igniter issues whirlpool slide in gas range weg515s0fs How do I remove the top?

[ctdahle]

I need to open the top of this thing to clean out the mess that a well meaning child made by trying to "clean" the stove top.

Is there a way to remove the top and get at the pan underneath the burner orifices by releasing some spring clips that I cannot find or do I really have to pull it out of the cabinet and remove...looks like a couple dozen fasteners of different sizes and types in order to dissassemble the top?

It appears that the top and the control panel, and the oven vent are all a single stamped steel part, and that to clean the pan, I have a major project.

The kid found a recipe on the internet for a thick, sticky magic cleaning goop composed of dish soap, baking soda and who knows what else. I've vacuumed out what I can, but there's still a lot of sticky messy down in the air orifices. I can light the burners with a match, but three of the four ignitors won't spark. I'll check continuity first, but I suspect I'll have to replace them. That too will require me to get the top apart.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[WOOKIE]

If you go to appliance parts pro.com and input the model number you can see a illustrated breakdown of the range.  From there you can see any screw's holding down the top. 

[16345Ed]

Slide in ranges often have quite a bit of disassembly to get top off. 

[16345Ed]

1. Remove all grates, burner caps and burner bases from the cooktop.

2. Remove 2 burner mounting screws from each of the 5 burners.

3. Open oven door and remove 3 screws from the bottom of the control panel assembly.

4. Snap out the plastic lower control panel cover.

5. Remove 2 screws from each of the cooktop mounting brackets (2).

6. From behind the range, remove 1 screw from each of the cooktop mounting brackets (underside 2).

7. Lift the cooktop from the back and remove

[Terry Carmen]

It looks like there are screws on a couple of brackets behind the console, but you'll need to remove the console to get at the, Also, a whole bunch of orifice holder screws where you'll probably snap at least a few.  (#2 in Ed's description above)

I'd quote them all the parts and labor you think it's going to be, then add in all the orifice holders and their screws and tell them it could be "this much" depending on how it comes apart. Also make sure you can actually get all the parts first. If you start snapping off uncooperative screws and can't get the parts, you could be leaving them with an unusable range.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Terry Carmen

[ctdahle]

Thanks all.

Terry, If I bill my kid for the cost of repair, he'll have to pay it back by shoveling snow. Oh! Look...we are having a blizzard this morning. But I agree that if I do decide to tear it apart, I should have all replacement parts on hand...hate to buy parts until I've checked things with a meter though.

16345ed, I am keeping your instructions in reserve. Those two screws behind the range are going to be the big problem because it doesn't want to come out of it's recess. (Two layers of new flooring installed by a previous homeowner creates a lip that traps the range and the dishwasher.)

So I tried a different approach and it seemed to work.

I used a borescope to see inside under the cook top. There was cleaning goop on the terminals of the ignitors at the offending burners, shorting them out I suppose. I knocked off as much "goop" as I could with an arsenal of modified tooth brushes. I reworked a WaterPick tip to gently irrigate the area with clean water. I used a kit of small shop vac cleaning wands intended for electronics to get inside and suck up the mess throughout. Once I understood the geography under the cook top I could mostly manipulate the cleaning tools by feel and just used the borescope to make sure I didn't snag the igniter wires. It all went pretty well.

Once it was all clean I lit the burners with a match to heat up everything and dry it out. This got 3 of the 4 working, all but the tiny "keep warm" back left burner which had always been wonky. This morning all four ignitors work.

[16345Ed]

3 minutes ago, ctdahle said:

Two layers of new flooring installed by a previous homeowner creates a lip that traps the range and the dishwasher.)

Uh oh, what happens when they do expire? Kitchen remodel I guess. 
 

I see this all the time. Lazy contractors  and DIYs don’t care about future problems this creates. 
 

When I see this and a customer tells me their contractor did it I tell them to call the contractor and have them remove it.  I don’t deal with “trapped” appliances. 
 

Unfortunately for you, you inherited the situation. 

[ctdahle]

Yeah, House was built in 1929 and there have been a series of questionable remodeling choices since.

When I bought it 3 years ago I was feeling a lot younger.

[16345Ed]

Well you did a heck of a job cleaning it. I’d call it good for now.