1950's GE wall oven .. is it really the thermostate

[magellan1]

I have recently acquired a 1950's house. It is all original, right down to its 1950's appliances.. We are fighting tooth and nail to keep it that way, However, this darn 1950s yellow GE wall oven is a test..it seems to be working fine..only problem is.. you can not put a baking sheet of cookies in and walk away.. the temperature dial is extremely difficult to read... I was told by an appliance repair man, it was a 175.00 thermostat repair... but the thermostat is fine... its heats to a certain temperature then cuts off... problem is the dial is all over the map in what the temperature is.. its almost like someone installed it backwards :/ .. nothing is true.. The previous (original owner) had an after market thermostat dial inside the oven and she would just check it and adjust as needed. Does anyone out there have a thought as to its issue? For it to be a vintage center piece of a functioning kitchen, its a must to be able to put a chicken in to roast and go out in the yard to do yard work.. not to stand there, checking an after thought temperature gauge, every few moments to see if its burning or holding the correct temperature.. I really want to keep this oven, Help!!

 

[travis]

It does sound like the thermostat is bad.  A thermostat is just a temperature sensing "switch".  If it doesn't cycle reliably, it's no good.

 

I would bet with a little hunting, you can find a thermostat.

 

[countryford]

I have a little newer G.E. Wall oven that had the same issue. I was able to find the thermostat, but it is a bit on the spendy side.

 

[kitty]

Good luck...

It is the same for my Maytag porta-dryer. I saw a belt for the fan on repair clinic and it was like $$$40!!! That is a pure RIP OFF! The lint filter was like $$30, etc. I improvised in a belt strictly for testing purposes out of rubber bands that worked ok. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it would pop off. GOOD LUCK!!! If you click the link you'll know what I'm talking about.

http://www.repairclinic.com/Maytag-Dryer-Model-DE50-ID-87218-Parts

 

[kitty]

Good luck...

It is the same for my Maytag porta-dryer. I saw a belt for the fan on repairclinic.com and it was like $$$40!!! That is a pure RIP OFF! The lint filter was like $$30, etc. I improvised in a belt strictly for testing purposes out of rubber bands that worked ok. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it would pop off. GOOD LUCK!!!

http://www.repairclinic.com/Maytag-Dryer-Model-DE50-ID-87218-Parts

 

[kitty]

OOPS!

I accidentally posted it twice.

 

[rp2813]

Check your area's craigslist.  GE wall ovens of this approximate vintage are showing up all the time.  If you find one cheap enough, you may be able to harvest a good thermostat off of it, providing GE used the same type from the late 50's through early 60's, or even beyond.

 

[MCMidHudson]

Craigslist

I agree - keep an eye on craigslist.

We're in the process of 'retrovating' the kitchen here back to its mid century glory, and I picked up two of this style wall oven in a week last fall for under $100 each. The yellow one is cleaned up, tested, repaired, and awaiting installation (when we finally get to the fun part of the reno!), and the green one has been mined for parts that will inevitably be scarce and expensive to get ahold of down the line.

I would offer you the extra thermostat if I had one, but that was one of the repairs I ended up having to make...

Just to put it into the ether, though, I AM sitting on the skeleton of the green one, having convinced myself that I'll eventually find it a home with someone here on the site who needs a replacement door or trim panel that color. Of course, my other half thinks there's a better chance of getting hit with a snowball in h***, and he's probably right, but i just can't bear to send perfectly good vintage parts to the dump...

Cheers, and good luck with your search, Magellan!