Ge WB24X829 Door Switch OEM Part

The first symptom was our microwave would continue to run after the time was up. The light would go out, the turn table would stop but you could still hear the microwave running and whatever was in it would continue to cook. The only way to stop it was to open the door. It was intermittent at first but eventually it would always run no matter what as long as the door was closed. Several other posts referenced these switches as the problem. I just replaced both and problem gone. It turns out there are actually 3 door switches. These 2 were on the bottom latch. FYI, the difference between the 2 switches is one is NO (normally open) and the other is NC (normally closed) - be sure you don't mix them up.There was one on the top latch (which I wasn't aware of until I took it apart) that I did not replace but apparently was not the issue anyway. Had known I would have replaced it as well because these switches tend to fail in any application over time. This is an easy repair and well worth the time if the microwave is otherwise in decent shape. Just be careful removing the switches from the plastic housing on the door latch. The new one will easily slide in its place and "click" into position but to remove the old one you need to gently lift the plastic tab on the housing that snaps into the tiny hole in the corner of the switch to hold it in place. See this hole on the new switch to know where to look to "release" the old switch. I small flat head screwdriver worked for me. That and a Phillips head were the only tools needed. Hope this helps.

After the cycle was complete and the food was taken out, after closing the door the inside light and fan would not shut off. Sometimes opening and closing the door a dozen times would make it quit. This finally did not work anymore and we left the door ajar. I took it apart to investigate and found this model has three micro switches near the door latch. The one in the middle is for the heating portion, the other two are for either the fan and/or light (so research tells me). Rather than mess around, I decide to replace all three switches at once. The microwave was built in 2004. I did not want to come back next month to replace a another one. Only three tools needed (but unplug the unit first!). Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the two screws that hold the long vent cover at the top of the microwave. Pull the cover off. Then remove the single Phillips head screw at the very top of the control panel. Move the control panel upward about 3/8 of an inch and it will then unlatch and you can let it pivot out toward you from its bottom edge. It will remain there like that. You will need a 7/64" Allen wrench to remove the two flat head screws where the door latch meets the microwave body. Once those are out, you can move the door latch switch casing holder out of the microwave so you can get to the switches. You will need a very thin flat headed screwdriver to press over the little "ear" or "tab" that holds the switch in place (on left side of holder). The switch can be pulled out of the holder to the right once the tab is moved slightly out of the way. The wire connector can now be pulled off of the old switch and pushed back onto the new switch. The switch and wires are then pushed back into the latch holder and that tab will snap into the little hole on the switch to prevent it from moving out of position. Repeat for the other two. NOTE: The top and bottom switches are the SAME so you need TWO of those (WB24X829). The middle switch is different ((WB24X830). Reverse the procedure to put things back together and that's it. Our 13 year old microwave is now back in business. I was reluctant to buy a new one just for the cost of three switches. Once I knew what to expect, the actual replacement took 15 minutes. You can do this too!

An Internet search revealed that problems like this are typically caused by one of the safety interlock switches operated by the door latches. In this particular model there is one on the top latch and two on the bottom latch. They were easy to get to by simply removing the cover. I checked the switches with an ohmmeter with the door both open and closed and found that the top switch was nearly shorted when it should have been open. The microswitches are all mounted in a plastic bracket that's mounted with just two easily accessible screws. Once the screws are removed the bracket can be pulled out into a position that makes it easy to get to the switches. I pulled off the electrical connectors (both connected to each other and come off together) and the switch comes out easily by just pushing a couple of lock tabs out of the way. Popped the new switch in, put the connectors back on, put the bracket back in place and put the cover back on. Voila! A $24.00 total cost and less than a half hour of labor.

I first thought the problem was the control panel and ordered one from APP, I received it the next day. It did not fix the problem, so I returned the part ( a very easy proceedure). APP then informed me that they had technicians who might be able to help diagnose the problem. I checked with them and they suggested the door microswitches. I ordered the three switches and they arrived in a day and when I replaced them the problem was resolved. a part costing less than $20 saved me several hundred if GE Service had to come out and $3k if I had to replace the oven. I am very happy with my experience with Appliance Parts Pros.....

I did some self diagnosing, ordered a new door switch, and watched a few repair videos online. It was a little tricky to figure out how to get to the control panel but reasonable. After switching out the part, everything works great again. For this microvawe model, you will need a screwdriver that has the funny star shape in addition to a phillips screwdriver.