I have gone back and started the broiler to see how it reacted and with the oven door open realized that the noise I am hearing is from what appears to be the back of the oven wall. The noise sounds off just before the ignitor lights the gas. It is not the ignitor making the sound. It's like a relay switch or something that triggers either the electricity to the ignitor or the gas to the burner. Thanks for any help you can give me. I called Pacific Sales and they didn't know off hand.

I had the warranty service man come out and he said that all of these valves make a noise, some more than others. It's a valve used on many Whirlpool and Kitchenaid stoves for at least the past 4 years. Kitchenaid sent a new valve but only the broiler is quieter. The oven still has the loud knock.

The technician from A&E Factory Service said that the cycling (range relighting every 60 seconds) is normal for this model. I thought it should work like any thermostat and only turn off when the temperature had been reached and then relight when the temp drops, but he said this is normal.

The fact that the knocking sound from the solenoid improved on the broiler but was still loud on the bake suggests that the quality control on these valves really varies.