Microwave Surface Light Failure

i have a GE microwave model JVM1750DM1cc i have just replaced both bulbs again...seems like they dont last very long... so i know both bulbs work! but i cant get just my "nite lite" to come on, like when you click once the nite lite is on, then 2 clicks is the reg lite...and 3 clicks all the lites are off.! anyone know why the "nite lite" wont lite up.... thank you in advance, wondering if there is a fuse for this- sorry guys, i dont know much about this kind of stuff- i have even tried different brands of bulbs...i love my nite lite! and really miss it! especially when the grandkids ar home and they like a lite on in case they go to kitchen to get drink during the nite...

I had same exact problem with a broken socket....something arched when I was removing the bulb. (No, didn't unplug 1st). Replaced with new bulb and everything works on the microwave EXCEPT I no longer have the bright light...only the dim. This is a GE JVM 144WD003 model. Any suggestions?

Hmm, okay - pretty sure something got short-circuited . . . and it arced (not arched). Regardless, troubleshooting this (at least initially) is pretty easy. When you cycle the light button through the three stages (Off, Hi, Lo) - do you hear the audible sound at each stage, and does the lighting stage show up on the digital display (most microwaves have this to help you know "where you are")? If you hear all three audible cues, then I'll concede, I'm not sure what's wrong. However, if you now only hear two audible cues, it sound like one of those stages probably did get damaged when the power arced. If you really, really want the bright light, it's probably a case of having to replace the power control board (PCB). Not sure how much those would be, or what model # board it would be, but cross-referencing it - isn't too much trouble. Additionally, you may be able to just pull off (unscrew, and pull off) the numeric membrane panel, and look at the PCB - and see the model number. It'll be up to you to decide how much you need that light, and whether $40-50 is worth it to you. Still probably less than buying (and installing a new microwave, which for over range-type installation isn't a whole lot of fun . . .).

Re: needle nose to "twist" bulb base out. Did not turn off circuit breaker before "pliers and twisting"; had tried to remove bulbs first and bulbs separated from base. Got loud pop and flash but removed base. Now two lights underneath Microwave and over stove are not working. Light "beeper" still works. Microwave works. Cycled circuit breaker to no avail. What kind of trouble am I in getting this fixed?

You got a loud pop and a flash? When working with electrical appliances you realize that both of those "events" fall in the Bad Column. You read through this whole thread, but missed that sentence where it was suggested that unplugging any appliance is a good idea before starting work on it? Okay, that's water passed the bridge at this point, and the fact that you were able to post this question - tells me that you're still alive.

If the audible tone is still noted when toggling through the lighting settings, tells me that the lighting circuit is still intact. On the assumption that both bulbs are A-okay, my only guess would be to speculate that your microwave might have a separate fuse that protects the rest of the microwave (from loud pops and flashes), and the fuse (internal) may have blown. You can go looking for that, and usually it's a cylindrical small glass tube with metal contacts on each end, that snaps into a fitting - and you can usually tell (visually) whether or not the fuse has "blown". Absent that, the only other thing I would have thought was to check the actual light fixture, to see if it's getting current. That's a little tricky, since you would need to use a voltmeter and contact the center point and and the side of the fixture with your two probes, without "crossing over" and touching both together (which will ensure another loud pop and flash). That's my best guidance.

Either way, test it yourself as much as you think you can, but I doubt if the outside repair will be much less than a new microwave. Repeat after me: I will remember to unplug the appliance the next time. Good luck