Hello! I have a GE XL44 range, model JGBP35WEW1WW, running on propane.

It was converted to propane by the appliance store when I purchased it new (years ago).

The top burners are fine, but the oven has always had orange/yellow flames visible when heating. It has also produced quite a bit of soot, and I’ve periodically felt like I smelled gas (ONLY when the oven is on -- although my gas/CO2 detector hasn’t gone off when I thought I smelled gas).

I had a tech out, early on, because of thinking I smelled gas. He said he didn’t smell any gas and that there were no problems. This was my first propane range, so I didn’t realize that the large orange/yellow flames and soot aren’t normal and just reckoned if he said it was fine, it was fine.

Recently I acquired a housemate who has had a lot of experience with propane ranges. She said no way, no how, is that oven supposed to behave as it’s doing.

That gave me enough keywords to hit Google and get confirmation.

I now suspect that the oven portion of the conversion to LP gas was either done wrong or perhaps never even done at all. Does this seem the likeliest explanation to you?

We’re way out in the boonies, and – before we even consider $$$ -- just flat-out GETTING a tech to make a service call out here is as much as your life is worth.

Is this a viable DIY task to undertake? Housemate and I are both old and thus not great contortionists, but we do have a more limber young friend who is willing to tackle it, if he can feel confident he’s probably not going to blow us all up or burn the place down by doing so. (From what I can suss out online, it almost looks as if the hardest part is going to be moving the range and/or adjacent cabinets to get access from the back of the range, but the instructions aren’t even entirely clear about whether access is indeed from the back or from the front with the bottom drawer removed.)

Thanks for any light you can shed!