Microwave repairs, removal, & general questions

[FishAR]

My convection microwave quit the other day. Sharp 1874. I wish my factory mounting guy had been like your guys. 2 long angled bolts like you all have. Took them loose. Microwave still firmly attached.

Microwave is toast anyway so I start taking it apart, literally destroying it, after I put the 2 long angled bolts back in. 2 drywall screws run into the side of it hid behind a false cabinet panel on the right side. No way I was unloading that cabinet and taking the shelf brackets and everything down so I popped them with a sharp screwdriver. 3 fat machine screws run into the microwave cabinet from the top, false cabinet floor above them. Had to take loose false cabinet bottom and support it with duct tape, it wouldn't fit out the cabinet door opening. Took screws out. Then microwave came down.

New replacement 1874 was $600. Wife read directions on it while I was getting things lined up. She became fixated on the directions saying 2 screws go into threaded inserts on top of microwave along with the angled bolts. I said It's only 1/8 inch lauan that those screws will be going through but to get her to shut up about it I drilled holes for them even though they're not capable of holding much. There were no inserts on the old microwave, the installer had just boogered 3 fat screws through the metal cabinet. Power cord didn't line up so I got to do some sawing with a keyhole saw to make the hole bigger.

New one wouldn't fit as tight to the cabinet on top as the old one, I even slotted some washers and put under the head of the angled bolts to be able to suck it up some more, it helped a little.

A good day and a half of working a lot harder than I have for a while. It really sucked.

 

Then this morning it's 35 degrees in Florida. I go out to have a smoke and see water dripping off the kitchen slide about where the sink is. I'm thinking It didn't freeze last night, what the hell is this? Empty out the cabinet under the sink and the drain pipe has popped off at the compression nut. So have to take out a panel and get a fan in there and dry it out, going to put it back together in a minute. Wife said she had a lot more water in the sink than normal when she pulled the plug but it still shouldn't have come apart.

This snowbird life ain't easy. Had to buy a new gazebo due to the hurricane and put it up. The 55 inch tv that was in the old gazebo that a neighbor down here was storing for me got a broken screen somewhere between start of summer and when I got here so I had to buy another tv. I'll be storing it in my storage trailer this time.

Hopefully the rest of the winter is smooth sailing. Oh wait, I forgot. I have to take the Camelot to Sarasota on Jan. 23 so the diamondshield clown can remove and replace the faulty diamondshield he put on last spring. It's coming loose all over. I had to rent a cabin here at the resort to have a place to stay during that, 3 days at $110 a day and was lucky to get it.

BTW Merry Christmas Everyone!

[96 EVO]

Several of us have had to lengthen that drain pipe a little.

Mine popped out a couple of times. 

[Fasthobie16]

That’s a good vent. We all need to do that once in awhile. I can relate some. Hope you feel better now. Merry Christmas. 

[96 EVO]

21 minutes ago, Fasthobie16 said:

That’s a good vent. We all need to do that once in awhile. I can relate some. Hope you feel better now. Merry Christmas. 

LOL, you were doing just that when your picture was taken, weren't you  😄?

[Fasthobie16]

Not really. Just have a sense of humor that the DW doesn’t always like. 
She says “ I can take him anywhere. I get lots of sympathy. “

Edited December 25, 2022 by Fasthobie16
Added more.

[LakeBob]

All I can say is welcome to the club , and Merry Christmas! 

[philcarrell]

I have read all of these posts and have about the same issue.  I was cooking yesterday and the thing started buzzing and totally shut down.  Checked circuit breaker it was good. So assuming it is the fuse or capacitor.  Couldn't figure out how to remove touch pad

I have located the two screws that attach at an angle.  Now all I need to do is find someone to help me get it down.  Hope it is something simple.  If not had to get it out anyway tried to find out what it weighs but no luck yet.

[Dr4Film]

It really takes two people to manhandle the microwave off of the wall.

It's best to lay a furniture pad on top of the counter first. Then remove the grease screens. Look for a small screw that goes through the side of the microwave into the adjacent cabinets, one each side. Remove them first. Then with the two people holding the front of the microwave, remove the two long screws that hold the microwave to the back-plate. Once those are remove slowly tilt the front of the microwave down onto the pad. Lastly, lift the back edge of the microwave off of the edge of the back-plate and lay it on the pad.

Done!

[philcarrell]

5 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

It really takes two people to manhandle the microwave off of the wall.

It's best to lay a furniture pad on top of the counter first. Then remove the grease screens. Look for a small screw that goes through the side of the microwave into the adjacent cabinets, one each side. Remove them first. Then with the two people holding the front of the microwave, remove the two long screws that hold the microwave to the back-plate. Once those are remove slowly tilt the front of the microwave down onto the pad. Lastly, lift the back edge of the microwave off of the edge of the back-plate and lay it on the pad.

Done!

Thanks, just located the 2 side screws, now finding a good he[per.  My friends are older than me as we are up at Hart Ranch and I am 77.  May have to get a mobile RV tech to get it out.

[Tom Cherry]

24 minutes ago, philcarrell said:

Thanks, just located the 2 side screws, now finding a good he[per.  My friends are older than me as we are up at Hart Ranch and I am 77.  May have to get a mobile RV tech to get it out.

Assuming you have the Sharp, LOTS of good service tips….anyone that can get it out, with Monaco’s unique mounting system, should be able to troubleshoot and repair.

FWIW, my standard fix….new fuses and a new capacitor are worth the cost…some are easier to do than others…but doable.  The more expensive Induction units might be worth the Magnetron.  We have an astute (spelled STUBBORN) electronic  genius that did all three on a much older model as his DW liked it and didn’t want a new replacement.  I marveled at his tale.  For a cheap one, where you can get a new one for $350 and pay a Lowe’s contractor $100 to install and do NOT need the features of an induction unit….I know what I would do.  

BUT…i still keep on using the 20 YO one at home and when the front damper or flap starts to hang up when it runs or you use the “turbo vent”, I lubricate the  mechanism and also unplug it to reset the PCB that gets wacky if the panel doesn’t open fully…. LOL…

Good luck.  Be aware there was a consistent failure many years ago dealing with an airflow switch or such…but it would work fine for 59 seconds and then die.  A “mechanic/electrical” device that faked out the timer.  If if IS the induction, google that and replace that part as well….it was, for a long time, the main complaint