GE Self Cleaning Range Won't Clean

December 28, 2005

GE Range

Model: GE GRSL3500ZWW-3

Serial: VB204433V

This is a self cleaning oven model. We have had the oven for a year or 2. We have only used the self cleaning option a couple of times (very stinky - more trouble then it is worth sometimes...) and it worked fine. A couple of months ago I was cooking something (this story is about why husbands should not do much cooking....), and I spilled something (popcorn? - something bulky like that anyways) and I was using the back right burner. That is the burner with the exhaust hole into the oven. The oven was also on, and the burner, so everything was hot, so I just prenteded it didn't happen and continued cooking. Suddenly there was spitzen&sparken so I turned off everything. There was smoke coming out of the exhaust hole, so I looked in it, and it was plugged with burned whatever I dropped in there. I dug it out, but there was a bit left on the screen at the bottom (mostly ash). Everything seemed to work, so no worries. A couple days later, my wife told me there had been more spitzen&sparken. But it never happened again, so out of sight, out of mind, right? Then about a week later, I was being a helper, and we were leaving for the day, so i turned on the selfcleaning thing. Turned it on on the control pad, pulled the lever over, all lights came on, all good. I checked it about 20mins later, and the oven still seemed to be cold, elements not red hot. Opened the oven (pulled the lever - selfclean turns off), and oven is still cold. Oven works fine for cooking. Broiler option (top element) seems to work fine.

So I burned out something to do with selfclean I guess.

Help!

Dan

December 28, 2005

Ok, will have some challenges with this only because it's a Canoodian model number and it doesn't cross over on the Ameedican databases. We can probably work around this using photos and faxes.

Take a couple photos of your range, including the area that treated you with the spitzen&sparken show. You can post 'em here as attachments or upload them online to your favorite photo gallery service and then post a link to them.

Next, you'll need to locate the tech sheet for your range. It's cleverly hidden in the range. Likely hiding spots are inside the control panel (unplug range before opening control panel!) or in the pots drawer area. If you're the original owner of this range and it's never been serviced, then the tech sheet is there, keep looking. If this is a second hand range, it mighta been borrowed by a monkey boy.

Finally, a brief word, if I may, about the self-clean feature in all ovens: THEY SUCK! Don't use it. I see more oven problems caused by using the self-clean feature than anything else, especially on newer-model GE ranges. In light of this profound revelation, you may justifiably consider abandoning your attempts to repair the self-clean feature on this range and consider it a sign from Providence.