70s model P7

[rickterry]

Hello!

I am new to this site and I am really hoping one of you can help me.

I recently purchased a beautiful P7 stove for $25!! This beauty was immaculate, having been stored for several years. I was told everything worked, and it certainly appeared to be well taken care of. I got it home, plugged it in and all of the burners worked, the oven light even worked, however, the oven will not heat. I am getting power to the elements, they test good for continuity, and they appear in good condition. I can turn the oven on to bake and it sends power to the elements...both of them. I turn it to broil, and only the top gets power. But, neither will heat up. The indicator light on the panel lights up only clean mode, but if I stop it before it "clicks" into place on bake or broil it will light up. (I don't know if that means anything, but I thought I would include that info.)
I really like this oven, and more importantly, my fiance loves it. So, it is in my best interest to fix it. lol

So, can you help me look like a genius?

Thanks a lot!

Rick

 

[polkanut]

Photos?

 

[combo52]

Non Heating GE Oven

Yes we need a photo or model# or something.

 

How are you testing power at the elements? If you are using a Volt-Stick it will show power on both terminals even though you do not have 240 volts to the elements.

 

If you are actually getting 240 volts across the element terminals and its not getting red hot you have a bad element period.

 

[philr]

Hi welcome here!

I assume you had your voltmeter connected to the element terminals while the oven was on and you read 115-120 to the broil element in bake mode and 230-240 volts to the bake in bake mode and to the broil element in broil mode? If not, try that but be careful, disconnect the range first and remove the rear panel then reconnect it (hopefully your power cord is long enough to have it connected and access the rear of the range safely). Then, have your multimeter probes to the terminals in 500V ac mode or whatever setting is higher than 240V ac on your multimeter, be careful not to short anything or touch live wires with your hands (I assume you're at least a bit familiar with that). 

 

Then, with the range and elements disconnected, I also assume you tested for continuity with your ohmmeter in "200 ohm" mode? (depending of the kind of multimeter you use, I mean not anything with a "K" which would read very small values, the highest settings would even read continuity in your own body if you touch both probes). These modes can be good to check is the elements are shorted to the ground but not to read continuity values between both terminals. 

 

Once you have done those checks, 

What values did you get?

 

I can't see a way you could get voltage to elements that test good and not get any heat! Even 120 volts will get some heat, not enough to turn them red but enough to feel the heat!

 

As for the indicator lights, I don't know, they could tell something is wrong or they could be bad too. First be sure you get the voltage and resistance values from your voltmeter/ohmmeter!

 

[rickterry]

P7 update and photos

Hello again,Thanks for getting back to me.The model number is J 354001 WH13. I am getting 120 on each leg of the element when going to ground, but nothing across the element. I am getting 240 at the terminal block, so incoming is good. I was under the impression that only one side of the element would be hot until you turned it on. But I am getting 120 on both sides for both elements, regardless of selector position. Also, after leaving it on for several minutes, I have zero heat on either element.

 

[combo52]

Non-heating GE oven

That's what I suspected you've lost one side of the circuit to the heating element for the oven. The problem could be in many different areas the selector switch the oven thermostat the safety over temperature lock switch thermostat are all possibilities and it may be as simple as just Simple as a burnt wire.

 

[combo52]

On a 240 V single phase circuit you have 120 V on each side of the load if you were to disconnect one of the wires from the heating element on the oven you would find that only one of them is hot the other is not the reason your detecting 120 V on both sides is the current is traveling through the heating element to the other side.

 

[rickterry]

I suspected as much. Since I was never able to get 240 across the terminals. I have not found any burnt wires so far. If it were you, where would you check first, as the most likely suspect? Also, if it matters, the 110v outlet on the left side of the stove, when standing in front has no power, and I realized that I cannot lock the oven door. It moves about halfway and stops. Not sure if that could have any significance. Thanks again for your help.

 

[rickterry]

Ok, here is what I am thinking. After tracing wire, testing voltage, etc., I am only getting 120 on the side of the broiler element that has a yellow wire and a white wire attached.(pic 1),and 32 volts to the other side of the broiler element when turned on. The yellow goes to terminal J of the selector switch,(pic 2) the white to the temp sensor (pic 3), The oven has 120 on the red wire of the element and zero on the the black. (Pic 4). I have power going into the H.W.Relay, (pic 5) although I'm not sure what H.W. means, on terminals 4 & 1, which are jumpered. Terminal 2 has no power.
Does this indicate the relay has gone bad on that side?

Thanks again for your help!

 

[combo52]

HW Relay

Means Hot Wire Relay, these relays have a thin wire that electricity flows through and heats up and causes a contact to move and complete a circuit to the heating elements, and yes they can and do go bad. You just have to test across the contacts and see if it is working when the oven is turned on, it should close the contacts in just a few seconds after the oven is turned on if working properly.

 

[rickterry]

Combo52 you have been a huge help thru this and I really appreciate it!

Here is my thought; I checked voltage across the HW relay, 240 On both sides. But then I thought, since the element will read 120 on both sides because of the current flowing thru the element, what if it is only the current flowing back thru the selector switch and into terminal "2" of the HW Relay?

Since the black wire from the element(pic1) and terminal 2 of the relay(pic2) are attached to terminal "L2" of the selector switch(pic3), I disconnected the red wire from the oven element, which DID have voltage to it. This removed the 120v supply from the "switch, element, relay" loop. Checked voltage again, 240 on the terminals 4 & 3 of the relay, 120 on terminal 1 and zero on terminal 2 of the relay.

So, I'm thinking that I was getting a backflow of current from the element, to the doubled terminal of "L2" and down to the bottom of the relay. By removing the back flow of voltage, the relay would test bad then.

Am I correct in that thinking, or no?

Thanks again!

 

[rickterry]

Anyone know if this is correct?

Thanks!

 

[rickterry]

This is a photo of the Hot Wire Relay in my oven. As you can see in the picture, there are four terminals. I am getting 240v across the top two terminals. The bottom terminal on the left, (terminal 1) is jumpered from the top(terminal 4) and has 120v on it. The bottom right(terminal 2) if the wire is disconnected, has zero volts. Can I jumper from top right terminal(term.3) to bottom right terminal to see if the oven works?

Thanks.