How to Troubleshoot & Replace Whirlpool AP6009427 / WP4452396 Microwave Door Torsion Spring (Rh)

Ordered the correct parts, which arrived in 2 days. Took a couple of hours as this sucker is a huge pain, but some offered tips did help. Second time these have broken on this oven.... 

One of the most difficult parts is simply locating the correct replacement parts. Your website helped me though I tried unsuccessfully to locate a stronger replacement.You simply require a good phillips screwdriver - I find the socket style with replaceable bits work better. To change the springs and lite bulb you need to first remove the 2 side SS trim pieces and then the bottom SS trim piece. Then you have access to the 2 screws on the bottom that retain the entire microwave. removing them allows you to slide out the entire microwave a few inches. aT THIS POINT FWD YOU NEED TO SUPPORT THE DOOR ITSELF AS IT CAN BE DAMAGED. Then there are 2 screw inside the oven door on top and 2 more outside on the bottom holding the door brackets. removing them all allows the outer SS face to come off and allows access to the 2 bottom plastic trim screws. Removing these you can remove the trim and get to the torsion springs.These are difficult to describe but you should be able to look at the old ones to see how they fit to install the new ones - a pair of needle nose pliers helped here. The lite bulb is reached by sliding out the unit more and lifting off the insulation - it has spring retainers that are fairly straight forward, 

Replaced broken spring 

Fix was easy and the part was exactly what I needed. 

Removed outer and inner door frame. No need to pull unit out of cabinet as advised in several instructions 

The "How To" link with pics and instructions attached to the order for these products (left & right torsion bars) was spot on!!!! While I consider myself a handy DIYer I never did anything like this before. Took 25 minutes total including degreasing the plastic vent cover. 

I fixed both issues by first watching the Appliance Parts Pros videos to familiarize myself with the tasks at hand. The videos were absolutely spot-on fabulous and proved to be the key to fixing these issues. I followed the instructions and ended up with a completely fixed microwave oven! 

Watched the video. The only thing I did different was I did unscrew the top grill (didn't remove it), but I don't know if that was even necessary. I was able to unscrew the two screws at the bottom of the microwave that held it to the chassis and slide the microwave unit out far enough to remove the front door frame to get to the torsion springs, WITHOUT removing the control panel. That would have been difficult as the unit is cabinet mounted and would have had to pull the entire unit out to get to the control panel screws on either side. So if you are able, don't remove the top grill or control panel and see if the unit will slide out the 2 or 3 inches to get to the 2 screws on the bottom that hold the plastic door frame and remove it to get to the springs. 

I followed the great instructions on this forum. One minor omission was that I didn't need to remove the screws holding the oven assembly to the cabinet. I had plenty of clearance to do the job. Everything else follows pretty closely. This is the second time I've replaced this spring. Note that there isn't a blue end on the 4452396 spring. It's now blue anodized steel. The other spring 4452395 is a "silver" colored steel. Removing and replacing the springs doesn't require a lot of force if you thread the loop end first and leave it about 1/8" from it's "set" location. This allows you to slide the "L" end down into it's slot easily before taking up that 1/8" of slack. 

Although only one spring broke, I ordered replacements for both torsion springs. The parts arrived promptly. Removal of parts was straight forward after removing the vent panel between the microwave and oven. Thanks for this repair tip. Installation of the torsion springs was fairly simple. Take care to see/remember how the springs were installed so that you can install the new springs in the same orientation. Be aware that the stainless steel door requires a different (heavier gauge) torsion spring than that which is offered as the common replacement on the website.