[jedhazen]

ok so i just purchased this house and i have a 220 outlet for my range that is a 3 prong plug but my range has a 4 prong plug so i bought the wire to make it a 3 prong plug but have no idea how to install it is there a way to make my 220 wire a 4 prong plug without having to break threw the walls? help

[denman]

ok so i just purchased this house and i have a 220 outlet for my range that is a 3 prong plug but my range has a 4 prong plug so i bought the wire to make it a 3 prong plug
Not sure what you mean by "bought the wire".
If you mean that you bought a 3 prong power cord for the stove then you are on the right track.

but have no idea how to install it is there a way to make my 220 wire a 4 prong plug without having to break threw the walls?
Well it can be done but it is against the wiring code so I would not touch the house wiring.

Not sure how much you know about electrical so the following is just some basic info.
The difference between 4 and 3 prong is:
4 prong, separate Neutral and earth ground (unit's frame) wires.
3 prong, the Neutral and earth ground are the same.

The unit's terminal strip is usually 3 connections.
The outer 2 are power (L1 and L2)
The center is Neutral.
Could also be a + configuration see the below link.

On the current 4 prong the Black and Red (power)wires go to the outer 2 terminals on the strip. The White (Neutral) goes to the center terminal. The Green (earth ground) is attached to the unit's frame.
To covert to 3 prong
The Black and Red go to the outer 2 terminals.
The White goes to the center terminal but also goes to the unit's frame.
Often there is a ground strap in the unit but it will not be connected for 4 prong, you will have to also connect this to the center terminal.

NOTE: This is very important because if the frame is not grounded and a live wire touches the frame, the unit's frame/case will be live. Then if you touch the unit and lets say your faucet (usually grounded) you will get a nasty shock.

Here is additional info on this.
http://www.applianceaid.com/wirehelp.html