Range: Why won't my range's oven bake?

In an electric oven, the bake element at the bottom of the oven and the broil element at the top of the oven provide the heat for baking and broiling. Replace them if they're broken or if the oven isn't heating properly.

Most gas ovens have a glow-bar oven igniter and a safety gas valve. Those components are connected in a series-type electrical circuit. When the glow-bar oven igniter is hot enough to safely ignite the gas, the safety gas valve opens. Replace the oven igniter if doesn't glow, or if it glows but doesn't get hot enough to open the gas valve. Some ovens have a separate igniter for the bake burner and the broiler burner, which operate on the same principle.

The oven temperature sensor probe detects the actual temperature in the oven cavity. Replace it if it's not detecting the temperature properly, in which case the oven doesn't maintain the temperature you set. A complete failure, in which the sensor probe doesn't detect any temperature at all, usually triggers an error code on the electronic oven control board.

Many range ovens have a bi-metal thermal fuse-also called a thermal limit switch-that protects the oven from overheating. The oven thermal fuse trips when the temperature in the oven gets too hot. After the thermal fuse trips, the oven won't heat. If the thermal fuse trips after the self-cleaning cycle, try resetting the fuse by turning off electricity to the range, removing the exterior back panel, and pushing the reset button. If the fuse tripped during normal operation, replace it. If the problem persists, the electronic oven control board might require replacement. Reset the thermal fuse after replacing the control board.

The electronic oven control (EOC) board governs the timing and execution of oven functions such as baking and broiling. It's usually in the control console and often has a digital clock on the front of its housing. Replace the electronic control board if it doesn't light up when it's supplied with electrical power, if it doesn't operate properly or doesn't properly send voltage to the bake or broil element (in an electric oven) or burner (in a gas oven).

Some electronic control boards use a separate membrane keypad that communicates the button selections to the control board through a ribbon wire connection. Replace the membrane keypad if buttons don't work. Other electronic control boards have selection buttons incorporated into the body of the control board, with an overlay that marks the selection buttons. Replace the overlay if it's damaged or discolored.