Just a bit over six months ago we purchased a GE Profile Model P2S975SEM2SS Slide In Range and Oven from a nearby Sears Outlet here in Virginia as part of our on-the-cheap kitchen remodeling. It worked just fine until the last month or so when it began intermittently and temporarily losing power, occasionally shutting off whenever the oven was used, only to restore power after it had cooled down again, after which it all seemed to work fine for a time. Now this problem has become no longer just "intermittent." Now it seems that every time the oven is used, either convection or bake, it will begin heating up, showing the temperature's gradual rise on the control panel. After a few minutes, sometimes sooner, and before the desired temperature is reached, it seems there is a sort of low "whooshing" sort of sound from within that reminds me of a gas oven or furnace igniting, though it certainly could be something else. At the same time the readouts on the control panel seem to dim and then go black, along with all other electrical functions of the unit such as the oven light, range burner igniters and so forth. After a time (which varies, presumably according to the temperature that the oven had reached and its cooling down), the control panel will flash on all its displays in a sort of colorful Christmassy gibberish, sometimes a couple of times, after which just the clock will be flashing and the oven light and other electrical functions like range igniters will be restored.

Any ideas? I tried running it through a cleaning cycle a couple of weeks ago on the off chance that some sensor inside the oven might just be skoodged up by the buildup of greasy vapors, the cumulative revenge of the couple of hundred chickens that have been roasted within, but since then this problem has only become more pronounced (though the inside of the oven now looks squeaky clean). Now this weird temporary power outage thing happens pretty much every time.

Since we bought it less than a year ago, I assume it's still under warranty, and we could probably get a service guy out to look at it for free, but if it's something really simple...

Since this is my first posting to this forum, I really should take this opportunity to thank you all, since the advice and tips posted here already saved me a bundle patching up our old clothes dryer.

cmckee63,

Sorry to hear that you're having something like the same problems we had with your GE Profile range. It took two tech visits about a year apart under the original warranty and then under an extended service plan before we finally got it all sorted out. They replaced the range's control panel, then came by several months later to try a second one, but it turned out to be a lousy power supply at the 220 wall outlet. The geniuses who did the kitchen appliances and required 220 outlet installation hadn't bothered to tighten down the outlet's screws properly. The power leads of the outlet were hardly even finger tight, if that. The copper leads were just sort of hanging there draped over the screws, so the range was only getting a sort of "raggedy" half-ass juice. I suppose the heat of the oven made the outlet's power connection drop off when the outlet and cable's various metals expanded. The tech was kind enough to sort out the outlet and leave the perfectly good swapped out control panel as a spare for later, just in case. It's been years, and since then no problems.

The last tech who visited (and discovered and fixed the REAL problem about the power outlet) also showed me how to "reboot" and reset the range's control panel, and assuming its power outlet is OK and it's well plugged in, I have a hunch that a simple reset might just cure your range's woes. With our GE Profile Model P2S975SEM2SS, after a full powering down (at the fuse box), power it back up after a minute or so. The digital display will briefly display all LED segments (i.e. the Christmas lights), then briefly display "LOCK REF", then display the LED segments again for 30 seconds, and then the "LOC REF" message again continuously. For digital keypads like ours, press the <6> and <8> keys simutaneously (for "slew" type keypads on similar models press <Hour Down> and <Minute Up> simultaneously). The control pad should now display the time and date and operate properly.

A somewhat longer reboot sequence if the control panel is opened or the above sequence does not start it properly is as follows:

1. Power down and power back up
2. Press <Bake> and <Broil> keys simultaneously
3. Press <9> and <0> simultaneously for 3 seconds
4. Wait about 20 seconds after time of day is displayed
5. Press <1> and <5> keys simultaneously
6. Control will go blank then the LED lights display, "LOC REF" briefly displays, then the lights again, and finally "LOC REF" displays continuously.
7. Press the <6> and <8> keys simultaneously. That should be it.