I have been fighting with this thing for 30 minutes. I can't figure it out.

The 'right' one in this picture has a yellow tip. The other has NO yellow paint at all. But as you can see, these springs are absolutely 100% identical.

Here is a picture. Have I lost my mind? The parts I ordered here were:

AP3046481 (4451008) Microwave door torsion spring 1 $35.63

AP3030973 (4451009) Microwave door torsion spring 1 $30.43


http://i.imgur.com/uqCygCy.jpg

My original springs are both broken, but I am pretty sure the end with no 'U' has a bend that is a mirror of the other. What am I missing?

FIXED!


The problem was exactly what I thought it was. The parts were wrong. They were ordered right, they were shipped according to the numbers on the box, but the parts inside have been mislabeled AND painted wrong from the factory/whirlpool.

I ordered the springs for the stainless model:

AP3137553 (4452395) Microwave door torsion spring, left side
AP3082257 (4452396) Microwave door torsion spring, right side


These springs are correct and the door works well. The springs are NOT identical. No matter what is said anywhere on any site, the springs for this door ARE NOT IDENTICAL. They are different shapes, and they are different 'tensions'. One spring should have a bend that is mirror of the other. They are easily installed when you have the right ones.

I would avoid this whole mess by getting the springs above and NOT the ones that are called for with this model:

DO NOT ORDER THESE:
****AP3046481 (4451008), AP3030973 (4451009)****

I ordered these and re-ordered these almost a year apart so there is a good reason most or all are wrong. They will send you two right sides with different painted ends. Period.

Hope this saves someone a week of repair anger and fury.