Oven Thermostat Replacement

Oven/Range/Cooktop Repair
1

I turned on the oven yesterday and it came on just fine. However, when I turned it off it kept burning and the ignitor remained on. I read through the forums and it appears I need to replace my thermostat assembly. I turned it off at the valve and unplugged it.

How much trouble is this and is it accessible from the front or will I need to turn the oven over? I’ve fixed other appliances (washers, dryers) and replaced topside ignitors, but never the oven thermostat.

Can you give me any advice and confirm my diagnosis?

Thanks,

LM

2

The thermostat body itself should be fairly easy to access in the console. The capilary tube attached to it wil need to be very carefully fed through the body into the oven, where the end of it is attached with a clip. This is a very difficult job. Pack a lunch.

3

I’m not clear on the terminology. Looking at the picture of the part I plan to order, is the capillary tube the white covered portion of the copper wire? Is the console the same thing as the control area (top back of stove)?

Link to image

Also, I suppose this means I’ll need to pull the oven out in order to do the repair, correct?

4

What looks like copper wire in the photo is a capiary tube. It is filled with gas that expands or condenses with temperature changes, and controls a diaphragm in the body of the thermostat, to switch the heating on and off. It is somewhat fragile (you can gently bend it, but don’t kink it [and definitely, don’t cut it]). The console is the top part of the range that contains the controls. Yes, you will need to pull it out to work on it, but it isn’t difficult to do. You just need to take care not to damage your floor while moving it in and out. there should be enough flex in the gas line to allow you to shut off the gas and disconnect the lline, after pulling the range partially away from tne wall.

5

Thanks for the information. I have new tile so the advice is well taken. Is the thermostat located somewhere behind the control panel on top of the range?

6

It’s attached to the dial on the console. The dial should pull off the shaft. This will allow you to remove the thermostat from the inside of the console.

7

Thank you for all of your help. I have ordered my part and will tackle the beast as soon as it arrives.

8

Let us know how it goes.

9

Well, I was able to get the thermostat installed and I have some tips for the rest of you. On my particular oven rangetop there are 4 burners. When trying to figure out how to get the rangetop open, I discovered there are two clips in the front of the rangetop about 2 inches from each edge. I slipped a metal putty knife into the seam between the top and oven body and pushed firmly while lifting up the edge. After releasing both clips, I was able to raise the rangetop a few inches and prop it up using the small built-in wire stands.

Then I made the mistake of taking out the three Torx screws (T-15) holding in each of the burners (from the top). When I raised the range a little more, I noticed the burners were still attached by the igniters. This caused the gas lines to be pulled up and bent (they were easy to bend back, but it caused me some tense moments). The igniters seemed fragile and after a few attempts to remove them I gave up. Instead, I replaced the Torx screws and removed the ring nut from the center of each burner. I used a deep spark-plug socket and had no trouble.

Once the burners were all loose, I could gently raise the rangetop. I used a coat hanger to hold it up, attaching it though a burner opening and one of the vents in the back of the oven. Now I could see how the thermostat was installed. After pulling the knob straight off the front, I could see two screws holding it in. There was enough room to get them out without removing the whole metal control cover. After they were out, the thermostat pulled out easily and I was able to unplug both wires from it, making a note about which one went to which side.

The sensor wire was threaded between the burners and out the left side of the back of the oven. It went down through some fiberglass insulation, down a small hole and into the oven. I opened the oven door and located the fat end of the sensor wire. It was secured to the top rear of the oven by two stand-off clips. The clips can be compressed and removed from the oven wall, but that was unnecessary. I pushed the wire towards the back of the oven by placing my thumbs on either side of a clip, releasing it one clip at a time. Then I was able to pull the wire out so I could remove the old thermostat completely.

Since it was impossible to see the tiny hole from the top, I pulled the insulation to one side and then used the OLD thermostat sensor wire as an indicator. I pushed the fat end through the hole in the oven, and noted where it exited the insulation. I then lightly pushed the insulation around enough to see the hole, and removed the old wire. I then easily inserted the new thermostat wire in though the top, passed it through the clips and then pulled it gently toward me to snap it back properly into each clip. It should not wiggle once secured.

After that I just reversed the order and put it all back together. The ring nuts are easy to get started with your fingertips after you guide the rangetop back down onto the gas lines. I tested the thermostat and found it worked better than the original, being only a few degrees off the dial setting.

Thanks guys for great service and a great forum!

10

Glad you were able to get it. You saved yourself a lot of money in service cal and labor by fixing it yourself. Well done!