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Stove and Range Troubleshooting Guide
Use this page to find step by step instructions on troubleshooting your oven or range. Remember to use common sense when working on your kitchen appliances. They can carry high voltage that could result in serious injury if you are not careful
For Gas Stoves/Ovens Troubleshooting click here
Fuse Panel - Usually this complaint is associated with a blown breaker in the panel box. This is the first place to look when your diagnosing this problem. Even if the breaker doesn't look kicked, flip it off and flip it back on then check for power to the stove again.
Receptacle - Check for the proper voltage at the junction box where you would plug in your range. If the range is hard wired in, check the wire connections from the house power supply to the wiring on the range.
Cord - Make sure the ends of the cord that connect to the terminal block are not burned or broken. If there was a loose connection this will be the result. Look at the prong end of the cord. Make sure the prongs don't show any signs of discoloring or heat damage. Check for continuity from the prong to the corresponding lead on the other end.
Clock Control - If your stove is equipped with a fancy clock with oven controls this may have become defective. Refer to your wiring diagram for your particular stove or oven to check for current.
Clock Not Working but Surface Burners Work
Clock - The clock control on most ranges are wired separately from the surface burners. It is common for the control to go bad and the top burners to still work. You must test the control to verify that it has gone bad. Make sure you check the wiring to the clock and make sure there are no loose or damaged wires.
Infinite Switch - These are the switches that control the burners. Most have 5 terminals on the back of the switch H1, H2, L1, L2, P. The H's are the wires that run to the element. The two L's are the power coming in wires and the P is the indicator light wire. When you turn the burner on to any position P is powered.
Terminal Block - This is the part that the burner plugs into on the stove top. Loose connections or food spill on these can cause the wires inside to burn up. If you have power coming out of the switch and the burner isn't getting hot, check this.
Surface Burner - These require 240 Volts AC to glow red hot. If you have a power problem getting to the stove the burners may only get warm. A quick check for a burner not working is to put it in place of another burner. If the burner works in another spot then you know the burner isn't bad. That's when you want to check the terminal block or the infinite switch.
Temperature Probe - This is the piece that sticks inside the oven cavity and tells the control what temperature it is. If there is a malfunction with this piece your oven may overheat way past the temperature you set or it may not heat at all. There is a resistance chart in your wiring diagram on the back of the stove. Access the plug the sensor from the back of the stove and check the ohms at room temperature. The values vary from brand to brand.
Wiring - You may have a burned up wire going to the element. This normally occurs right where the wire connects to the element. Turn the power off to the oven and remove the screws that secure the element to the rear of the oven. You can pull the element out far enough to see the connections. Maybe you will see that one of the wires are burned off. If that's the case you will have to remove the back panel of the oven, locate the wire and repair it.
Clock Control - If the clock has a defective relay inside it may not be sending the power to the element. If this is the case then you will have to replace the control. When you set the control to bake, if you have power getting to the element, the relay is good and you want to check the wiring and the element for continuity.
Basically the same checks as the Bake Element. See Above
Infinite Switch - This usually happens as a result of a bad infinite switch. If the contacts inside the switch remain closed after the burner is turned off, this is the result. To repair this properly, you will have to replace the switch. This is not the same as a Hot Surface Indicator.
Power - This may be the case of not enough voltage getting to the oven in the first place. The clock only runs off of 120 Volts AC. It is possible to have a blown fuse in the circuit breaker box and have the oven to appear working fine. Of course until you try to use it.
Temperature Probe - If the oven's temperature sensor is defective it will not allow the oven to heat to the proper temperature. With a bad sensor you may also experience the oven always being too hot when you bake or broil.
Clock Control - If the sensor is sending the right signal, the clock may not be reading it correctly. If this is the case then you will have to replace the oven control. You may also want to try to calibrate the oven's temperature to see if that works. On most stoves you are able to adjust the oven's temperature up or down to match the reading on the control. Usually at most 50 degrees up or down.
Temperature Probe - If the sensor is bad and not sending the right signal to the oven control, this may be a result. If the difference is only minimal you may be able to calibrate the temperature to match the display. You may also have a problem where the temperature just keeps rising until you turn the oven off.
Clock Control - You may have a stuck relay inside the control board. If this is the case usually the oven will continue to heat even when its turned off. Some are designed to only have power when the bake or broil function is selected so it may only overheat when you are trying to cook.
Oven Temperature Doesn't Match Set Temperature
Calibrating the Temperature - Most ovens are preset from the factory. They are usually off a few degrees. This varies from house to house depending on the exact voltage in our home. Some have 220 or maybe 240 or anything in between. This has an effect on how the control board reads the temperature sensor. This will require you to dial in the temperature to match the display on the control. Most ovens can be calibrated. You will find the instructions in your owner's manual if this is available for your model. If you do not have a manual, go to the bottom of the page and click on the link that says owner's manuals. They are free to download.
Surface Burner Only Works on High
Infinite Switch - If the contacts inside the switch that control the burner get fused or burn together, this may be the result. Every time you turn on the burner, it's stuck on high. The only way to repair this properly is to replace the burner control switch.
Surface Burner Only Works on Low
Infinite Switch - This is another result of a faulty burner switch. The contacts to place the coils on high may have burned up. This will leave you with everything else but high. The only way to repair this would be to get a new switch. However, this is a slim chance that the burner is bad. A quick elimination of this would be to swap the burners and see how the burners react in the switched positions.
Self-Clean Function Not Working
Door Lock Switch - Anytime you run the self clean on an oven the door must be locked. The temperatures inside the oven reach over 800 degrees. This would burn you instantly if you where to open the door to peak in at anytime. The door will also remain locked until the inside temperature has cooled to below 550 or so. If there is an issue with the switch that tell the stove that the door is locked, the self clean function will not operate. You may have an issue with the lock motor. If the lock motor cannot turn the cam to activate the switch, then you will have the same problem.