Late 60s-early70s GE 40" range - $50.00 - Altamont, NY

[danemodsandy]

Christina:

Since the problem seems not to be in the window shields, I'm not sure what the problem is with your latch, but stand by - John combo52 should be along soon to advise.

Your wall oven was an extremely expensive one new - what I call an "RPO" appliance. "RPO" stands for Rich People Only. It is seriously, seriously worth your while to figure out what its problem is. Yours appears to be from 1973 or perhaps a year or two later - the clue is the woodgrain insert in the oven door handles. Earlier units - through at least 1972 - had brushed metal inserts.

You will never find another wall oven that good. Ever. I hope we can help you restore it to full working order.

JOHHHHHHHHHNNN![this post was last edited: 1/1/2014-18:45]

 

[hippiedoll]

WOW!!!

thank you for the info danemodsandy!!!

i just asked my mom and she said she thinks they replaced the oven once. they bought this house in 1984 and the house was built in like 1973 or so? i don't know what brand of double-oven was in here originally but if they replaced the original oven with this GE double-oven here, than they didn't buy it brand new.

we did have a matching coppertone, GE drop-in electric range (with the slender push button controls). one of the big burners went out on it and it was hard to push the buttons in on that one, then the other burners started giving us problems and my mom replaced that coppertone drop-in range with a newer, black, rotary control, GE drop-in range.

thank you so much for the information danemodsandy! it was very interesting to learn that this double-oven was once very expensive when it was brand new. very cool!! )

 

[danemodsandy]

Christina: :Let's Try One More Thing:

Christina:

Here are the instructions for setting a self-cleaning cycle with a P*7 oven of this vintage:

1) Open the oven door.

2) Raise the window shield to the fully raised position.

3) Close the oven door and make certain the oven light is turned OFF.

4) Turn the Oven Set knob to "Clean." Press the oven door latch release button while moving the latch to the locked position.

5) Set the starting time for cleaning by pushing in the "Start" knob on the oven timer and turning the knob until the time you want to start cleaning is reached.

6) Set the ending time for cleaning by pushing in the "Stop" knob on the oven timer and turning the knob until the time you want to stop cleaning is reached. A normal cleaning cycle is 2 hours. Heavier soil may need 3 hours. After the cleaning cycle has been running for a while, you will see a light come on, indicating that the oven door latch is locked. The latch CANNOT be moved again until the oven cools off after cleaning; this is a safety feature. Pressing the oven door latch release button while the oven is cleaning WILL NOT release the latch.

7) At the end of the cleaning cycle, it will take the oven an hour or so to cool off enough to be opened. The latch lock light will go off. You can then press the oven door latch release button and move the oven door latch so that you open the door. The oven will still be warm inside.

Your oven door should latch when you perform Step 4. When you perform Step 6, your oven should go into the self-cleaning cycle at the time you set.

If your oven does not perform according to these instructions, let us know. IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRESS THE OVEN DOOR LATCH RELEASE BUTTON WHILE YOU TRY TO LOCK THE OVEN DOOR LATCH.

 

[hippiedoll]

danemodsandy....

ok, i've tried to go through steps 1-7. i can do steps 1-3 & part of step 4 with no problems.

here is where i have the "hang-up", after i turn the oven set knob to "clean", i push the oven door latch release button in & hold it in the in position. while holding the oven door latch release button in, i try to slide the latch to the locked position but it only goes 1/2 and stops. i can't slide it all the way over into the locked position. i've put quite a bit of force into trying to slide it over but it won't budge no further than 1/2 way. i've even had my mom hold the latch release button in, while i try to slide the latch to the locked position but no go. my mom even said, "you're going to end up breaking it". so, i stopped. besides, i feel like i might have twisted my back slightly, trying to push that darned latch over into the locked position.

you know, it's kinda funny when you think about it cuz i get "1/2 way" through step 4, where the latch will only slide "1/2 way" over towards the locked position!!!
LOL.....
i don't know....

it doesn't make sense cuz the top oven's door latch slides over into the locked position so easily. but the bottom oven just won't slide all the way over. and being bent over trying to slide the latch over, i am twisting my back! i even took all of my cast iron skillets out of the bottom oven, just in case the door did lock and i have to run the cleaning cycle. i don't want the iron skillets to be stuck in the oven for the cleaning cycle. but the oven door latch wouldn't slide into the locked position.

it has to be something inside, where the latch comes out of, in between the top & bottom ovens? i don't know???

as for the top oven, i'm thinking about making some cookies, maybe oatmeal and following the directions to see how the cookies come out. then i'll raise the temperature by 25 degrees & make another batch of the cookies to see how they come out at 25 degrees higher. if they're still undercooked, i'll keep going up by 25 degrees until i can find the "just about" right temperature & see how many degrees off the top oven actually is. but before i can make the oatmeal cookies, i need to wait for my vintage sunbeam mixmaster mixer to come in the mail!!! so, i'm pretty excited about my vintage sunbeam mixmaster. and it's the "harvest gold" color too!!! HA HA!!!

