Hi,
I recently replaced a corroded bake element in my oven. Broiler and cook top worked fine. After changing out the element and upon closing the breaker, the element heated up red hot with the oven temperature set to off. I pulled the back off, removed the new element and measured the voltage at the element terminals (yellow and red)- 238 volts.
I had read on your site that if the element failed by shorting (not sure if this was the case), then the bake relay contacts may have welded shut. So I replaced the relay board (part no. 74001870) and tried it again. This time the element stayed on a very low heat with the oven temp set to off. I removed the element and discovered that when I set the oven temp to anything above zero (control starts it at 350F) I hear a “pop” and the clock/oven control display goes blank. The breaker does not trip, so I turned the breaker off, then on and the oven display (clock/control) resets OK. The broiler, cook top, oven light and fan still work. The bake element resistance reads 24 ohms.
Questions:
- I read that the clock/oven control is sensitive to fluctuations but other threads have advised replacing the control only because the bake relay is on the control board in many ovens. Mine are separate boards. I inspected the old relay board and the bake contacts are not welded. So before replacing the expensive clock/control I wanted to ask your advice.
- The wiring diagram does not show any fuses (other than the hi limit thermal switch), so what is “poping” and then resetting?
- How is current getting to bake element if relay is open (or could relay go closed when power is restored even with oven temp set to off)? What would cause this?
- Are there other troubleshooting routines I should perform?
- If I replace the clock/oven control and it turns out not to fix the problem, is it returnable?
This is all pretty puzzling, so your guidance is very much appreciated.
Stan