M1031W - Instructions

There were two hard parts for me to work through.

The first was breaking off the two screws that need a special head screwdriver to remove. None of my special special head screwdrivers worked (I have a few), so I used a hammer to force them off.

The second hardest part for me was finding the correct replacement bulb on-line. My Amana Microwave is a combo Microwave/Convection type, and it's a strange little bulb - almost tube like.

Once I did find the right bulb on this PartSelect.com website it was a breeze. The part was delivered in just a couple of days (even during this Covid-19 pandemic). Once I had the replacement bulb in hand it barely took 5 minutes to install.

Thanks PartSelect!!

1. Order correct light bulb for unit and have it with you before removing old lightbulb.
My Microwave is built into cabinet.
2. Disconnect power (Either turn breaker off or unplug unit from wall)
3. Remove face cover on cabinet. (4 Phillips head screws)
I was able to reach in the opening in the cabinet and unplug from the wall.
4. Remove Phillip head screws holding microwave in cabinet.
5. Remove microwave from cabinet.
6. Remove Phillip head screws and torx screws holding outside cover on the back of unit and the side (1 on right side) and then remove cover.
Light bulb is on the top front right side.
7. Remove 1 philip head screw holding light bulb and unplug quick connector wires.
8. Plug quick connector into new light bulb same way it came out and place new light bulb in place and put the 1 philips head screw holding it back in place.
9. Put cover back on and all the screws. Temporary plug the unit in to test light bulb works before securing it back into cabinet.
10. Reverse order 5,4,Plug unit in wall before putting the face back on.
Done.

The instructions on the website were incredibly easy and I saved myself a lot of headache by using this site.

-it was built in unit - so I needed to pull the decorative grill from around the outside to remove it from the wall
- removing the back of the case involved removing phillips head screws from along the side and back of the unit. the only issue I encountered on removing screws was the fact that the "torx / star" screws could not be fit with the wrench that I had (they had a pin in the center that would not allow the wrench to fit into the star). However, a pair of pliers was handy and they were removed just easily.
- I had ordered both the high voltage diode and magnetron because I didn't know which item was the problem. I grounded the diode with two screwdrivers while wearing rubber gloves to be safe. the warnings on this did the trick as it was the only scary part of the operation.
- the diode was a little hard to spot looking at the schematics, but is is found on the lower right corner of the right side of the panel and easily pulled out and replaced. I tried the microwave again to see if it worked...and it did not. So I confirmed that the magnetron was the issue.
- removing the screws for the magnetron and putting in the replacement was a dead easy and I tried the microwave again before putting cover back on. Worked like a charm. Super easy!

I had to unmount the over-the-range microwave oven to be able to gain access to the interior of the oven. Complicating removal (and re-installation) was the fact that there is a "pot-filler" faucet installed directly underneath the oven. In retrospect, I should've removed the faucet before doing the repair, but "c'est la vie."

After I got the microwave down, removing the case was also "interesting." I get bonus points for the fact that the previous owner must've had to replace the same diode before - and then re-assembled the microwave case incorrectly - thereby adding to the confusion (BTW, the service manual that I found online said nothing about how to remove the oven's case).

To remove the case, undo all the screws holding it on, and then rotate the case upwards from the back while also pulling the case backwards. There are crimped folds on the inside of the case that mate with the back edges of the front of the oven's chassis, and these folds have to be unclipped from the chassis in order to remove the case.

Replacing the diode itself was the easiest part of the job. The two connectors on the diode are of different types, making it impossible to install the diode with the wrong polarity.

BTW, the diode that had failed was not an OEM diode; I suspect it was a generic component that had been installed by a repairman sometime between 2004-2008 (when our home's original owners still owned the home). On the other hand, the new diode from PartSelect is an OEM part (it came packaged in a sealed Whirlpool bag).

The fact that the oven had stopped heating indicated that it was either the high-voltage diode or the magnetron that had failed. Since a replacement diode costs ~ 1/10th as much as a replacement magnetron, I figured it made sense to replace the cheaper part first. Fortunately, this fixed the problem.

