GE oven - calling GE service a mistake

[mmorgan101]

I have a GE double wall oven that is 14 years old. My top oven went on the blink - sometimes the baking element would work and sometimes it wouldn't.  The broiler continued to work - it was just the baking element that didn't work.  I had the GE serviceman out to fix the oven and first he said it was the control panel - but that part has been discontinued and he said I would have to purchase a new oven.  I then asked him if he had checked out the baking element (he hadn't thought of that).  He took the element out of the oven but in the process broke off the wire terminal inside the back of the oven.  He then said it was the baking element and proceeded to order a new one.  After that, he begin trying to fix the broken wire terminal.  At that point, I realized he was just trying to stay here as long as he possibly could.  Talking about slow!!  I told him to just leave it since it didn't work anyway.  It took him another 30 minutes before he left.  He was here a total of 1.50 hours and now I cannot even use the broiler or the lower oven which worked before he came here. I will not let him back in my house to fix the oven.  I am going to try to fix it myself.  I will get a ohm meter tomorrow to see if the baking element is at fault.  Where do I find a wire terminal?

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

Wow! That's a pretty good (but in a bad way) appliance war story! I hope you didn't pay doofuss anything. I'm sure you can fix this yourself. Any good hardware store should have terminals. Just match if the size and kind with the other one; usually you can buy them in a mixed box set, very inexpensive. You'll also need wire strippers and crimpers, again not much money. Some pictures of wiring and wiring tools here:

Only thing you might run into is that you may not have much slack in the wire to d the repair. If so, then things get interesting. But we'll cross that bridge when you get to it.

Before you start poking around in there, be sure to kill power to the wall oven first!

[nickfixit]

"sometimes the baking element would work and sometimes it wouldn't"

There is almost zero chance that the element was the original problem. Heat elements have no moving parts, they are either good or bad, no middle ground.

The most likey problem is the relay on the control board. He shouldn't have messed with the element at all, if it worked once while testing, he had his proof it was good.

He was only ordering the element because he broke it, and his faulty logic has left him obligated to try a new element. After he puts it in, you'll still have the original problem.

I thought GE guys got good training, maybe not.

Nick

 

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

[user=425]nickfixit[/user] wrote:

I thought GE guys got good training, maybe not.

I'm wondering if he was GE factory service (wore a GE uniform and are factory trained) or was simply GE "authorized," i.e., an independent who signed a sucker's contract to do GE's warranty work for some ridiculously low fee... and no training.

[mmorgan101]

He was GE service through GE, drove a GE van.  He hasn't charged me anything yet but I will contest any charges with GE.  I just got back from Home Depot with the testing meter to test the baking element and will post the results.

[mmorgan101]

I tested the baking element and it appears to be good so it looks like I will be looking for a new oven.  GE no longer makes the control panel for this oven.  I appreciate your help.

[Samurai Appliance Repair Man]

In case you wanted to try it, here's information on sending your control board out to be repaired: http://fixitnow.com/wp/2004/02/11/mailbag-oven-electronic-control-board-is-broken-and-no-longer-available/