Fix an Oven That Won't Heat

What is actually broken

On a gas oven, the igniter is a silicon carbide bar that must glow white-hot and draw enough current (about 3.2–3.6 amps on most) before the safety valve will release gas. Igniters weaken with age: they still glow orange and look fine while drawing too little current to open the valve — so the oven lights late, heats slowly, smells of gas at startup, or never lights at all. On an electric oven, the bake element is a resistive loop that should glow cherry-red along its whole length; a break in the coil means a cold oven or one that only heats from the broil element above. If the correct part tests good, the trail leads to the temperature sensor and finally the control board — in that order.

The fix, step by step

1. 1 Sort out which system you have

   Gas range: pull the oven racks and the bottom cavity panel (two screws at the back) and look at the burner and igniter. Electric range: look at the bake element loop on the cavity floor. Then run a bake cycle and watch — gas: does the igniter glow at all, and does the burner light within about 60–90 seconds? Electric: does the bake element glow along its full length, or stay dark while the broil element glows?

   Tip: 'Broiler works, bake doesn't' is the most informative symptom in oven repair — it clears the power supply and controls and points straight at the bake-side igniter or element.

2. 2 Gas: judge the igniter honestly

   A healthy igniter glows bright yellow-white. A dying one glows dull orange-red and the burner lights late, weakly, or not at all. Power off and gas off, disconnect the igniter (usually a plug behind the burner or two wire nuts), and test continuity across it with a multimeter: most read roughly 50–250 ohms cold; open circuit is dead, and even an in-range reading on a dull-glowing igniter means it is weak under load. Replacement igniters are $15–$45 and model-specific — match the shape and connector, not just the brand.

   Tip: Do not talk yourself out of the igniter because 'it glows.' Glowing is necessary, not sufficient — weak-current igniters are the single most replaced part in gas oven repair for exactly this reason.

3. 3 Electric: inspect and test the bake element

   Look the bake element over with a flashlight: blisters, cracks, holes, or one section that stays dark while the rest glows are a visible death sentence — replace it. No visible damage? Power off at the breaker, remove the element's two rear screws, gently pull it forward (the wires come with it — don't let them slip back inside), and test across the terminals: roughly 15–40 ohms on most elements. Open circuit means the coil is broken inside. Elements run $25–$60.

   Tip: Clip or tape the element wires to the cavity wall before letting go of them. Fishing a dropped wire out of the insulation with needle-nose pliers turns a 20-minute job into an afternoon.

4. 4 Swap the proven part

   Either part swaps the same way: power (and gas, for the igniter) off, photograph the wiring, remove the mounting screws, transfer the connector, and mount the new part exactly where the old one sat — the igniter must sit in the burner's flame path, and the element must rest on its standoffs, not touching the cavity floor. Reassemble loosely, restore power, and test a full preheat to 350°F before sliding the range back or refitting panels.

   Tip: An oven thermometer in the cavity tells the truth the display won't — let it preheat, then confirm the cavity actually reaches and holds near 350°F through one thermostat cycle.

5. 5 Check the temperature sensor before blaming the board

   New part in, oven heats but runs 50°F cold or hot, or still throws errors? Test the temperature sensor — the thin metal probe on the upper back wall of the cavity. Unplugged, it should read about 1,080 ohms at room temperature on most ranges. A sensor far off spec is a $15–$30 swap. If the sensor and the heating part both test good, the fault is the control board — board prices and complexity put that firmly in pro territory.

   Tip: Snap a photo of your model plate and the symptom into the ClickTheFix app before ordering — sensor and board faults mimic each other, and the diagnosis separates them by model.