Brand: Capital
Model Number: PSGR366
Main Symptom: Three back range burner igniters rarely spark (gas is good), front range burners spark fine
What happens & when: see writeup below
Error Code (if any): n/a
Parts or tests already tried: Cleaned the burner caps and igniter tips. Tilting the burner caps so they are closer to the igniter tip allows them to spark consistently, although the spark is weak.
Photos / video link:
The 3 back burner igniters on my Capital oven and range model PSGR366 spark only rarely. I can light them manually with a lighter and they work just fine. I have cleaned the burner caps and igniter tips. If I tilt the burner caps so they are closer to the igniter tips, they will spark consistently, but the spark is weak. The back igniters have longer wires leading from the igniter module than the front igniters as the igniter module is located at the front of the range. The 3 front burners work just fine.
The behavior is consistent regardless of which burner knob I use to trigger the igniters (all igniters are triggered by any of the burner knobs), so I don’t think this would be caused by poor contact in the burner knob switches. This was causing a similar issue in some other forum post. Plus the igniter module has separate power going to it, so I don’t think the power for the sparks goes through the knob switches.
My theory is that the igniter module (Tytronic model RI 120L-6 PA02 0042 (update:corrected the part number)) is outputting a weak pulse such that the back igniters with their longer wires aren’t getting enough voltage/current to spark consistently. However, the wires aren’t that much longer. Maybe a foot. A replacement is a bit pricey, so does anyone have any thoughts on what else it might be or what other things I could try? I have a digital multimeter. Can I diagnose the igniter module?
Here’s a pic of the igniter module:
With the power supply turned off, the wires to the igniters would need to be checked for any spots that have thin or damaged insulation. If they look good, and since the spark improves when the caps are adjusted, the spark module would be the likely issue. It looks like the part number is PA020042 from what I see in this link. PA020042 Spark Module (Ignition Module) | Genuine Viking OEM In Stock
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Thanks for the response! I saw suggestions that the resistance in the wires to the igniters can increase over time. Does this sound correct? Do you know if there is an acceptable range of resistance of the wires that could be measured with a multimeter to determine if they should be replaced? I’m also not able to find the part numbers for the igniter wires or the spark tips for this model range, as I thought I must just replace them to see if that resolves the issue. SInce the igniter module is used for Viking stovetops, I would expect other igniter wires could work. Any recommendations on what igniter wires or spark tips I could use for replacements? And if the spark tips work when the caps are adjusted, does that indicate they shouldn’t need to be replaced, or might they just work marginally?
The electrodes themselves should be fine. Electricity will always try to go through the path of least resistance, so there still being an air gap between the burner cap and the electrode would have higher resistance than if there was a hairline crack in the electrode that would allow it to spark elsewhere. While it is possible for a wire to fail, it is usually from a wire grounding out or losing resistance over time. Generally, if a wire has continuity from one end to the other, the wire is good for a high-voltage spark electrode. However, if the wire in question has a weakened or thinned out insulation, it can cause the wire to arc to ground even if there is an air gap because there would be less resistance through that gap than if it was to go to the burner cap.
Thanks! The wires are really tough to inspect fully on this range without significant disassembly. It just seems a little strange that all 3 wires would have similar issues which would tend to point to the igniter module. But then the module is mostly working too. lol
While it is an unlikely thing to occur, verifying that the wires are in good condition is worth it.
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