Electric Oven will Not Turn Off

[mayhem]

Made some pizza for dinner. They were just about ready so I shut the oven off and left the door shut, a minute later I smelled burning pizza and found that even though the oven controls were i fact set to off, the damn heating element was running a broil+ temps. had to kill the breaker to get it to shut off. After dinner I turned the breaker back on and sure enough, the thing came back on. Its a Kenmore smooth top electric oven.

Did some looking, there is a recall for this, but my oven is not on the recalled list so I'm out of luck...probably time to replace it...its about 8 years old.

Question I have is, is it possible to simply remove the heating elements from the oven and be able to use the cooktop safely? I figure that the element completes the circuit and without it there is no connection and no risk, but am I right or wrong?

If anyone has had this issue and not been covered by the recall, can you share what you did to resolve it? new unit? Repair?

Thanks.

 

[blujacket]

Disconnecting the power @ the EOC (clock) would be the better option. The wiring diagram can usually be found down in the storage drawer area.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

8 yrs is pretty new to be on the fritz. My MIL had a smooth top stove that had the same problem- I wonder if it was the same model

 

[maverick06]

pulling the heating elements makes perfect sence to me. Shouldnt be a problem.

That being said, Ive never done it and know nothing about stoves, so maybe its a deathtrap... but at least the logic is good!

 

[pyper]

You could try calling Kenomre and describing the problem. Even though your model isn't listed on the published list, they might take care of it anyway. Worth a try.

 

[mayhem]

Already called. No dice. Sears says "sorry our oven almost caught fire on you, we'd be happy to send a tech out to look at it. $75 for him to go to your house, time and materials after that." Its was just the call center chick so I didn't get too upset wiht her, she's just doing her job and I doubt she's paid enough to be subjected to the strings of profanities I was ready to hurl her way.

I opted to not do this at this point. Online research indicates its a fairly widespread issue and alot of people actually wound up with their ovens glowing a dim orange and many have actually caught fire (likely from not being cleaned often enough).

I did send an e-mail to the Sears feedback address which did get me a quick request for more info as well as confirmed that my oven is not part of the recall. I requested that I be contacted by the district manager, found a website where someone else with the same model had the same problem and he managed to not only get a full refund, but also Sears came to haul it away for free and he got an additionla $170 for his trouble. I'm not sure how old that person's oven was, but this happened just last summer and the stove has been out of production for a few years now I think.

 

[semipro]

Already called. No dice. Sears says "sorry our oven almost caught fire on you, we'd be happy to send a tech out to look at it. $75 for him to go to your house, time and materials after that." Its was just the call center chick so I didn't get too upset wiht her, she's just doing her job and I doubt she's paid enough to be subjected to the strings of profanities I was ready to hurl her way.

I opted to not do this at this point. Online research indicates its a fairly widespread issue and alot of people actually wound up with their ovens glowing a dim orange and many have actually caught fire (likely from not being cleaned often enough).

I did send an e-mail to the Sears feedback address which did get me a quick request for more info as well as confirmed that my oven is not part of the recall. I requested that I be contacted by the district manager, found a website where someone else with the same model had the same problem and he managed to not only get a full refund, but also Sears came to haul it away for free and he got an additionla $170 for his trouble. I'm not sure how old that person's oven was, but this happened just last summer and the stove has been out of production for a few years now I think.

I don't know ovens that well well but I'll bet there's a relay for element control. If there is one, it may be stuck closed as the contacts degraded. Likely other causes might be a defective thermostat or control panel. I'm betting a stove that new uses a thermistor for temp sensing with inputs to a control panel which controls the element relay.

I'd be surprised if you couldn't diagnose the problem online. There are some good appliance repair help sites out there.

 

[Later]

Poke around this site and see if you can find the problem
http://fixitnow.com/wp/2007/12/01/ovenrange-troubleshooting-and-repair-manual/

Other appliance sites that I use
http://www.repairclinic.com/
http://www.applianceaid.com/
http://forum.doityourself.com/kitchen-laundry-large-electric-appliances-1/

 

[benjamin]

Did you try any gentle persuasion? I've had a couple of cars develop relay issues that had to be kicked just right to start, they weren't as likely to start on fire though. It shouldn't be too hard to trace the circuit if you exhaust your efforts with the manufacturer.

 

[fbelec]

hey mayhem

if it is the control that is bad might be costly. if you want to disconnect your element in your oven that easy too. pull the stove then the back cover. you see where the wires come thru from the elements unhook them there then tape them or wirenut them and that should be that. if you just want to remove your elements it is either one screw or two from inside the oven.
most likely the whole clock and oven control is one thing. call a parts store and see what it costs before you pull it out. might be one of those projects that is easy but you don't want to forget how if you have to wait for the part if you know what i mean.
appliances are very easy but the replacement cost for parts are the killer. i had a customer that had a dryer stop heating. turned out to be the timer. it was a hotpoint. she bought the dryer 2 years earlier new. by the time i could get the obsolete part and install it her price would have been 350.00 she bought the dryer for 499.00

just a story with a lesson.

good luck
frank

 

[mayhem]

Bought a new GE stove last night. Delvery is a week from today, so I might pull the Kenmore apart and see if its an easy fix and CL the thing to recover some of the cost of the new stove. My wife will not trust it under any circumstances so a replacement was mandatory in this case, regardless of what Sears does for me.

 

[blujacket]

What's the model # of the range? I'll tell you what we sell the part for.

 

[mayhem]

790.95664103

 

[blujacket]

Frigidaire part # 316557522 $89.99

 

[mayhem]

What is that part? Google says its the clock, but I assume it must also be the whole control assembly that has the relays that get stuck closed or something? Since the ove was shut down before it could be damamged, maybe this part would get it operational again?

Thanks.

 

[blujacket]

Yes,the clock. There are two relays on it that control the oven elements. This is a common problem on all ranges, for all brands. These are not replaceable through the manufacturer,you have to buy the clock assy.. We sell a ton of these, for all makes & models.

 

[mayhem]

Is the failure of the part obvious to a physical inspection so I can confirm the bad part before I buy one?

Thanks for the help!

 

[blujacket]

You may see evidence or it may smell burnt.

 

[mayhem]

Cool, I'll check it tonight and see.

 

[fbelec]

you should hear the relays click when the oven comes to the set temp and hear more as it holds the temp that is set. and the relay that is stuck should be discolored from the contacts welding themselves. now keep in mind that if the temp sensor in the oven is bad and the control reads cold from the sensor you could also have the same problem.

 

[pastera]

Probably controlled by Triacs or solid state relays - Triacs are cheaper than relays and operate silently (bean counter choice)

The problem with Triacs (or solid state relays) is that they fail short (on) and can easily be damaged from shoot through on a spike. Derating can insure this doesn't happen but cost concerns limit design parameters to the warranty period.

you should be able to trace the circuit back from the connector to find the switching device - post a close up of the board and I'll try to point out the right part to check. If you don't know how to solder or have a meter then buy the whole assembly (cheaper then buying the tools).

Aaron

 

[heat seeker]

My GE stove uses relays to control the oven and broiler elements. I have often wondered what would happen if the relays stuck - now I know! Apparently relays are cheaper in this case, or maybe they're required by some code…?
I have seen them for myself, the schematic shows them, and I can hear them clicking on and off to control the element. I did have the element burn out and catch on fire while preheating the stove. Very small fire, but any food in there would have been ruined with all of the particles that blew out of the element. Stove only 4 years old, moderate use. Wire to the element was so short that it snapped back into the stove when I undid it from the element. Had to pull the back of the stove off to fish it out. Cheap b*******s couldn't use 2" more wire...