Gas Oven Broiler Won’t Heat: Top 5 Reasons and Fixes (With Video!)

Is your gas broiler stubbornly refusing to heat up, leaving your cooking plans half-baked? Don’t sweat it—our step-by-step guide is here to help! We’ve identified the top five common causes for this pesky problem and included a handy how-to video below, making it easy for you to diagnose and fix the issue right at home.

Once you have identified the part needed for your gas range, search below using your stove model number to identify the exact part needed:

In a gas powered range, the broiler is controlled by a number of different components all working together to heat the oven. So, if your broiler isn’t coming to temperature, the culprit could be one of a number of different parts. Luckily, a faulty broiling function is usually caused by one of five things going bad in your oven, and all of them are pretty easy to test and replace.

In this guide, we’re walking you through the 5 most likely causes of a gas broiler that won’t reach temperature, and how to test for each of them. Grab your multimeter, and let’s go!

Top 5 Reasons For Oven Broiler Issues

Before you begin…

For safety, disconnect your appliance from power either at the wall outlet or circuit breaker, and be sure to shut off the gas supply.  These simple tests are easy to do, but if at any point you are not confident in your ability to complete a test, you should contact a professional repair technician for assistance.

Is a gas smell from my oven dangerous?

A little bit of that natural gas smell isn’t unusual when you turn your oven on, but if it is particularly strong or lingering, that’s a bad sign. If you’re concerned about a gas smell coming from your oven, we’ve got a guide that can help you troubleshoot it. However, if you suspect that you have a serious gas leak on your hands, you need to shut off the gas in your home, call the utility company, and leave your house immediately. Staying in a home with a gas leak can be dangerous.

1. Oven Igniter

The igniter (sometimes spelled ignitor, too – they’re the same part) can be found directly mounted onto the broiler burner. It lights the gas in the oven, creating the broiler flame. Igniters are small components consisting of a ceramic body and heating element usually encased in a partial or complete metal cage. They generally come in two different shapes – round and square – which operate at different amperages, so it’s important that your oven has the correct type installed. When it’s in good working order, the oven igniter will glow white hot once it’s reached maximum temperature. As the component ages, the heating element can weaken, making it less efficient. If your oven is struggling to reach the desired heat for broiling, it could be that this component has failed.

To thoroughly test this part, you’ll need a multimeter with a clamp-on amp meter. Let’s take a look at how it’s done:

• • Open the oven door, remove the racks, the oven bottom, and the flame spreader  to access the igniter. You’ll likely find it mounted to the broiler burner.
  • Check to make sure that the igniter is mounted properly. Make sure it’s properly connected and securely mounted. If it’s loose or has fallen out of place, this could be your issue, and simply reattaching it will do the job.
  • Temporarily restore only the power to the oven, but leave the gas supply off. You’ll need the oven to be powered to run the next couple tests.
  • Turn the oven on and check to see whether the oven ignitor is lighting up. It should glow white hot. If it tops out at glowing red or orange, it is not getting hot enough to properly release gas into the oven interior for ignition, and needs to be replaced.

• • Use a multimeter to test how many amps the igniter is drawing.
    

• • • Check what amperage range you should have:
      • For round igniters and blue igniters, the lowest amperage you should get when you test is 2.2. These sorts of igniters are typically used with safety valves rated for between 2.5 to 3 amps.
      • If you have a square igniter, they are usually used with safety valves rated for between 3.3 and 3.6 amps. The lowest acceptable reading for these types of igniters is 3.0.
    • Clamp the amp meter around one of the igniter wires.
    • Turn the oven on and check the amp meter. If it isn’t drawing enough amps, then it is going bad and should be replaced.
  • If the ignitor wasn’t the problem, disconnect it from power again before proceeding to the next test.

• • In order to do this next test – checking the igniter’s ability to carry an electric current – set your multimeter to continuity and touch its probes together to make sure it’s working.

• • Access the ignitor’s wiring harness and disconnect it. You may be able to do this from inside the oven, but if the wires are too short, you’ll need to pull the appliance away from the wall and remove the rear access panel to reach it.
  • Once you have access to the harness and it’s unplugged, touch a multimeter probe to each terminal. It should have continuity. If it doesn’t, the part has failed and needs to be replaced.

