High Pointe Microwave/convection door switches

mitchpadl · 01-31-2022, 08:42 AM

Our High Pointe microwave convection oven stopped working - I replaced the fuse in the microwave and every time I would close the microwave door it would blow the fuse again. After taking the door apart I tested the switches and they seemed to be working. I think one might have been stuck. Put it back together and worked for a week now it started blowing the fuse again.

The plastic piece that holds the three switches seems to be a single part - I could not separate the individual switches from the plastic holder. Does anyone know where to get that piece? Or is there a trick to getting the individual switches out of the bracket? I've only seen individual switches for sale online. It's a 2018 Vista LX and the High Pointe microwave is model EC942KIW. Thanks!

Morich · 01-31-2022, 09:42 AM

I do not have the info you are asking about but might throw in some thought on the project as it seems very unlikey a switch sticking would cause the fuse to blow.
The door switch can only connect or disconnect the two wires together so sticking would only make it stay on rather than blow a fuse.
The door switch itself only acts to let the rest of the system work, so it can only be good and things work or bad and the rest doesn't work.

Have you taken the microwave out of the cabinetand removed the coverto look at the rest of the parts?

If the switch tests good, I would expect the problem to be in other parts of the microwave, not the switch. It sounds like there may be an intermitant problem which was jarred and moved a bit while you were working on the switch so that it clears for a time but has now settled into the bad spot again. I might want to look for wires or connections which are making contact at some point.

When the fuse blows can be a clue at times, so do some thinking about when it happens. Is it just as the door closes, just as you turn one part of the operation on like the micro part or only the convection part?

If you can sort it down to blowing the fuse only when one specific item turns on, that can cut the chase onlooking for the fault. The micro will have seperate portions which operate at different times as controled by the control panel, so so deciding which of those sections causes it to fail can be helpful.

Unfortunatly, one of the more common failures is the board and that is often more expensive to replace than buying a new microwave!

Wish you luck on the project!

mitchpadl · 01-31-2022, 10:50 AM

Thanks Richard, I haven't taken the microwave apart other than the front panel. I do know that the fuse blows immediately when the door is closed. I tried replacing the fuse with the door closed and when I plugged it in it immediately blew. I then after replacing the fuse left the door open when I plugged it in and it came on. As soon as I shut the door it would blow the fuse. Tried this several times. Not sure why the door switch would cause the fuse to blow since as you pointed out it would either not turn on or not turn off. Thanks again.

It is by the way the fuse in the microwave not the fuse in the RV.

Morich · 01-31-2022, 11:34 AM

Yes, soemthing definite wrong as it is designed with a number of safety items to keep the micro from running with the door open.
But when it sounds like th eswitch is stuck, that should not blow the fuse but only let it run when it shouldn't. But if we thin of the switch as only connecting the two wires going in and out of the switch, we can see that if those two wires were pinched at some to make contanct, we can get the same result as a stuck switch.

Not saying pinched wires is the problem but just that I don't think a stuck switch will fix it. I'm afraid it has to be something deeper into the door or cabinet of the microwave. One place that "might" happen is where the latches might be rubbing on wires inside the door or where the wires go in/out of the door, they may be rubbing or pinched. Sorry, just wanting to point to other causes than the simple switch change. ...

I did a check for manuals online hoping for details but did not find anything like a diagram for the micro. NO help, there!

mitchpadl · 01-31-2022, 01:36 PM

Thanks Morich! I’ll try and get a closer look at the wires around the door and latch area. I had to unplug a ton of wires to get the latch mechanism out so there are lots of opportunities for something to be rubbing.

Clydesdale · 02-07-2022, 09:11 AM

As someone with a lot experience with appliance repair I can tell you it is the switches causing this problem. Microwaves have several switches for the door both normally open and closed. They are all there for safety. They are configured such that if a switch becomes stuck or sticky it will blow the fuse so that there is no way the unit can run with the door open. Don't waste time looking for a bad or sticky switch, just now replace them all. Once a switch did stick and the other placed a short across it they now have pitted contacts and will the next switch is ready to fail. In many cases that is why many manufactures sell the entire switch set as a kit.

walleyejim · 02-07-2022, 01:13 PM

I agree with "Clydesdale's" response. Bad switches will cause the fuse to blow. Check on youtube site for "microwave switch repair" and you will get several informative videos on how to access and replace the switches. Have done this several times on my residential mircrowave with no problems and minimal effort.

Jim

mitchpadl · 02-08-2022, 07:18 AM

Thanks for the replies! After taking it apart for the second time I'm sure you are correct. Now I just need to figure out how to get the part. I also after a long time of trying could not get the individual switches out of the plastic piece that gets screwed into the frame. It looks like the switches are not removable so I'll have to buy the entire plastic piece with the switches in them. Thanks again.