WMH76718AW0 Whirlpool Microwave - Instructions

The nightmare was that this microwave is installed under the cabinet....in order to get to the light bulb I had to pull out my stove then squeeze into the space between the stove and counter....my old microwave light bult was much easier to change.....Shame on Whirlpool for making this so difficult.....must be a better way to cover the light bulb so that we do not need a screwdriver to remove the door to get to the light bulb

I first went back Lowe's where I purchased my microwave in the hopes they would help in the ordering of the grill vent for my mircrowave. They advised me that they do not order parts and gave me a card of a company to call to order the part. I called the number on the card and was left on hold for 20 minutes then instead of helping me with the part I needed they proceeded to set up an appointment for someone in my local area to come to my home, order the part the later install. I knew that it was just 2 screws and bottom snaps to install and I didn't want to wait a week for someone to come to my home. I then went direct to the Whirlpool web-site and found "Partselect.com". I was unable to match my model# even though my microwave was only 13 months old but knew it was probably interchangeable with another so I then called "Partselect.com" and was just amazed at how helpful and knowledgeable the gentleman on the other end was. He found my part and was very patient in describing it to me to assure that it was the correct one. I was on the phone less than 10 minutes with him. The part came in 3 days and was the correct part:) It took me less than 5 minutes to gently snap the 2 bottom tabs in and screw in the left and right tabs on top. Thank you so much "Partselect.com" for making what could have been a timely and expensive part replacement be so very simply and inexpensive.

Removed 1 screw, removed "burnt out" bulb and replaced it with new bulb.

My microwave began suddenly making a loud harsh humming noise while cooking food. I did not let it go on long enough to know if it cooked the food or not. I did some Internet research and learned that it was likely the Magnetron. The test for this was to run the microwave for at least a minute on the lowest power setting and see if the noise cycled on and off. It did, so I (actually, my wife) ordered the part from partselect.com using the model number. I was successful in replacing the part, and we are back to microwave popcorn and quick defrost for a price that was less than a service call, however, it was time consuming, required a large work area, and access to 5 out of 6 sides of the unit. So proceed at your own discretion

Caution:

The first thing in every set of repair instructions was to discharge (short-circuit) the capacitor, as it may store large (as in lethal) amounts of electricity even when it is not connected to a power source. I had never done this, but found these instructions:

“Discharging your microwave's capacitor is absolutely essential in preventing injury to your microwave, your tools, and yourself. A capacitor stores a large amount of electricity even when your microwave is unplugged, and it must be discharged before beginning any repair.
A capacitor is discharged by creating a short circuit between each of the two capacitor terminals, and between each terminal and the chassis. The chassis is the metal mounting (bare metal surface) of the capacitor. Read these directions thoroughly before you proceed.
With your microwave unit unplugged, touch the blade of a well insulated screwdriver to one terminal. Gently slide the screwdriver forward until it reaches the other terminal, holding it there for a few seconds. Be aware that this often results in a loud and startling 'POP'.
Repeat this procedure in order to create a short circuit between each capacitor terminal and the chassis (bare metal mounting plate surface). This same method can be applied to a capacitor having three, and not two, terminals.”
I had not run my microwave in over a week, and then while my part was shipping, left my microwave 'unplugged' for more than two days, and my capacitor apparently discharged itself, although I did go through the above procedure carefully and completely - just in case.
Step-By-Step:
1. You must remove your microwave from the cabinets - it is impossible to repair otherwise. This is best accomplished with 2 strong people - my wife and I made it work, but wished for another guy.
a. While supporting the microwave, remove the two screws coming down through the cabinet above.
b. Lift the rear of the microwave as much as possible, then tilt the front down - there is a clip high on the left side, as well as the hinge/clips on the bottom.
c. If you do not lift it off the wall all at once, you may have to lift the rear even farther to remove it from the hinge/clips on the bottom.
Important Note: Always beware of the microwave door, if it is bent or broken and cannot retain a seal, the microwave not function as a safety feature to keep from releasing microwaves.
2. Remove the vent cover on the top/front of the microwave - be careful, it's plastic.
3. Remove the vent cover and light panel on the bottom of the microwave - this is several screws and some simple wire clips.
4. Remove the "shell" (top and sides) of the microwave - this is several more screws on the back. Make sure to remove the plate that is holding the cord in place on the top.
5. Remove the interface panel by the screws on the top (which had been hidden by the vent cover) - the wires can remain attached, just slide it aside.
6. Remove the metal cover on the right side at the rear; this will expose the Magnetron and the Capacitor. Remember to immediately test and discharge the capacitor!

