Gas Ranges

Warning! To avoid personal injury or even death, always disconnect your appliance from its power source--that is, unplug it or break the connection at the circuit breaker or fuse box-before you do any troubleshooting or repair work on your appliance. Also, because some components may have sharp edges, use caution while working on your appliance.

 

It's stopped completely Not all gas ranges/ovens require electricity. If yours has a clock, electronic igniters, self-cleaning, or any other electrical features, the unit needs electricity to work properly. Check to see whether there's power getting to the range/oven. Does anything turn on--even a light? If not, check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker.

It won't bake If your oven won't bake, check these:

 

Bake igniter

Usually when an oven won't bake, it's because the bake igniter is weak or burned out. The igniter is a small, round or rectangular device, that's about 1 inch by 4 to 8 inches. It's near the burner itself.

The burner is the tube-type device the gas flows through before it's ignited. It has many small holes on the sides to let the gas, when ignited, form a long, low flame. If the igniter is weak, if it glows red but doesn't get hot enough, or if it's burned out, the gas doesn't flow to the burner and the burner won't ignite. If this is the problem, you may need to replace the igniter or (very rarely, the gas safety valve). Usually the igniter is to blame.  NOTE: The igniter can still glow, but be too weak to ignite a flame.  Even though the igniter glows, you may still have a bad ignitor.

Other causes
Other reasons that your oven may not bake are:

It bakes poorly Here are two instances of when food "bakes poorly:"

When the item takes far too long to finish, you probably have a weak bake igniter. Often, you need to replace the igniter, but you may want to troubleshoot the oven's electrical system further to more precisely locate the defect.

When the temperature is consistent but too high or too low, the oven thermostat or sensor is either mis-calibrated or defective. If your oven uses an electronic temperature-regulating device, you may have an electric sensor in the oven instead of a mechanical thermostat. If the oven temperature is off by 30 to 40 degrees in this type of unit, you must replace the sensor.

On many units with a mechanical thermostat, you can remove the thermostat knob and adjust the knob itself to more accurately represent the actual setting of the thermostat. If, when you remove the knob, there's a screw on the back of it with a small calibration plate, you can loosen the screw, adjust the plate, then tighten the screw again. If the knob isn't adjustable, and the oven temperature is off by more than 30 to 40 degrees, you need to replace the thermostat to solve the problem.

It won't broil If your oven won't broil, check these:

Broil igniter Usually, when an oven won't broil, it's because the broil igniter is weak or burned out. The igniter is a small, round or rectangular device, about 1 inch by 4 to 8 inches. It's near the burner itself.

The burner is the tube-type device the gas flows through before it's ignited. It has many small holes on the sides to let the gas, when ignited, form a long, low flame. If the igniter is weak, if it glows red but doesn't get hot enough, or if it's burned out, the gas doesn't flow to the burner and the burner won't ignite. If this is the problem, you may need to replace the igniter or the safety valve. Usually the igniter is to blame.


Other causes
Other reasons that your oven may not broil are:

A burner doesn't work
The most common problem for gas surface burners is that they get gas but don't light. This is generally caused by dirt or grease splatters on the burner itself. Residential-grade range/stove burners are round and have small holes around their perimeter to allow gas to flow out and create a round flame. The gas coming from these holes is often ignited by a small vertical row of holes on the side of the burner. If these vertical holes are clogged or obstructed, the gas can't ignite.

The solution is to clean the burners thoroughly. Use a toothpick to clear the small vertical holes, then allow the burner to dry completely and try lighting it again. If it doesn't light immediately, either repeat the procedure or call a qualified appliance repair technician.

It won't bake or broil
If neither the oven nor the broiler heats, but the range burners still work, the clock may be set for a timed or self-cleaning cycle. Check to be sure the clock buttons and knobs are set properly. If your clock has a knob that says "push for man(ual)," push the knob in and try heating the oven and broiler again. If they still don't work properly, you probably have a defect in the thermostat, selector switch, or common wiring.

Note… If the oven doesn't have a separate bake/broil/etc. selector switch, the problem is often with the thermostat. It's not easy to check the selector switch or thermostat for proper operation. If you suspect a problem with either of these, call a qualified appliance repair technician.

The clock stopped
The non-electronic clocks on gas range/ovens often don't last long. That's a problem, because the clock is essential to the self-cleaning and timed-bake features. Clocks are rarely repairable--you usually just have to replace them.

Electronic clocks have been more reliable. But, they're often integrated with several other features of the range/oven. So when the clock develops a defect, it often renders the entire oven and broiler inoperative. The electronic clock is usually integrated with a circuit board, and the touchpad that holds the buttons you press is often a separate component. If your electronic clock is defective, you may need to replace the touchpad, circuit board, or both. Although these may be expensive, they aren't usually very complicated to replace.

The oven light doesn't work
The interior oven light in most ovens is a standard 40 watt appliance bulb. Often, to change the bulb, you first need to remove a shield or glass dome. If the bulb isn't burned out, the problem may be with the switch on the oven door frame. If the switch works poorly, intermittently, or not at all, you need to replace it.

There's a self-cleaning problem
The self-cleaning system on a gas oven is fairly complex. To be able to set and use the self-cleaning feature, you need to read and understand the owner's manual. If you have problems with this system, call a qualified appliance repair technician.

The door won't close
If your oven door has gotten bent or warped (maybe you rested something heavy on it…), you need to remove the door, disassemble it, and straighten it. You can lift most oven doors off of their hinges by opening the door several inches to its first "stop," and lifting the entire door straight up.

If the hinges have become worn, damaged, or bent, you probably need to replace them. We recommend replacing both hinges at the same time, to prevent uneven wear of the undamaged hinge.

An indicator light doesn't work
When an indicator light has stopped working, you may be able to replace just the bulb--but you usually have to replace the entire light assembly.

The oven is hot on the outside
It may be normal for your oven to become quite warm on the outside during baking, broiling, or self-cleaning. In some cases, the front door of an oven can become too hot to comfortably touch. I f the integrity of the door seal is poor, heat could escape from the oven and cause the overheating. Consult a qualified appliance repair technician.

Note… If you suspect that any part of the oven is dangerously hot, turn the oven off immediately and consult a qualified appliance repair technician.

I smell gas!
Warning! If you smell gas coming from your range/oven, you may be in danger! You may, of course, get a brief whiff of gas as you light a surface burner, but if you smell gas at any other time, turn off the gas to the appliance immediately. Then call your local gas company and ask them to pinpoint the source of the gas. If the problem is with the range/oven, have a qualified appliance repair technician repair it.