What you are actually seeing
- An arcing crackle with a flash inside
- A hum with no heating
- A grinding or scraping that follows the turntable
- Not this fault: A crackle from the food rather than the cavity
Ranked causes on a Contoure microwave
- Cabinet or mounting loose — Ranked here because: an RV is level only when someone levels it, and several of these appliances will not work correctly out of level
- Grease filter or charcoal filter loose on an over-range unit — Ranked here because: a few hundred miles of road vibration loosens connections, fasteners and plumbing joints that would never move in a house
- Turntable plate not seated on its coupling — Ranked here because: a coach installation is tighter than any domestic one and the venting and clearance shortcuts taken during the build show up as faults later
- Vent blower wheel fouled on an over-range unit — Ranked here because: an RV vent run is short, tightly bent and easy to crush behind the appliance
- Turntable roller ring or drive coupling worn — Ranked here because: coach appliances are used intermittently and stored for months, which produces its own fault pattern
What to check, and in what order
- Check the mounting screws and brackets are tight
- Clean the grease filters properly in hot soapy water and check the extraction airflow
- Take out the turntable plate and the roller ring, wash both and the cavity track, and refit them
- Run the oven for thirty seconds with a cup of water in it and no plate fitted
Steps you can safely do yourself
- Take out the turntable plate and the roller ring, wash both and the cavity track, and refit them — Tools: warm soapy water, cloth — Estimated time: about a quarter of an hour
- Run the oven for thirty seconds with a cup of water in it and no plate fitted — Tools: cup of water — Estimated time: a few minutes
- On an over-range unit, remove and refit the grease filters and check they clip home — Tools: none — Estimated time: about ten minutes
- With the oven running, rest a hand on the cabinet and the surrounding trim — Tools: none — Estimated time: a few minutes
- Check the mounting screws and brackets are tight — Tools: screwdriver — Estimated time: about a quarter of an hour
Safety
Safety
unplug-before-service
When to call a technician
the noise is a heavy buzz from behind the cabinet, since that is the high-voltage section the cooling fan or the vent blower needs replacing there is arcing, a burning smell or any change in how the oven heats
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
Not this fault: the family pages for the refrigeration, cooking and laundry lines Not this fault: model-specific pages once the model and serial label is read
Links: - [Common Contoure Microwave Problems](/blog/contoure-microwave-problems) - [Common CONTOURE Dryer Problems](/blog/contoure-dryer-problems) - [Common CONTOURE Refrigerator Problems](/blog/contoure-refrigerator-problems) - [Contoure Microwave: Controls, Display or Error Code](/blog/contoure-microwave-control-fault)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
