Gas Range Repair Help

Always remember Electricity and Gas are dangerous and should be treated with respect!

Please pick a topic by Make and or problem...hope you find this helpful :-)

  1. After self cleaning the range the door won't open
  2. Amana gas range conversion from NG to propane
  3. A tip on cleaning the surface grates
  4. Checking an common oven temp sensor
  5. Checking an common oven temp sensor: What does an oven temp sensor look like?
  6. Gas Range FAQs
  7. Gas range repair aid - such as, my oven won't work or heat up, which style of gas oven do I have, the glow coil gets red but my oven burner will not light.
  8. GE gas range conversion from NG to propane
  9. How to change the oven temp on some common electronic controlled ovens
  10. How to re-light a surface pilot light
  11. How to re-light an oven pilot light
  12. How to change a common oven glow igniter coil
  13. How a common gas valve works - click here.
  14. Help for storing an appliance
  15. Important Disclaimer
  16. Installing a gas flex line connector
  17. Maytag, (some) Magic Chef, (some) Jenn-Air gas range surface spark module - new module kit
  18. Maytag ( Magic Chef - Crosley - Jenn Air ) gas range conversion NG to propane
  19. My gas range flames die when I turn on more than one thing at a time
  20. My Range is flashing an " F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F7 F9 " something, what does this mean?
  21. My surface burners keep "clicking" even after the burner is light
  22. Oven door and door hinge help
  23. Oven temp sensor - how to change helps
  24. Repair tips and information on surface burner spark modules and igniters
  25. Some "how to set the self clean" on my range
  26. Stainless Steel Cleaning
  27. Surface burners wont work
  28. This morning I noticed the range top ignition was clicking all by itself every 15-30 seconds
  29. Test for F1 fault code
  30. WCI - Frigidaire ( some Kenmore's ) gas range conversion from NG to propane
  31. WCI - Frigidaire /open burners/ (some Kenmore's) gas
  32. Whirlpool/KitchenAid Direct Spark Ignition (DSI)
  33. Yes, your glow bar igniter can glow red and still be bad!!

Gas range help:

If you are having problems with the oven, the first thing to do is figure out if you have a pilot light system or a glow bar system.

Problems with the pilot light system.....The flame has gone out, re-light the pilot. The pilot flame will not light - possible oven control is not sending gas for the pilot light. The pilot light works but no main burner ignition - possible pilot assembly is dirty and the pilot flame is too small, safety valve and thermocouple is faulty, the bulb from the safety valve is out of position and the pilot flame is not touching the thermocouple bulb. Some ranges use a standing pilot light ( small flame is on all the time ) while others use an spark ignition to light the pilot light flame and the pilot light flame heats up the thermocouple bulb to allow the main gas to flow through the oven burner.

The flame needs to heat the bulb up enough to tell it to open the gas valve. Several things can go wrong here that keep this from happening:

  • The pilot flame may not be hot enough, usually because the flame is yellow instead of pure blue or is too small. The cause for this is usually a dirty pilot assembly. The pilot assembly would either need to be cleaned or replaced.
  • The thermocouple bulb may not be positioned properly in the flame. You can't heat the bulb properly if it's not in the pilot flame! The thermocouple bulb needs to be in the upper third of a pure blue pilot flame--that's the hottest part of the flame.
  • The thermocouple itself may be burned out. It happens. It's a internal part of the gas valve so, no, you can't just change the thermocouple bulb separate from the gas valve.

But when you turn on the oven or the thermostat calls for heat, the pilot flame gets bigger and jumps down so it can heat up the thermocouple bulb. This extra gas to increase the pilot flame size comes from the thermostat.

  • If the pilot flame jumps upwards or just gets bigger, but doesn't shoot down, then you need to replace the pilot assembly.
  • If the pilot flame size does not increase or jump down when turning on the oven thermostat, then the problem is the thermostat not sending enough gas to the pilot assembly. It's also possible that the pilot gas supply tube has a hole in it somewhere.

One final point on the spark-assisted pilot ignition systems. The spark comes from the spark module--the same module that sends spark to your surface burners to light them up. If you're not getting a spark when you turn the oven on, then there are several possibilities:

  • There could be a problem with the switch in the thermostat. You can confirm this by doing a simple continuity test of the thermostat contacts. If you don't read zero ohms when you turn the switch on, replace the thermostat.
  • The spark module could be bad. You'll need to measure the voltage at the oven terminals of the spark module when you turn on the oven. If you get 120v but no spark, it's probably a bad spark module. Replace it.
  • Could be a bad spark wire or broken electrode.

