RFS12SW2 - Instructions

The repair went well...I am so glad that I read this info before buying a new microwave....it saved me lots of money. I did have a repair man come and look at it and he told me to buy a new one but it cost alot of money when it wasn't necessary. I did the repair and I was very proud of myself.
Three men watched a woman fix this and it was no problem...they were impressed also....

I looked up the #1 reason for no heat for my microwave on the site , and using my model number found that 92% of the time it was the Black Sleeve Diode. Ordered the $15 part, and installed it within 30 minutes. Most of the time was used for removing the built in microwave and removing the cover. Replaced the diode by finding it on the diagram that I printed from this site (free). Very relieved that we don't need to have our custom cabinetry re-sized to accommodate a new microwave. Thank you!

Over the stove microwave installed in top cabinet row.
1. Unplug device.
2. Two people to remove from wall/cabinet (remove two, large, top mounting screws and rotate entire microwave down and off the wall mount). Should be some wood spacers between top of device and bottom of cabinet.
3. Remove screws from sheet metal cover.
4. Remove one screw holding blowers in place and rotate out of the way, in order to gain access to 2 of 5 screws that hold the magnetron in place.
5. Unplug magnetron and remove the 5 screws.
6. Drop in new magnetron and re-assemble microwave in reverse order (steps 5-3).
7. Two people restore micro to wall/cabinet. Replace wood spacers, re-install two, large mounting screws (finger-tight). Test device. Secure the two large screws.

Removed case,
Discharged HV capacitor and removed cooling fan.
Unscrewed ground end of HV diode and unplugged from HV capacitor.
Installed new diode by reversing the order. In my case, the problem was the magnetron was bad, so I replaced it as well.

Initially we started looking to buy a replacement microwave to replace our 13+ year old built-in microwave. It was a real pain finding a replacement to fit the exact dimensions. So I thought I'd try to find an old KitchenAid microwave. However, I was pleasantly surprised when this site came up on my search. Their website allows me to input the problems and then it showed two possible parts that needed to be replaced. I emailed tech support and asked them which part I needed. They responded very quickly and said I needed to replace the magnetron. I watched a couple YouTube videos and then pulled my microwave apart. It was incredibly easy to pull the outer cover off. The magnetron had 5 screws that needed to be removed and one electrical plug. Took me maybe 10 min to complete the entire repair. It was one of the easiest repairs I've done and so thankful for this site They saved me a ton of money from not buying a new microwave and we now have our microwave working again. In hindsight, I wouldn't hesitate. I'd order the Part now and get it fixed.

I followed an old appliance repair forums post from 2008 that discussed this exact common issue with this LG model. It took me quite a while to find the info. Then I used the schematic diagrams on your website to find where the part was located inside the microwave. I removed the outer cover. I tested all components including the thermostat for continuity with a multimeter. I discovered there wasn't any continuity in the thermostat so ordered the part and replaced it. Everything works like a charm! Thanks for the great, fast service.

Unplug the microwave. Remove the Philips head and safety Torx head screws along the bottom of the sides and rear of the microwave which hold the black cover on. Lift the cover up at the rear and slide it backwards to disengage the tabs on the front top. Remove the cover. Discharge the capacitor by shorting the terminals to each other and then ground. Do this with a well insulated object and be aware there may be a pop when you do this. Keep hands, etc. on the insulated part of the object (screwdriver handle, etc). There's a lot of stored energy in that capacitor. I'd advise first checking the diode to make sure its not bad. Replace it if it is. The Magnatron is held in with a couple of screws on the top and sides. Unplug the connector and remove the screws. Remove the Magnatron. Installation is the reverse of removal.

removed cover first ,then I disconnected the leads and removed the holding screws that held it in place. Then I installed the new part by reversing the prosedure.

remove microwave cover . remove screws holding blower motor assy. in place remove blower motor. transfer plastic fan from old motor to new. reinstall blower motor assy. into microwave oven. check and test run. also replace broken spash guard.

Remove old tray, clean old caulk, and clean inside of microwave, Place new tray-glass floor and caulk with heat resistant silicone. Easy project.

very simple job. removed broken tray, inserted new tray and caulked around edges with a high heat resistant caulk.

removed a dozen screws-discarded large cap-replaced diode-replaced a dozen screws(took longer to replace them than remove for some unknown reason). Microwave now works(wife happy).

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).

Followed instructions, those were OK.
Dishwasher front still leaking

the repair kit was useless the toggles were to big to go through the top the threads on the bolts interrupted the toggle i had to drill the holes thole to except the toggles I got bolts at the hardware store what a mess
Bob