Model #FEF364DSB, this freestanding range was no longer heating on the bake cycle, but the broil and surface elements were working just fine. There was no visual indication to the customer of the failure, but the unit had been recently self cleaned and they thought it might have something to do with this current problem. I explained that was most likely a coincidence and assured them they would be back baking again in no time.



Heating problems in ovens and ranges can usually be grouped into two kinds of failures I like to call complete and partial. A complete failure would be nothing is heating be it the surface units or the oven elements, while a partial failure would be one single element no longer heating. When a complete failure occurs, the problem is almost always going to be associated with the power supply to the range, or some other common wiring found within the unit. Complete failures can often be traced to installation issues, wiring issues, or sometimes just bad luck. Partial failures will be limited to just one of the range parts and as long as the other elements are working, you can be pretty sure replacing the one element will solve the problem.

Now I always like to go through a consistent trouble shooting process and as I tell the techs I interact with, always try and prove electrical failures two ways just to eliminate any odd ball random problems. When a heating element is thought to be the problem, a visual inspection can be a good indicator of the failure, but I always like to use my meter and do a resistance check just to make sure the circuit is open. Measuring across the two terminals of the element will give us our reading and anything more than a few ohms is a sure sign of a failure. My other preferred method is a live voltage test where I take a voltage reading across the two terminals while a bake cycle is in progress. If voltage is present (240vac approx) and there is no heat, the element is bad. No voltage to the element, or anything less than the 240vac/208vac expected is a sure sign of a problem with one of the other range parts.

This particular range has a bake element that is exposed and easy to get to, and while the visual inspection showed no signs of a failure, the resistance and voltage checks both showed an open heat circuit. The element is easy to replace from inside the oven cavity once the two mounting screws have been removed and the wire connectors carefully pulled through the rear openings. A new element was installed ensuring both connectors where tight to the terminals, and once a bake cycle was stared, the heat quickly returned to this oven.