2. Oven Temperature Sensor

The oven temperature sensor measures the temperature within the oven and reports it to the oven’s control board. This, in turn, will determine how other components within the oven function. Naturally, if your temperature sensor is malfunctioning, it could affect your broiler, preventing it from heating properly. If the sensor has failed completely, your oven likely will not turn on at all.

You’ll need access to the back of the oven to test this component. You can find it plugged in on either the left or the right side. Once you’ve found it, grab your multimeter. Here’s how to test it out:

• Your oven should be room temperature when you do this. The oven temperature sensor is a resistor which reports a certain ohms reading based on the temperature of the oven. Refer to your oven’s tech sheet to see which temperature corresponds to which ohms reading.

• Set your multimeter to ohms. You’ll want to check what the proper ohm level is for your oven’s temperature sensor.

• Disconnect the temperature sensor’s wires.

• Touch one of the multimeter’s test probes to each of the sensor’s terminals. Check the multimeter for the ohms reading. If the reading is off from what your oven’s tech sheet says it should be based on the temperature or if it is not giving a reading at all, the temperature sensor has failed and needs to be replaced.

3. Oven Control Board

This circuit board takes settings from user input and readings from sensors found throughout the appliance and uses that information to control the range’s various functions. You can usually find the control board mounted in the middle of the oven’s control panel. If the control board is malfunctioning or has failed, it can cause a host of issues with your oven. Most commonly, it will fail to power the igniter on at appropriate times, preventing the broiler from heating. To test your control board, you’ll need to enter your appliance’s diagnostic mode and check for error codes. How this is done depends on your appliance’s brand and model number, but you can generally find full instructions on the tech sheet or in the range’s manual.

4. Oven Safety Valve

This component is a safety device that stops gas from being released into the oven if the igniter is not glowing hot enough to light it. It consists of a metal body with a bimetal arm inside. As electricity from the igniter heats the interior component, the safety valve opens, releasing gas into the oven for ignition. A failed safety valve will stop the flow of gas into the oven whether or not the igniter is in working condition.

Igniters can be found in one of two places on the range, usually, so you’ll need to track yours down to test it:

• On the back of the oven, behind an access panel, connected to a gas line that runs to the oven’s burner.
• Inside the oven, beneath the bottom panel, heat spreader, and burner, usually mounted to the floor of the oven and against the back.

Once you have access to the safety valve on your oven, it’s time to test it out. You’ll need a multimeter, and you may need a pair of needle-nose pliers.

• Set your multimeter to continuity. You’re testing to see whether the valve carries a charge.

• Remove the wire connections to the safety valve. You may need a pair of needle-nose pliers to do this, as they can be wedged on pretty tight.

• Touch a test probe to each terminal to test for continuity. If there’s no continuity, the valve will need to be replaced.

5. Thermal Fuse

The final item on our list is the thermal fuse. This safety device breaks by design – if the oven’s interior exceeds a certain temperature, it blows, cutting power to the oven and preventing it from turning on. If the thermal fuse is bad, your broiler likely will not work at all.

You can generally find the thermal fuse on the back of the range, behind the rear access panel. You’ll need your multimeter to test it.

• Remove the rear access panel to reach the thermal fuse, then disconnect the two wires attached to its terminals. You may need needle-nose pliers to get the wires off.
• With your multimeter set to continuity, touch a probe to each of the fuse’s terminals. It should have continuity. If it doesn’t, the part will need to be replaced.

Finding The Right Replacement Part

Chances are, if you’ve followed this guide, you’ve found a failed component that you’ll need to replace. Luckily, most of these are fairly easy fixes you can complete on your own with the right replacement part. The question is, though, how do you find what you need?

To start, you’ll need your oven’s full model number. You can find that on a label somewhere on the appliance. Check the following places:

• Open the oven door and check around the frame.
• Open the broiler or range drawer and check along the sides or on the inside of the door, itself.
• Lift the cooktop and check beneath that.
• Check the exterior of the stove, it could be on the sides or back, behind the main control panel.

Wrapping Up

With that new component in hand, you’re set to start fixing your oven’s broiler. Why not check out our other tutorials? At AppliancePartsPros.com, we’ve got guides for all sorts of oven repairs on both our YouTube channel and our blog, and our specific product listings feature tips written by DIYers just like you.

If you need any replacement parts for your appliances, you can enter your model number at AppliancePartsPros.com to locate and order them quickly. Most orders arrive in just two business days, and we have tons of great information in our repair help section and YouTube videos to help you troubleshoot.

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