)

 

[danemodsandy]

We'll Wait For John combo52:

Christina:

It may be that there is something going on with the latch.

But it is also possible that something is just not set right. This double-oven model uses only one timer control, which means that both ovens use some of the same stuff inside. It just may be that we're not doing something right.

Either way, John will know. Betcha.

P.S.: John's a nice guy, but he's a busy one. Might take him a few days to show up. Just be patient.

 

[hippiedoll]

okie dokie.....

sounds good to me!!!

thank you so much for all your help danemodsandy. i enjoyed your's & other's correspondences & information. very helpful.

i'll wait and check in a few days and see if there are any other replies or responses.

thank you again everybody.

lovingly,
christina ;o)

 

[washdaddy]

Christina-
To help compensate for the temperature in the upper oven- get yourself an oven thermometer that hangs from the racks inside the oven that you can see thru the door. They aren't too overly expensive and can be picked up anyplace that sells kitchen gadgets. It will help guide you in how much you have to adjust the oven control to reach the desired oven temp.

If there's too much of a difference between what you set the oven for and what the thermometer reads I'm sure John will be able to guide you towards fixing that problem.

Rick

 

[jamiel]

That symptom of "latch only moves halfway" seems familiar...one other thing to check, if there's a light switch, make sure it's off before moving the latch. Also check the sequence...I think it's latch, selectors, timer....(but there have been other sequences...I recall a Roper which you set the controls with the door open, then when you closed the door the motor latched the door.

 

[hippiedoll]

washdaddy & jamiel...

washdaddy/rick:

an oven thermometer? i didn't know there was such a thing. but i guess that would let me know exactly how many degrees off the top oven actually is!! thank you for the tip washdaddy/rick!! i really appreciate that. i will see if maybe bed, bath, & beyond carries these "oven thermometers.

jamiel:

i actually did try different sequences to see if i could get that darned door latch to slide over. i'm pretty sure i know how to do it correctly, cuz i can get the top oven's door latch to slide over so easily, with hardly any effort. i think i could even move the top oven's latch over with my finger!

but that bottom oven door latch is one stubborn son of a "gun"!! i can't even get it to go past the 1/2 way point, by putting some body weight into it!! i don't want to push the ovens over, as we have them installed in a free standing wooden foundation (i guess you would call it?).

but thank you jamiel, for reminding me to make sure about the light switch and also trying different sequences. that was a good tip to make & something i might not have thought about! ha ha ha....

thank you both for your suggestions. they are greatly appreciated.

lots of love,
christina/hippiedoll )

 

[danemodsandy]

Hi Christina!

Since this thread got pushed down a little, I posted another thread in the Super forum, with John's name on it, so that he would hopefully notice it better. He did, replying with this:

"keep in mind that only ONE oven can be SCed at a time, if you have the top oven set for SCing it will block you from cleaning the bottom oven at the same time."

Allen (whirlcool) chimed in with this:

"We had one of these ovens. It seems the door latches are the key. You set the self cleaning time to start and the duration and then latch the door on the oven you want cleaned. If you latch both, it defaults to the top oven. We found that two hours would clean all but the nastiest stains out of the oven. If your oven is only moderately dirty, two hours will do.

John is absolutely correct. You can only clean one oven at a time."

John also went on to say that if setting the bottom oven without the top oven set did not "fix" the problem, then the oven might need repair. You can see the other thread here:

http://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?50300_5~1

If this is a mechanical problem, and you would prefer to replace the oven, please don't throw those dream ovens out! Someone here will want them. Heck, if I were closer to you, I'd want them.

Hope we've helped a little.

 

[hippiedoll]

hi danemodsandy!!

thank you sooooo much for all your help & for posting another thread in the super forum with john's name so that he would see it. you have been a tremendous help to me.

and also, please thank john & allen both for their replies & advice for me as well.

update...

i tried it again as i was reading this reply of your's with john's & allen's advice and i still coulnd't get the bottom oven latch to slide all the way over. oh well. it's not that big of a deal. i mean, other than that, we've been using the bottom oven for as long as i can remember. and i've been here almost 10 years. LOL....

so, just because the "self-cleaning" option doesn't work, we certainly aren't going to be throwing these out! the only way we would end up getting rid of these coppertone beauties, is if the ovens stopped heating altogether. and then, hopefully we would replace them with another vintage oven, hopefully GE P*7 self-cleaning oven again!

the good news is that i've got the chance to message with a few members on here and have come to realize just how amazing, nice, knowledgable & friendly everybody here is. and how willing everybody is to help.
oh yeah, and now i have the incentive (if that's the right word to use here?) to try out the top oven & hopefully use it regularly!!

thank you guys sooooo much for your replies and all of your help & wisdom.
YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!

lots of love,
hippiedoll/christina ;o)
peace...

