GE Profile Stove oven temperature fluctuating wildly Model: JGSP44BEY2BB

[paulcoats]

Older GE profile gas stove.  The oven temerature fluctuates wildly, up to 30-40 degress variance.  Found a replacement sensor on amazon for $20, but not sure if this would be the likely culprit, or how hard it is to replace.  l did find a generic repair video and it shows how to check sensors using a multi-meter, but could not find anything specific for this model.  This oven is at my fathers in laws, and a repair would be just a favor to him.  He does not want to spend money on a new stove and just has a external temperature display and probe in the oven and just tries to keep the eye on the temperature when he cooks anything.  So our dinner meals at his house can be a little hit/miss.  Any thoughts, besides "buy hima  new stove"?

[vee8power]

23 minutes ago, paulcoats said:

up to 30-40 degress variance

That sounds pretty good to me, as long as the variance is above and below the set point. What do you expect the variance to be? He's not opening the oven door to check is he?

Edited November 19 by vee8power

[Terry Carmen]

1 hour ago, paulcoats said:

Any thoughts, besides "buy hima  new stove"?

Squeeze a wad of aluminum foil around his probe. He's reading instantaneous temperature, not average.

Don't fix anything because it's not broken and once you "fix" it you'll never convince him it's not broken and there will be nothing there to fix.

[dfphoto]

did you look to see how dirty the inside is? that could cause the sensor some problems maybe....

[16345Ed]

If only people understood how ovens work…

[Daniel.A]

When you set an oven to, say, 350 degrees, the oven heats to above that temperature, then kills the heating supply until the temperature drops below that. This variance is anywhere between 15 and 50 degrees above and below, depending on the model.

***Basically, the set temp of 350 is an average over the course of cycles. This is because heating source, whether gas or electric, cannot regulate themselves; they're either on or off.

Part of the issue with using temperature probes in ovens is that there are a lot of factors at play. Generally, you want the thermometer placed in the middle of the oven, not off to one side or near the front. Also, thermometers that read temps instantly will reflect the instant temps, which as we just went over, fluctuate. If that temp sensor has the ability to display the average temp, check that.

We also need to consider that every time the door is opened, a substantial amount of heat escapes. 

Before replacing any parts, I would recommend that you get a thermometer that is not instant so you can read the average.

As to testing the thermal probe in the oven, most all of them will measure about 1080 ohms at room temperature (70 degrees). If you read a resistance value near that, then you're good.