OK, thanks to these forums I learned GE magnetrons have 10-year warranty.
I was thinking the HV diode is faulty. I knew an HV diode is actually a cascade of diods. Somehow I managed to forget I cannot check it with a multimeter because the voltage it uses for measuring is too low.
I called a local technician and he told me these diodes usually short (not open) and said probably the magnetron is shot.
He was right. Of course, GE refused to send me a spare magnetron. Dammit, I used to fix TV sets once upon time (15 kV !!) and now a mouse on the phone tells me I'm not qualified to handle 2 kV!
So I called our local technician again and they sent the magnetron to him, just picked up and installed it yesterday and my microwave is working as new.  |