 

[danemodsandy]

Hi Christina....

....Well, if it's usable, then you're way ahead of the game.

If you ever get to a point where you want to repair the oven, then people here can help with parts and information.

And again, don't throw those beauties out - if you replace them, someone here would likely be very happy to give them a home.

P.S.: If you clean the lower oven with oven cleaner, be sure to use the kind that says "safe for self-cleaning ovens." Regular oven cleaner leaves a residue that can damage the porcelain in a self-cleaning oven if it's ever self-cleaned again. The heat reacts with the residue. Easy-Off makes oven cleaner that's safe for self-cleaning ovens; it's in every grocery store.

Be well.

 

[hippiedoll]

danemodsandy....

as for cleaning the lower oven, i'm afraid this advice is coming a bit too late. the reason i say this is because about 2 years ago, we had a friend of my mom's staying here with us. and one day she decided to clean the oven. and unfortunately, i can't guarantee that it was the right kind of cleaner (for self-cleaning ovens) that she used. in fact, i would bet money on the fact that it wasn't the right oven cleaner that she used, since she bought a cheapy oven cleaner from the $1 store. so, i'm pretty positive it was the wrong cleaner that she used.

because of this, do you know if i can buy & use the easy-off self-cleaning oven cleaner, to take of this (residue) that the other oven cleaner left behind?? please get back to me & let me know if i would be able to remove this residue from the other cleaner that was used.

thank you so much for that (heads-up) on the oven cleaners as i have never heard of this!!!

thank you again danemodsandy. i look forward to hearing from you soon.

lovingly,
christina
)

 

[combo52]

Cleaning A SC Oven with Regular Oven Cleaner

I have never seen any commercial oven cleaner that would harm a real SCO like your GEs. It is Continuous clean ovens should never have regular lye based oven cleaners used in them.

All real pryolitic SCOs can be cleaned with ANY lye based oven cleaner, just be sure to rinse all oven cleaner off before ever using the SC function again, however it is always good advice to rinse any oven thoroughly after cleaning it before even baking in it.

 

[danemodsandy]

John:

I have never had oven cleaner damage an SCO either, but I have seen damage (etching) result from others' use, and on Page 7, the 1966 Use and Care Guide for P*7 ovens that is available on Automatic Ephemera is very, very specific about not using oven cleaner.

So, that's why I said what I did. I rinse like crazy, and use a weak solution of vinegar and water to neutralize the alkali in the oven cleaner, which is, I feel, why I've never had trouble. I'm sure you're similarly cautious. Not everyone is.

 

[danemodsandy]

Christina:

Just wipe down the lower oven with a solution of white vinegar and water to remove residue, and then rinse with plain water. This will neutralize any residue.

Also, no damage will occur anyway, because you are not going to be self-cleaning that oven until the issue with the latch is resolved. Only when the high heat of the self-cleaning cycle meets the residue is there a possibility of etching.

 

[hippiedoll]

danemodsandy & combo52

thank you both for letting me know that the oven cleaner residue CAN be rinsed out/off. i'm guessing all you have to do is give it a wipe down with a soaking sponge with the white vinegar & water solution? and then plain water? is that how i would do it? or is that too much liquid for the electric oven?? i don't want to get electrocuted!!

i will do both the top & bottom ovens a rinsing with white vinegar & water. and then a 2nd rinsing with just plain water.

i say both ovens cuz my mom's friend, she sprayed the oven cleaner in both the top & bottom ovens. and you're right, it's not like i can use the "self-cleaning" on the bottom oven. but once i figure out how off the degrees are on the top oven, i do want to start using that baby, since it's hardly ever seen any cleaning (that i can ever remember of)!!! and if any spills should happen while the top oven is in use, i definitely am curious to use the "self-cleaning" feature on the top oven!!! heck, i just might "accidentally" make an over-spill, just to have an excuse to use the "self-cleaning" feature!!!
hee hee hee.....
)

 

[danemodsandy]

Christina:

Just a damp sponge, like you'd use for wiping counters.

Don't worry too much. And yes, vinegar solution first, then clear water.

 

[hippiedoll]

GRRRREAT!!!

thank you so much danemodsandy!!!

 

[combo52]

Manually Cleaning an Oven

When cleaning ANY oven manually [ gas or electric ] TURN off the breaker or UNPLUG the range which ever is easier, I have seen many cases of liquids or cleaners causing shorts when cleaning ovens or cook-tops and for that matter ANY major appliance when you are doing more than a simple wiping off the top type of cleaning.

When rinsing use lots of very wet towels, sponges are almost useless except for smearing oven cleaner residue all over the place. The best part of using lots of old towels is you have an instant load of laundry to do when you are done cleaning the oven. YAY

John L