7 Reasons Your Oven Isn’t Working and How To Fix the Problems
It’s frustrating for your whole family when the oven won’t heat. By following some easy DIY tips, you may be able to fix the oven yourself. That would make your whole household happy.
1. No Power
Neither a gas nor electric oven will heat if it doesn’t have power. Reset the house circuit breaker(s) when your oven is completely dead. Find the breaker panel in your home and shut off the house circuit breaker or breakers for your range and then switch the breaker(s) back on. A gas oven will have one breaker while an electric oven will have 2 breakers. The pair of breaker switches for an electric oven are typically connected together with a metal clip. Shutting off the breaker(s) and then switching the breaker(s) back on may restore power to your oven so it works properly again.
2. Control Panel Fuse is Blown
If resetting the house circuit breaker(s) doesn’t restore power to the oven, then a fuse in the control panel may be blown. Some Whirlpool wall ovens have a thermal fuse in the power supply wire going to electronic control board behind the control panel display. If you’re confident in your appliance DIY repair skills, follow these steps to access and check that fuse using a multimeter:
Shut off the house circuit breakers for the wall oven to completely disconnect electrical power.
Pull the wall oven slightly out of the cabinet and open the control panel or remove the top panel to access the electronic control board behind the control panel display.
With the multimeter set to measure resistance, check for continuity through the thermal fuse in the black power supply wire going to the electronic control board.
If the multimeter measures infinite resistance through the fuse, then the fuse is blown and you’ll need to replace it.
If the meter measures continuity (near 0 ohms of resistance) through the fuse then the control panel fuse is okay.
3. Bad Transformer
If the control panel fuse is okay (or your wall oven doesn’t have a control panel fuse), then a bad transformer could be preventing the control panel from powering up.
Many wall ovens have a transformer that converts high voltage power to low voltage AC or DC power to operate the electronic control board and control panel.
When the transformer goes bad, it won’t supply power to the electronic control board to light up the display and operate the oven.
Checking the transformer is a task that is best left to a service technician because the tech will need to check live voltages going to and coming from the transformer. Schedule a Sears Technician to diagnose and repair your oven if you suspect that the transformer is bad.
If you're desperate to fix your oven and you suspect that the transformer is bad, then replacing that component yourself may fix the oven. A bad transformer will often buzz before it completely gives out. If you noticed this symptom before the control panel went dead, then you have a greater chance of success in fixing the oven yourself by replacing the transformer without having a service technician diagnose the oven failure.
4. Failed Electronic Control Board
A failed electronic control board could be preventing the control panel from powering up. When a component shorts out on the circuit board, you’ll typically see a burnt spot on the control board. Shut off power to the wall oven and check the electronic control board for burn marks or melted components.
If you find visible damage on the circuit board, you’ll need to replace it by following these basic steps:
Shut off the house circuit breaker(s) for the oven to completely disconnect electrical power.
Pull the oven out slightly and access the electronic control board in the control console.
Take a digital picture of the wires connected to the control board to use as a guide in connecting the wires to the new control board.
Disconnect the wires from the existing control board and remove it from the oven.
Use a grounding strap to dissipate static electricity from your hands and attach the new electronic control board in the oven.
Using the photo of the wire connections as a guide, connect the wires to the new electronic control board.
Reassemble the wall oven and reinstall it in the cabinet.
Restore power and test oven operation.
If the oven doesn’t work after replacing the electronic control board, you’ll likely need to schedule a Sears Technician to fix the oven.
5. Gas Oven Won’t Heat Up—Bad Igniter
When the controls work but your gas oven won’t heat up, the problem is often caused by a bad igniter.
Of course, you’ll want to check the gas supply going to the oven first. If the oven is getting gas, the next then you’ll need to check is the igniter.
Pull the bottom panel out of your cold oven. Start the oven and see if the igniter glows.
