The spring is probably OK, but tab it mounts on may have broken. To remove the door, pry out the little cover (~1.5 in by 1 in) on the inside of the door by the upper hinge. Then you can lift the entire door off the hinges (with the door open). Then you have to pry the inner plastic fascia (faces the cooking cavity) that surrounds the glass. Once that is off, you can see where the spring is, or was. My tab had broken, but I was able to mount a small bolt thru the endplate of the door (so it doesn't show when the door is closed) which I could mount the spring on it. There isn't a lot of clearance on the outside, so a low profile head on the bolt is better; otherwise, the head will catch on the edge of the control panel as you try to close it. I put 2 nuts on the inside, with locktight, and put the "hook" of the spring around the bolt in between them. I will admit, I had to drill 3 holes before I got an acceptable amount of tension on the spring (I kept having too MUCH tension). For some reason, putting the bolt approx where I thought the tab had been resulted in too much tension. I suppose I could have stretched the spring some instead of relocating the hole and bolt. Push the fascia back into place, remount the door on the hinge, and replace the little cover. Hopefully the door will line up OK, the latch will catch and release as it should, and the interlock will be released as it should be when the door is securely closed (and interior light goes out). One other caveat, I am not a professional, and the door does need to "seal" or I guess all those evil little microwaves can escape and emulsify your brain, or whatever would happen. I will not be held liable if there is leakage.
This problem and solution is 100% right on! I drilled the new bolt hole where the broken off tap was located and tension is correct. Thanks for the posting, you saved me the cost of a new microwave!
I stumbled upon this info the same day I had a service technician scheduled to come by and look at my microwave.. he wanted to charge me $260 for labor plus parts (their answer was to replace the entire outer door frame) OR decline the repair and pay $80. Naturally I wasn't about to pay that kind of money when I could buy a new one for $175!! I just wish I had found this solution earlier cuz it worked like a charm! A trip to Home Depot for the supplies needed and my Dad's drill and I'm back up and working again! I wish DIY fixes were always this simple!! This was a great idea!
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This information worked perfectly for me. My microwave is back running better than ever in short order. Knowing how to remove the door and knowing for sure the inner plastic facia pried off was a big help. Before I looked at this help I thought maybe the plastic facia around the window pried off first, but it remains in place and the outer cover on the inside of the door is what pries off by sliding a small screwdriver along the crack and letting the cover pop out as you go along.
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