Problems with the glow bar system:

You may even see the orange "glow plug" (called a hot surface igniter) glowing orange and so assume that it's OK. Not necessarily!! You have to measure the current/amp drawn by the igniter and compare it to this repair sheet before you can say it's OK or not. The gas valve has a bi-metal that open when a certain amount of current flows through it to heat it up. The igniter is wired in series with the gas valve. As the igniter gets older or weaker, it's resistance increases to the point where not enough current is flowing to the gas valve bimetal to open it up. As a result, the gas valve never opens up. BTW, a common symptom of the early stages of this problem is erratic temperature control in the oven due to delayed firing of the bake burner while cooking.

The hot surface igniter will not come on:

Check igniter with a ohm meter, you should have continuity through the glow bar, the glow bar can also crack = new igniter time. The glow bar comes on but the main burner will not light - you should have an amp probe to check properly, but often this is a hot surface igniter problem. The hot surface igniter often looses it's ability to get hot enough to open the gas safety valve. The safety valve can fail, but most times it is just a bad hot surface igniter. The hot surface igniter can also quit part way through cooking , in other words the oven may cycle a couple of times and then it just sits there with the red glow from the igniter. See this service sheet for the proper way and amp readings for the hot surface igniter system. Hot surface igniters do weaken and will eventually generate less heat than they normally could. When this happens they can still allow marginally correct current to flow to the oven gas valve for it to open but not get quite hot enough to ignite the gas burner immediately. When this happens, gas released into the oven can sometimes build up to the point where when finally ignited, the amount of gas lit can cause a small explosion inside the oven or cause an odor of gas with out the oven working. Yes, your glow bar igniter can glow orange-red and still be bad!! How a common gas valve works - click here.

amp meter

Click here for a larger view on how to use an clamp on amp meter test help.

amp meter

Click here for a larger view on how to use an volt/ohm meter test help.

amp meter

Click here for a larger view on how to check for power ( 110-120 volts AC ) to the oven igniter.

amp meter

Click here for a larger view on how to ohm meter or continuity test an gas oven igniter.


My surface burners keep "clicking" even after the burner is lit:

There are a few things to check for. Make sure the electrode ( the small metal piece that the spark comes off from ) is clean and the holes in the burner are clean, use a pin or paper clip to clean out the burner holes and NOT a tooth pick as these can break off and make things worse. Example of a burner. The next thing to check for are the ignition switches under the surface control knobs, the switches can twist and break and keep the spark module on and the spark keeps "clicking" even when the burner is light. If every thing looks good, you may have a bad spark module, replace it. Sometimes cleaning can get moisture into the surface switches, try drying them with an hair dryer to see of this will help. Repair and checking tips for surface burners.

TIP:

Hello,
I have a Kenmore Elite Gas range/oven. This morning I noticed the range top ignition was clicking all by itself every 15-30 seconds. I checked all of the knobs to assure they were off and they were. All burners including the oven light as normal but the ignition will not stop clicking.

  • It is now clicking every 2-3 seconds!
  • Does anyone have any suggestions?
  • P.S. I turned off the gas and electric until resolved.

While previously cleaning the range control knobs, one of those switches got wet and was completing the circuit to the spark module causing it to fire off sparks. A little help from my wife's hair/blow dryer and were all fixed!

One or more of my surface burners will not work:

You will have to check the same items as mentioned above.

This is a typical spark module wire diagram.

My gas range flames die when I turn on more than one thing at a time:

This is often a pressure regulator problem. Most often the regulator is found where the gas line enters the gas range. I have a picture of what the flame characteristics should look like.

Further information:

gas supply line 5305514147

Stainless Steel Connector for Gas Range - Has everything you need to connect your range to your gas shutoff valve, including 4 feet of 5/8-inch outside diameter stainless steel gas connector with two fittings, leak detector solution and pipe sealant compound.


Range / Cooktop / Oven Parts


Related Links

  1. How to change a common oven glow igniter coil
  2. My Range is flashing an " F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F7 F9 " something, what does this mean?
  3. Stainless Steel Cleaning