27 replies to this topic

[ajstanger]

Oh great one, I am fed up with my Wifes oven already.

The oven will not heat up at all. I replaced the igniter I bought from Sears ($65.00) and it still doesn't work. It does not glow at all. I have read some of the other posts and one said to check the internal fuses. One problem is I cannot find and have no idea where the darn thing(s) are. I am dreading if it is the valve. There is no gas smell, no glow and I have left it on for an hour. Is it possible that I bought a faulty igniter from Sears? When I can find something to test the voltage, I will see if I can figure out how to use it.

Do you have any suggestions? I have three small panels off the back of the stove right now. I doubt it is the thermostat but I am open for suggestions.

Please help.

 

[Pegi]

I did not see any fuses in the range looking at the breaksown on sears.  If the igniter is dead would look at the thermostat, ignitor, gas valve or a broken wire somewhere in the heat circut??

[Ron]

AJ,   When you set the range to bake and start can you hear a relay kick in on the control.   There was a flash on your model but it goes way back to 1995.   The issue invloved the spark module not having a built in noise suppressing resistor.  Electric noise from the spark module can cause the control to fail.  Solution was to replace module and control together.   You might want to call GE and see what they have to say on this...Ron

[ajstanger]

Ron,

When I turn the oven on, all I hear is the click of the "oven cycle" light going on. Nothing else. What does flash mean? Is it like a recall or something? Does anyone have the phone number for GE so I can ask them about this? Is there a part called a "spark module" and where is it located?

Thanks

[Pegi]

The spark module is located in the range cabinet area but is used to light the top burners.  I do not know what it would have to do with the oven, but perhaps Ron knows something about this range I do not.   Why did you replace the igniter in the first place??  Was it broken?? Do you know if this was the original problem??  You might have had a problem in the control in the console to begin with if your original igniter was not defective.  Did the original igniter glow??  Or was it dead. if it was dead was it checked???   Perhaps we need some more details about this problem.  I can provide the number for G.E. tomorrow when I get to my shop, do not have it here at the house.

[Ron]

AJ,  What I meant was a service flash,   information passed on to us techs that involved certain parts that were faulty.  Like I said in the previous post,  your model fell under a service flash regarding the spark module.   This module would cause the control to fail.  Im not saying that this is the problem,  however it's worth giving GE a call to see if they can offer any information...The number I have is 1-800-626-2000....Ron

[ajstanger]

Pegi,

I read lots of posts about the problems I am having. Almost all of them mentioned replacing the igniter. So that "seemed" like the thing for me to do. Well it seems obvious that wasn't my problem. No it wasn't glowing before I pulled the old one out.

Ron,

I wrote the number for GE down and I will ask them tomorrow about the service flash.

I will keep updated about what happens.

Thanks both of you.

[Pegi]

Thanks, letting us know will help all who read the boards....Pegi   ;)

[ajstanger]

OK here is what I found out:

1st of all, don't even bother calling GE for anything if your stove is a Kenmore. They told me they couldn't help me with anything at all because it is labeled a "Kenmore".

Now after 6 phone calls to basically computer answering/options and a few people who were clueless, I finally ended up with a guy that knew something. First thing he told me is that the Service Flash would not be my problem. After 10 years of no problems he highly doubted that would be it. He suggested maybe the Regulater (valve?). Not the thermostat in the oven either.

I have borrowed a tester to check power to the igniter now but am unsure of how to use it. Maybe someone can tell me. Here is the info of what I have. It is a Fluke brand 77/AN multimeter. It has 7 diff option to set the knob at. Which one do I use? Do I plug the diode (or whatever you call the wires from it) into the 10A plug or the 300mA? Now where do I touch on the stove to get the reading I need and what should it read? Does the oven cycle need to be turned on (I am guessing yes because that seems obvious).

Maybe someone can instruct me a bit because I am not very electronically inclined but am not afraid to try.

We are afriad this stove is going to knickle and dime us to death now. Maybe I should just make the service call but I thought this would be an easy fixit problem. Not turning out this way.

thanks

[Pegi]

If the gas regulator was bad the whole range would have low gas flame problems and your glow coil would glow fine. Where to they get these ideas.  Something is stopping the elect. circut in the oven..Thermostat/clock, glow coil, electric savety valve, bad wiring somewhere in this system.  The gas valve in the oven would show cont. when tested across the 2 terminals on about 1K.  Ohom out the wires.  With the relay clicking in the control area, I am starting to suspect the problem may be in this area???  No way for us to say for sure tho............

[Ron]

O.k....On the meter,  put your black lead into where it says common,  put the red lead where it says V. ohm...may look like a upside-down U...Turn your dial to VAC.... or V with a curved line over it.  Remove the new ignitor that you installed.   On the two wires that were going to the ignitor and the oven set to bake touch the two leads to these wires...You should have a reading of 120 volts. ...Ron

[ajstanger]

Ron,

I checked the wires as you said. I turned the dial to the V but the curved line was next to it not over it so I figure that was the same. Black wire in the common plug and red in the red V plug. Oven was on and the reading I got was 11.02 VAC. If I checked the wires without the oven turned on I get 7.08

What next?

thanks

[Ron]

AJ,  ok,  we do not have power to the ignitor,  go ahead and check the safety valve.   This will be on the bottom behind the bottom drawer. Pull the drawer out so you can get at it.  With power off,  set the meter to ohms, RK1.   Remove the two wires to the valve.   Touch the two leads to the terminals on the valve.  you should have continuity here. In other words,  your needle is going to move.  If not,  you have a bad safety valve.  Part #WB19k0014.  If your reading is good and like Pegi said,  you don't have any burnt wires, it's probabley the control itself.  part # WB12k0020.  You can buy your parts here and they will return them if its wrong...Ron

[ajstanger]

Ron,

Which one is ohms on the multimeter? I have a V with a squiggly line, a V with a solid line with dashes under it, 300mV with the solid line and dashes, an upside down horsehoe looking thing, an arrow connected to a plus sign, an A with a squiggly line and lastly an A with a solid line and dashes. I don't know which one to try. I'll check back in a little while.

thanks

[ajstanger]

I am guessing it is the upside down horseshoe looking thing. If it is I get a reading of 2.9/3.0

Is that right?

[Ron]

You have the right one,   looks like the valve is ok,  The only thing I can come up with is the control board itself...what I suspected from the start.  Maybe some of the other techs can offer some other ideas that I might be missing...Ron

[Pegi]

On what was this ohm test taken on??  The valve terminals? See if your reading matches what is stated on the side of the gas valve, it states the ohm's and volts.  If that checks ok, you have a bad control or wires to the ignitor...

[ajstanger]

Yes i tested the valve on the terminals. There were two sets of terminals, 1 set on the bottom of it and 1 set on the top. I checked the bottom two. The sticker says 3.3/4.0 VAC and  2.3/3.0 AMP

So I imagine that the readings I got were correct as Ron had said.

Is there a way I can check the control (behind the dial?) with the multimeter?

Ron and Pegi you have been a great help so far and it is greatly appreciated.

[ajstanger]

The part number wb12k0020(wb12k20) calls it a "clock timer assembly".  Is that the correct part I need than?

[ajstanger]

ok I was looking at the diagram on sears.com for parts. What I thought was the control is actaully the thermostat on the back of the dial (wb21x5259) but I guess I was wrong. So I looked up the part number wb12k0020(wb12k20) and see that it is the digital part of the stove where all the push buttons are (clock time assembly). Could that really be the problem? To my ignorant eye I would think it didn't have anything to do with what is wrong. But of course that is why I am here on this sight.