7. After you discharge the capacitor, remove the other cover plate and the support bracket - in case you haven't noticed, this is a time and space consuming operation.

8. You

Unless you have a very comfortable background with electronics and electricity, I don't necessarily recommend taking apart a microwave. If you are very handy and are going to be VERY cautious to follow the rules of discharging caps and testing voltages before moving forward, then go for it. That said, I took the microwave off and apart. Not knowing where to find the parts, I was fortunate that the installer put the instruction book for the microwave inside the front vent slot above the touchpad for reference. it details the location of every part and it tells you very clearly what each part you test should show specific to this microwave on your multimeter. Find this guide online if you don't have it. Turn on the microwave for 20 seconds with a glass of water to make sure it's not heating - that with the noise means it's eeither the magnetron, cap, or diode. Read the notes on this site for all of the basic things to look for with the magnetron, diode, and capacitor. Once comfortable with the guide, locations of those devices, and how to test, then take it down and apart. Unfortunately, I didn't do all those things in that order, and it only wasted a lot of time trying to find the parts. Once I found the parts and put all the screws and covers back for all the areas that didn't need to be accessed for the repair, testing went quickly. The diode was bad. Ordered a new one and had it in 3 days or so. That means your microwave will be apart and sitting somewhere for a little while until you get the part and have time to repair it. Putting the diode back isn't too bad. Reassemble the microwave and put it back up again. If i had to do it again, it would take me 20 to 30 minutes once the microwave was down and on a table. Also, I used some bricks with towels over them or you could use some sawhorses to keep the microwave elevated so you can plug it in and run it after installing the new component. Again, make sure you discharge the cap before touching anything again even if you didn't run it, but just plugged it in.

I turn off the income electricity by shutting down the corresponding circuit breaker. Then, I removed the control panel from the microwave which gave me access to the capacitor and adjacent diode. After that i unscrewed the defective diode and replaced it with the new one and BINGO!

removed two screws,lowered the glass shield,removed the burned out bulb and replaced it with the new one. I ordered the bulb from parts select and recieved it two days later. It was a pleasure to deal with them, and certainly use them again.

Unplugged the microwave to de-energize the unit. Removed 1 screw and the shroud on the range hood light; removed the light bulb. Removed 4 screws from each side and the front of the metal plate on the underside of the unit. Carefully lowered the plate to expose the light socket. Noted which wire was connected to each terminal (they are color-coded), then released the spring clip connectors from the terminals. Removed the 1 screw holding the socket in place then reversed the procedure to install the replacement parts.

I had some difficulty removing the glass plate because of the awkward (upside down) position of the screw that retained it. After replacing the burned out bulbs and replacig the glass plate the problem of replacing the screw involved my dropping the thing several times before I got the screw threads to catch. I got a screw thread to catch enough to hold the glass plate in position and left it at that.

The hard part was trying to find the light bulb locally. The locally sold light bulbs were either too long, not dual element or not powerful enough. So I ordered the light bulb straight from PartSelect. When it came time to install the new light bulb I carefully removed the screw holding the plate in position so as not to loose it in my gas stove. I needed the mirror to line up the light bulb and screw it in. Once it was in I verified operation and closed up the plate being careful not to drop the screw into my gas stove. Problem solved.

Read some instructions and easily found the fuse. Replaced it. Still didn't work. Took control panel off to check door switches. Nothing I read mentioned a second fuse. Tested and it to had blown. Ordered another one. Popped them in. Done.

Remove two screws from Vent Grille, one on either side, and remove one screw inside Vent Grille on right side. Pull Vent Grille off exposing the two Charcoal filters. Remove the two Charcoal filters by hand and replace with new ones. Reinstall the Vent Grille and tighten screws. That's it. I'm not handy (ask my wife) and if I can do it so can you.

I looked up a YouTube video of someone with a similar over the oven microwave. That helped me get into the area behind the control panel where the door switches are. I checked the springs and the cam rocker? The thing that actually hits the button on the switch when the door closes. They were in good condition so I assumed the door switch was bad. There are two so I just purchased one figuring (hoping) that only one was bad. And lo and behold only one was bad. Bing bam boom. Put it all back together and I'm set. Not too difficult. Took a week of work because it takes like 50 days to ship. My kitchen looked like a hurricane after image because of all the parts scattered everywhere.

Remove top grill assembly and replaced filters,parts were delivered on time and fit as expected, Job well done!

Instead of telling you, i have question do you have any instructions on how to do the repair. It would have helped save time on the repair.

This job took longer then it should have, becasue I did not start right in the begining. I did figure it out quickly after the wrong start.

You were a big help in picking the right part to correct the problem. You should be able to help with the repair. Thank You