leads against the ends, it can allow internal contact to be made and
make a bad fuse appear to be good.
If you or someone you know
decide to look into it, we have critical safety information and
disassembly information at our site, and our link is at our listing here on FixYa.
There may 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.
We're happy to help you and we'd appreciate your
thoughtful rating of our answer.
It sounds like the vent thermostat is fine. That's the way it should work.
You only need the magnetron thermostat and the body / cavity thermostat.
You can find the parts here. Select your model from the first drop-down menu, then select the parts with the second drop-down menu.
The Magnetron thermostat is called the Magnetron T-Stat in the list.
You'll need to look at the temperature markings on the body / cavity thermostat to select it from the list.
Now that we've given you the complete solution, we'd appreciate your
thoughtful rating of our answer.
Hi, so what if I tested all door switches (my Magic Chef unit has four - two NC and two NO), the top one is NO and the button does not make the engaging sound (click sound) but it is working. I tested them all with a voltmeter on the continuity setting. I suspect it is any of them, but if they are working, what then? Should I replace them anyway? How much are those?
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Hi,
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heatman101
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Both of the TCO's (cavity and body) were bad.
Where can I find them?
When I shorted them, the oven works but the vent runs continuously, I think the vent thermal switch is also bad.
Do you know where I can find new TCO's?
And where is the Vent T.S. located?
I couldn't find where to order parts.
Does Fixya.com have an online store? May I have the link?
Put micromave on 3 minutes and after a few seconds cut itself off and hasn't come back on since. Plugged into different socket and checked all breakers. Nothing.Not even the clock comes on
Same problem. we installed a magic chef MCO160UW. less than 6 months later, the problems started. the fan obviously wasn't running. It would shut off or would "freeze" completely. even unplugging & re-plugging didn't help. sometimes it would "beep" and restart on its own! I'm at a loss.
I have the same problem with my MCO160UW Microwave turning on by itself. It is one extreme or the other, It either turns on by itself, or the keypad does not work. I thought it might be locked as indicated in the manual...not it. I have been reading comments on line and this is a common problem with Magic Chef. I think they are junk and will not put any money into the unit.
can you tell me how to check and replace the fuse?
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