[rap77]

Our oven has suddenly stopped heating as it should. It's an ancient (came w/home built in 89) Whirlpool that wont get above about 150 degrees.
Can't afford new oven. How can I repair this one?
Thanks!

[Gene]

Pull the range out of the wall. Remove the rear panel and check the wires connected to the Bake and Broil heating elements. Post the results.

Gene.

[rap77]

Okay, I pulled out my range, an insert btw, and removed the rear cover. I saw nothing out of order. Here is a picture from the cell phone. It warms up, just not enough to bake/broil anything in it. What next? Thanks for the help!

[Gene]

Disconnect the wires from the Bake heating element. Check for 120 VAC between each wire and the ground while the selector switch set for Bake and the thermostat set on 350°F. Check for 240 VAC between these wires with the same controls setting.

Post the results.

Gene.

[rap77]

Looking at the picture I posted, left blue wire has 121.8 volts, right blue wire has 01.1 volts and together they have 122.9 volts. I'd say something is wrong based on what you said I should have found.

[Gene]

I'm afraid you did check the wrong wires. The Bake element is the bottom one and per your picture the wires connected to it are red.

Gene.

[rap77]

Okay, finally got back to the oven.
Red wires check as follows.
Left = 122.6 (+/-)
Right = 120.1 (+/-)
Both = 243.5 (+/-)

This seems to be in tolerance for the bake element (bottom).
The top element had one with hardly any voltage at all.

Thanks for your help. My wife is ill w/me because I've drug this out so long.

[Gene]

Sounds like the Bake (bottom) heating element itself is the culprit.

- The Bake element Part number: 308180

Gene.
P.S. To get (and check) voltage to the top element (Broil) you have to turn the selector switch on Broil.

[rap77]

Gene, I'm trusting you on that, seeing that my training on this was in high school, in 1976 & 77. But it doesn't make since to me. Does the voltage to each side of the element have to be exactly 120 and the total exactly 240? I figured "in the ballpark" was a good thing.

Thank you again for your assistance!

[Gene]

The voltage is never the same. It's fluctuating depends on many different things. If the voltage is within 5% range, it's considered normal.

Gene.