If the igniter glows you may be convinced it’s working and want to replace the safety gas valve. But the safety gas valve rarely fails. The igniter can glow but not get hot enough to open the safety gas valve. In fact, this is the most frequent failure when an oven burner won't ignite even though the igniter is glowing bright. Replacing the igniter in this situation usually fixes the problem.
If you're uncertain whether your glowing igniter has failed, you can have a trained service technician check the amp draw through the igniter circuit.
If the igniter doesn’t glow, follow the troubleshooting steps in this Sears PartsDirect YouTube video to diagnose and fix the oven heating problem:
6. Electric Oven Won’t Heat—Tripped Thermal Switch
When an electric oven won’t heat even though the controls work, the culprit is often a tripped thermal switch on the back of the oven. This safety switch trips when it detects that the oven is getting too hot. This can happen during the self-clean cycle as the oven uses extremely high temperature to burn off spills and residue inside the oven cavity in that mode.
When your oven won’t heat after running the self-clean cycle, you may be able to fix the problem by pressing the red reset button on the thermal switch. Our Resetting the Thermal Switch DIY video shows you how to accomplish this task yourself.
Not all ovens have a resettable thermal switch on the back of the oven. Some models use a non-resettable thermal fuse. When the thermal fuse blows, you’ll need to replace it.
After resetting the thermal switch or replacing the thermal fuse, reinstall your oven in the cabinet and restore power. See if the oven heats. If it does, you've probably fixed the problem. Keep in mind that repeated tripping of the thermal switch will weaken this component.
Replace the thermal switch if it won't reset or if it trips repeatedly during normal oven operation. Our How to Replace the Thermal Switch in a Wall Oven Repair Guide with Video shows you how.
If the oven overheats in the normal baking mode or doesn't heat after resetting the thermal switch, then you'll need to have a service technician examine the oven and repair the problem.
7. Oven Doesn’t Heat Properly—Bad Temperature Sensor
If the oven isn't heating to the baking temperature you set — it's too hot or not hot enough — the oven temperature sensor could be malfunctioning.
You may be able adjust the oven control to fix a baking problem when oven temperature is off by 15 degrees or less. Our How to Correct an Oven’s Temperature Setting DIY article explains how.
If the actual temperature differs from the set temperature by more than 15 degrees, you may need to replace the oven temperature sensor. Our How to Replace the Oven Temperature Sensor YouTube Video shows you how to install a new temperature sensor in your oven.
These DIY tips may help you resolve the 7 most common oven problems without having to call a service technician. When an oven failure occurs during the holidays, it can be difficult to get a technician out to your home right away. Fixing the oven yourself may be your only option when you desperately need the oven for holiday baking.
Most common symptoms to help you fix your ranges
Choose a symptom to see related range repairs.
Main causes: power supply failure, blown thermal fuse, bad relay control board, damaged terminal block, wiring failure…
Main causes: faulty temperature sensor, electronic control board problem, control thermostat failure, weak burner ignite…
Main causes: broken broiler element, weak or broken broil burner igniter, control system failure, faulty temperature sen…
Main causes: bad bake element, broken burner igniter, control system failure, blown thermal fuse, faulty temperature sen…
Main causes: broken oven door lock assembly, wiring failure, electronic control board problem…
Main causes: food splatters, spilling food on the oven door, allowing liquid to drip through oven door vent when cleanin…
Main causes: power supply problem, control thermostat or electronic control board failure, broken element, bad burner ig…
Most common repair guides to help fix your ranges
These step-by-step repair guides will help you safely fix what’s broken on your range.
How to replace a range oven door switch
The oven door switch detects whether the oven door is closed and helps control the oven light. Replace the switch if it …
How to replace a range oven door lock assembly
Oven door not locking? You can replace the lock assembly in less than 30 minutes. Here's how.…
Effective articles & videos to help repair your ranges
Use the advice and tips in these articles and videos to get the most out of your range.
Learn how to clean and maintain your stove to keep it in top shape.…
Troubleshoot and repair problems with your range when your oven door locks shut and you can't get it open.…
Learn how to use a multimeter to check for wiring problems in an appliance that's not working…