Sharp Microwave Repair

Sharp makes countertop, over-the-range and built-in microwaves, but the Sharp microwave drawer is the one we are called about most. Installed under a counter or wall oven, often in a kitchen island, it opens and closes at a touch using a small motor, a gear train and slides. The heating side is a conventional microwave: magnetron, transformer, capacitor, diode and control board.

A drawer that stops partway or will not move is not necessarily a broken microwave. Drive gears wear or strip, especially when the drawer has been pushed or pulled by hand, and slides can stick. Position switches and interlocks tell the control the drawer is safely shut; if one fails, the unit may refuse to heat even though the drawer looks closed. We test the drive and switch circuit before the high-voltage side.

A drawer installed out of level puts strain on the drive every time it opens, so we check the mounting and slides as part of the visit. With the power off, you can clean food spills from the slide area and look behind the drawer for anything blocking it, like a utensil or towel. Do not force a stuck drawer, and do not remove any cover, since the capacitor can hold a dangerous charge when unplugged.

Every Sharp microwave shares a few faults. A failed interlock switch can blow the internal fuse, leaving the unit completely dead. Magnetrons wear out, so the light and turntable work but food stays cold. Touch panels can lose individual buttons. On over-the-range models, the vent fan runs on its own circuit, so it can keep working long after the heating side has failed.

We discharge the capacitor, then test the interlocks, fuse, drive motor and gears, position switches, magnetron, diode and control. Drawer and over-the-range Sharps are usually worth repairing, because replacement means matching the cabinet opening or redoing the mounting and vent. Countertop Sharps are the exception; past a fuse or switch, a new one is usually the better buy, and we say so.