MCES

What we most often repair on units like this

1. If the convection element or fan dies, food gets microwaved but never browned or crisped
2. Hinge, latch or interlock-switch wear is a frequent reason this generation fails to start
3. Late in life, expect keypad or control board trouble and a magnetron that has worn

Before speed ovens carried the MC30 names, the “An American Icon” collection offered the MCES, a convection microwave with siblings MCEB and MCEW. ManualsLib lists its “Microwave Oven Care and Use Manual” as covering all three finishes. Installation used a separate trim kit, documented as MCT27E, MCT27ES, MCT30E, MCT30ES and MCT30EB for 27- or 30-inch cutouts; those numbers are hardware accessories, not the microwave.

The distinctive failure here is the one its modern successors share. When the convection element or fan quits, food is microwaved but never browned, and that pale result is what usually prompts the call.

Everything else is age. Door interlock, keypad and, eventually, the magnetron or control board take their turn, and we check them in that order.

Key features

• Convection microwave for building in, an early speed-oven ancestor from Thermador's "An American Icon" design line, sold as MCEB (black), MCES (stainless) and MCEW (white)
• A separate trim kit from the MCT27E/MCT30E group fits cutouts of 27" or 30"
• Predates the MC30WP and MC30WS speed ovens of today