Ge WB02X10773 Latch OEM Part

The latch is designed to slide upward with the action of closing the door. Make sure to unplug the microwave if you have not already done so. First take the grill at the top of the microwave off by removing the 4 screws at the top. Next, take the door off by opening it and gently lifting it and moving it off the hinge. Lay the door on a table with a napkin or towel face down so it will not scratch. To get to the latch, the inner panel through which the latch pokes out needs to be removed. It took some figuring out that it is really a snap on part. To remove it you need to insert a thin flat blade screwdriver or something at the edge and gently lift up at a few points until you have the panel up a bit and thin insert something long like a long screwdriver or kitchen knife under the panel and lift up the panel bit by bit as you move the screwdriver further and further along. This helps lift up the panel without breaking it. I lifted the panel up this way on 3 sides leaving the side along the hinge still affixed but you could take the whole thing off if you like. After that I lifted the hinge and the unbroken and end and had a good look at how it was fixed. There are two elongated knobs that need to go into rectangular cutouts into the door part where the latch fits and there is one spring that attaches the latch to that part. You may use a thin blade screwdriver or a needle nose plier to disconnect the spring. Once you do that, the latch can be lifted out. I took the new latch, attached one end of the spring to it and then used needle nose plier and screw driver to attach the other end. Then I had to jiggle the latch a bit (it is a bit hard) and press it down one end at a time so the knob on the latch went into the cut out in the part onto which the latch fits. Once you have done that you want to make sure that the spring sits well and you are able to slide the latch smoothly. Do not twist or bend the latch when doing so. Snap back the inner panel into place gently in the reverse order of how you opened it. Put the door back on the microwave and replace the grill at the top. Plug the microwave back in and there you have it.