(I’m not sure of the age of the machine as it was sold to me by an old neighbor, but I do know it was well taken care of.)
Good afternoon all. I have an Amana AER5735QAF (Ser#11281069CR) that is having some strange issues with power. What I mean by that is…
The digital display went out the other day while the wife was cooking. I immediately checked my fuse box (yes, fuses) and found no issues. I unplugged the range and took the back cover(s) off in an attempt to find an on-board fuse of some sort, but there are non that I can locate. I plugged it back in, no display. I turned a burner knob to the on position and the display showed the number “30” for a second or two, then went to the clock. At that point I was able to surf through the menus, adjust the clock, start the oven etc. Nothing heated at this time so I turned the knob to off, the display went out again.
After doing some brief research on the internet I was lead to an article that said to check the power at the terminal block. I did not check the terminal block, I simply ordered a replacement and installed it. It did not fix the issue.
Any thoughts? I’d hate to have to buy a new range right now. Living in Michigan and it’s hard times here, not to mention we have a new baby coming soon.
I know people are busy, but has anyone had a chance to read my post? I really would like to avoid paying the hourly wage of a repair tech… for now anyway.
Thanks again for any help you can give.
After doing some brief research on the internet I was lead to an article that said to check the power at the terminal block. I did not check the terminal block, I simply ordered a replacement and installed it. It did not fix the issue.
Why did you replace the terminal block?
What readings did you get?
Have you tried flipping the circuit breaker off/on slowly a couple times?
Sometimes you can loose half the line and the breaker will not trip.
Sounds like you may be missing half the line and then when you turn on a surface element the control board gets power from the pother side of the line through a part.
Does the oven light work?
I think it is also powered by the same side or the line as the control board (l1 to Neutral). AER5735.pdf (349.9 KB)
Thank you for the time and the links. I’m sure those will come in handy.
Terminal Block:
I did not verify the terminal block. I replaced it because I had read that it was the issue for someone with a similar problem. I assumed that it wouldn’t hurt anything to replace it, so I took the gamble.
Circuit Breakers:
I have not tried flipping the breakers as my house is older and still utilizes a fuse box. I did however visually check the fuses and saw no issues. I will re-check the fuses this evening and verify nothing is wrong there.
Oven Light:
The oven light has not worked in quite some time (need to replace the bulb I believe), and this issue started only recently. It was last Thursday to be exact.
I had also read that the Thermostat has some sort of reset that will click on if the tempurature goes over a certain degree. My wife was using the cook top and oven at the same time when the display went out, but that is not an unusual practice for her. I wonder if the thermostat has been tripped?
Thank you again for the time and help. It is greatly appreciated. I will verify the fuses in the fuse box again this evening. I will also attempt to borrow a friends voltmeter to verify the plug, if you think that to be a good step.
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]I wonder if the thermostat has been tripped?[/COLOR]
I doubt it as far as I know the thermostat if you mean the hi-limit switch only kills power to the oven elements.
Yes I would check the power at the plug and the terminal strip.
[COLOR=“Red”]Just be very careful as 220 volts is lethal.[/COLOR]
Not sure how you are checking it.
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]Checked the terminal block; the red wire gives me 121. The white gives me 001. Now I’m really lost.[/COLOR]
Are you using black as the common?
It should be:
White (Neutral) to Red and White to Black, both should be 120 volts.
Red to Black, should be 220 volts.
Unplug it and check the connections from the plug end to the terminal strip using resistance (ohms).
Correct, i was using black as the common. Black to White=001, Black to Red=121, White to Red=122.
I will verify the ends this evening. Do you think it’s safe to have the guys at work make up a new power cord?
Thank you VERY much for all of your help. The wife is really on me for this project.
I would probably just buy a new one. They are not very expensive.
Often the plugs for a home made line cord are bigger and the wire comes out the back so it may interfere with the back of the stove.
Such as AP6983408
Click on the picture for more info on this part.
Perfect. Just ordered it from Home Depot so the wife can pick it up. Sorry, but I need it today.
I’ll report back this evening. Thank you again for the help.
Damn!!!
But at least we are getting some progress.
Start by rechecking the power at the terminal strip with all elements off.
Then turn on a stove top element and recheck it.
Then turn that element off and try a stove top element on the other side.
Each side is wired to a separate plug in the unit.
Then try an oven element.
Just trying to see if any of these effect the input power.
Try running the diagnostics.
The object is to try and narrow down where the problem.
When you say nothing heats I am assuming you mean the oven elements and the stove top elements.
Do any of the stove top on indicator lights work?
Print out Page 8 and 9 of the tech sheet so you have it for reference.
Now you will have to check the wiring inside the unit.
Some colored pencils can be a big help when looking at the diagrams. It is not hard to loose where the wires actually go on the diagram so color in the ones you are interested in.
Check tor any visual signs of a short etc.
If all looks OK.
Then unplug the plug to one side of the stove top elements and give that a try.
If no change
Plug it back in and try the other side.
We are trying to isolate the problem. In this case if a stove top element or it’s control (infinite switch) is messing up the power in the unit.
Just be very very careful. Be sure that none of the connections you undo can short to the frame.
Also be sure to unplg the unit when disconnecting internal plugs etc.
It is not hard to forget this when you are concentrating on tracing wires/troubleshooting. I have done it myself, more than once.
I am going to the cottage for a few days so will not be available.
When it is busy here others do not have time to check posts that another regular is working on so you may want to create a new post with a link to this thread if you need help quickly.
I will check this post before we leave for the lake.
Ok. I’ll check it out this evening and report back.
I can say that the indicator lights DO NOT work. It’s almost like the display is the only thing getting power now.
If you’re still around town; do you think it’d be a safe bet that the infinite switch should be replaced? - Nevermind. I see that the infinite switch is the burner knob, as I’d call it. I’ll have to follow your instructions and pin point which is the problem.
Still seems like a power problem.
All the elements and by the look of it the indicator lights require 240 volts.
For some reason they are not receiving it.
You are getting L1 (black) to Neutral (white) 120 volts as that is what powers the control board.
Ok. I’ll borrow my buddy’s meter again and verify the line and the terminal block. Thanks again for the help with this. I’m sure you’re not getting paid and I truly appreciate it.
Hoping an admin can ban that ^^^ guy. Thanks for the spam, jerk. We’re working on something serious here.
@denman: I might have fixed it. Got a buddy with a “spare” electric range. I’ll let you know. (Now, my furnace isn’t working. I’m having a rough couple of weeks here huh.)
Well. First, I hope you had a good weekend. I swapped out ranges on Saturday. The replacement did the same thing. Display powered, nothing heated. I’m baffled. Thought maybe I needed bigger fuses in the fuse box, but the recommended size was 15Amp, which is what was in there.
OK so we know it is a power problem with the house wiring.
15 amp is way too small for an electric stove. A stove circuit breaker is usually 40 amp and in some cases 50 amp.
Fuse size is dependent on the stove but also on the size of wire going.
40 amp is usually 8 gauge wire.
15 amp would be for 14 gauge wire.
20 amp is 12 gauge
30 amp is 10 gauge
40 amp is 8 gauge
50 amp is 6 gauge
You may want to get an electrician in to check this out.
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]I tried putting a 35amp fuse in, but nothing changed[/COLOR]
I don’t know if the above was just a typo but you said “fuse” and it should be fuses as you need one for each side of the line.
I’ll let you know. (Now, my furnace isn’t working. I’m having a rough couple of weeks here huh.)