WFG520S0AW1 Whirlpool Gas Oven Intermittent Ignition Problem at Low Temp

[Bryan C]

Whirlpool oven ignites intermittently when baking at low temperatures under 300. Sometimes it will ignite right away, other times it will go through the ignition sequence (gas comes on, igniter fires four times, gas ignites or turns off) three times. If it fails to ignite after the third sequence it will do nothing until I turn it off and try again. On the next try it may or may not ignite. Sometimes it will work for hours and sometimes it will be a headache for hours. Sometimes it will ignite when I first turn it on, come up to temp and fail upon the next call for heat. When I bake at more common temps like 350 it will work fine, usually igniting on the first click.

The broiler and cook top burners work with no problems.

The only part I've replaced is the spark igniter but the same behavior continued.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Fall is coming and I do a lot of low and slow braising. Usually Im pretty good at figuring these things out but Im at my wits end with this one.

Thanks

[Hiroshi]

This is a DSI system and there are a few known problems with these... The spark ignition routine on these is heavily reliant on the gas distribution valve and a good ground. If the burner tube has any corrosion around where the screw mounts it to the frame, burnish the surfaces (brush the metal until it shines) and screw it back down.  Follow the Bake electrode lead from the board to the burner and make sure it is not being pulled tightly around any sharp corners. During a failure, I would want to have my eyes riveted on where the spark jumps near the bake burner, because if you hear the "tap, tap, tap" of the spark emitter and no spark occurs at the electrode tip, you know the pulse is being diverted.

Taking all the connectors off at the board and re-attaching them is a great first move on these to combat poor connections too...

IF you have a meter and want to get familiar with the gas valve, this looks like a new design on the distribution valve where Bake and Broil have two terminals each, but: 

  Check between each solenoid for 216 ohms resistance. (Measure between the two Broil valve terminals marked B and between the two Bake valve terminals marked

 NOTE: Always check both solenoids. If one of the solenoids is defective, neither one will work. -------> 

21 minutes ago, Bryan C said:

If it fails to ignite after the third sequence it will do nothing until I turn it off and try again.

This is normal, it is designed that way.

If none of the previous suggestions has an effect, I would inspect the main board for failing solder joints...

[Bryan C]

Thanks for the quick response. This weekend I'll take a look considering your suggestions and post back with my results on Monday.

[lvasquez11]

Part number: W10700720

 

[BrewHobbyTech]

On 9/1/2016 at 0:30 PM, Hiroshi said:

This is a DSI system and there are a few known problems with these... The spark ignition routine on these is heavily reliant on the gas distribution valve and a good ground. If the burner tube has any corrosion around where the screw mounts it to the frame, burnish the surfaces (brush the metal until it shines) and screw it back down.  Follow the Bake electrode lead from the board to the burner and make sure it is not being pulled tightly around any sharp corners. During a failure, I would want to have my eyes riveted on where the spark jumps near the bake burner, because if you hear the "tap, tap, tap" of the spark emitter and no spark occurs at the electrode tip, you know the pulse is being diverted.

Taking all the connectors off at the board and re-attaching them is a great first move on these to combat poor connections too...

IF you have a meter and want to get familiar with the gas valve, this looks like a new design on the distribution valve where Bake and Broil have two terminals each, but: 

  Check between each solenoid for 216 ohms resistance. (Measure between the two Broil valve terminals marked B and between the two Bake valve terminals marked

 NOTE: Always check both solenoids. If one of the solenoids is defective, neither one will work. -------> 

This is normal, it is designed that way.

If none of the previous suggestions has an effect, I would inspect the main board for failing solder joints...

This is a great post and good advice for any pro or amateur out there....just wish I would've posted it. Good job bro. Hey....this should actually be pinned....or however something like that works on this forum. 

I used to carry a wire brush on the truck but somehow they always get lost. Of course plumbers sandpaper is a must to have at all times also. With the newer boards and spark ignitions/ignitors.......you must have a good ground, or else you will get an intermittent problem, or the oven will not light at all. The spark ignitor is the most common problem, and should just be replaced. You'll get the least call backs by doing this and will likely solve the problem 80-90% of the time. If that doesn't solve the problem then you go deeper......but if you're out in the boonies......a wire brush and/or sandpaper......and making sure all the grounds are clean and secure.......you may be able to fix the problem about 40-50% of the time.....or at least temporarily fix it....and I've had a couple temp fixes last 4-10 months, but what solved the problem both times was replacing the spark ignitor. 

The thing about these newer spark ignitors is that they have a small 1/16" long(and very thin) metal that's attatched to the bracket......and that's where the actual spark hits.......or where it was designed to make contact to ground. The thing is.....after time, that little bitty piece of metal disintegrates....and gets shorter and shorter.....and it doesn't get the spark it should. I've cleaned a few of these off with sandpaper and they've lasted a couple weeks or a couple months, but I've always got a callback when I did this. I learned........now I just replace the ignitor. Haven't had a callback yet......but there's always a first time......... Hey they are somewhat of a newer item out there......and depending where you're located in the country and what is popular in the market there.....you'll see a lot of these or you'll see them every once in a while. Hey, they're popular enough and cheap enough where this is a must item to stock on your truck. 

Again.....good Job Hiroshi.....that was a pretty good post.......I don't suppose you're gonna send me a six pack or anything like that are ya??...........LMAO    Hey, peace out bro.......  

[BrewHobbyTech]

Oh crap......I also have to thank Ivasquez11 for posting the entire kit for some of these units. That's actually a great price.....something I should definitely stock, but I have an old kit I bought around 8 or more years ago that I haven't used yet.....because it's different, they changed the crap(design) behind my back......and what I have is most likely just bad crap.......but if and when I find a use for it.......I'll definitely use it...... 

 

[mikeyjd]

On 9/1/2016 at 0:30 PM, Hiroshi said:

This is a DSI system and there are a few known problems with these... The spark ignition routine on these is heavily reliant on the gas distribution valve and a good ground. If the burner tube has any corrosion around where the screw mounts it to the frame, burnish the surfaces (brush the metal until it shines) and screw it back down.  Follow the Bake electrode lead from the board to the burner and make sure it is not being pulled tightly around any sharp corners. During a failure, I would want to have my eyes riveted on where the spark jumps near the bake burner, because if you hear the "tap, tap, tap" of the spark emitter and no spark occurs at the electrode tip, you know the pulse is being diverted.

Taking all the connectors off at the board and re-attaching them is a great first move on these to combat poor connections too...

IF you have a meter and want to get familiar with the gas valve, this looks like a new design on the distribution valve where Bake and Broil have two terminals each, but: 

  Check between each solenoid for 216 ohms resistance. (Measure between the two Broil valve terminals marked B and between the two Bake valve terminals marked

 NOTE: Always check both solenoids. If one of the solenoids is defective, neither one will work. -------> 

This is normal, it is designed that way.

If none of the previous suggestions has an effect, I would inspect the main board for failing solder joints...

Thanks!

[Hiroshi]

They added more orifices on the burner tube where the ignitor mounts, if you have an older burner tube with fewer holes than the tube pictured in Ivasquez' post, replacing it fixes stubborn ignition in many cases. To this day, I spell ignitor or igniter randomly, I've seen it spelled both ways by different manufacturers...

Glad this post is helpful!