One last thing: I tried testing both the old and new diodes for conductivity and polarity using my volt-ohm meter (VOM), but I was unable to get either diode to "turn on," even though my VOM is powered by a 9-v battery, and I used the 2-Mohm range setting. I guess the test voltage of my el-cheapo VOM isn't high enough to exceed the diode's threshold voltage, (even though I have successfully used this same VOM to test low-voltage diodes).

Watched a you tube video prior to installing new switch. Followed the video which gave me confidence i was up to the task. After removing the touch pad I found my design was not exactly like the you tube model but I found the defective switch, replaced it and put the microwave back together. Works great. Again watch the videos

Using fingers, the old turntable roller guide was pulled up off the motor shaft. The plastic roller guide shaft coupler was found to be broken, allowing the motor shaft to spin without turning the roller guide. The hole in the floor of the oven was inspected, and no broken pieces were found which could interfere with the new roller guide. The new roller guide was then gently pressed down over the motor shaft. Very easy.

Take cover off microwave. Check door switches to determine which one was faulty.Remove and replace faulty switch.

Required that i remove the built in frame and mounting. Required tamper proof socket to remove housing. I removed the old bulb and simply replaced and reverse installed the cabinet.

It seems that the heat of the microwave cracks the part over time. It is a very simple installation.

i unplugged the unit,unscrewed the outer shell so that all the wiring and internal components were visible.starting at the first of three micro switches i removed the slip on terminals installed the alligator clips too the wires so the switch would now be bypassed.i made sure the wires and clips were not touching anything plugged unit in and it worked.i then installed the new switch and closed up the outer shell

took out plastic piece under plate (that was broken) and placed new one in the hole. No tools req'd. Works like new.

Problem was due to a faulty door switch. Replaced with a new switch and the microwave now works fine! Only thing that was tricky was that LG uses the hex screws with a peg in the middle to keep the microwave cover on. Had to use a small screwdriver and pliers (on the screwdriver) to unscrew the screws.

Unplug.Take off the external cowling from the back of the unit by removing the torx security screws. Tip: instead use a thin screwdriver blade to unscrew the torx screws, or knock out the center pins of these screws. Remove the bottom panel. The replacement motor is attached with one phillips screw, re-attach wires to motor - polarity doesn't matter. Re-assemble and you're finished.

Initial failure of over range microwave Aug 3rd. Control Panel worked but no heat. Took to local LG authoriaed local repair place. They fixed it quickly and we re-installed it. Worked fine for 2 months then had similar failure again. Agaim took to same authorized repairer. They kept unit for 3 months but finally concluded theu could not fix it and suggested we contact LG for a partial refund. When they tested the unit during re-assembly in my presence, there was a blue flash and the fuse blew. Since we had built a custom tile mural back splash around this unit, I brought it home, ordered a number of time delay fuses new capacitor and two new high voltage diodes. However, using my Fluke DMM, I checked the existing capacitor and high voltage diode and they checked OK so I just replaced the time delay fuse. The high voltage transformer leads had 2 possible ways to connect to capacitor and diode. Tried one way, plugged unit in and turned it on, and immediatly blew the fuse. Replaced the fuse and reversed the high voltage transformer connections,amd turned unit pn, and it worked perfectly. Since we had experienced several power failures during the time of the original failure, the repairer concluded that power spikes might be at fault, so I also purchased a TrippLite ISOBAR4ULTRA 3300 Joule surge protector between wall outlet and microwave, and re-installed over range. It has worked perfectly since.

All the electrics worked on Amana microwave EXCEPT for the cooking function. Inspected the control board and found the upper switch on the door interlock was burnt. Installed new switch in minutes and everything now works fine. Unfortunately, had to purchase expensive two switch "kit" although only one switch was kaput. PartsSelect mailing was SUPER fast. Thanks for looking, Scott