Gas Oven Igniter Glows But Won’t Light: Top 3 Reasons and Fixes

Is your gas oven leaving your meals half-baked rather than perfectly roasted? Before you rush out to buy a new appliance, consider this: the problem could be as simple and affordable as a faulty igniter. Watch our detailed how-to video below to learn how to troubleshoot and fix common ignition issues, and get your oven back to heating up as it should.

Need a replacement part for your gas oven/range? Search below using your specific range model number to identify the exact part needed:

If your oven isn’t heating up at all, it might seem like it’s time to replace your gas-powered range, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Often, if your oven isn’t working, it’s likely because some part of the ignition system has failed or malfunctioned – and replacing a single component is a much smaller price to pay. The igniter, for instance, is the final line between gas and flame in your oven. It needs to glow white hot and have an adequate supply of gas to create a large enough flame. If it doesn’t, your oven will stay cold. Keep reading to learn how to diagnose your oven issues, and don’t forget to check out our tutorial video for an indepth look at each test as well as some additional safety tips!

Ready? Let’s go!

Top 3 Causes Of Oven Igniter Issues

This guide covers several different styles of components found in gas-powered ovens, and since all ovens use similar components, this guide will be of use regardless of your oven’s make, model, or age.

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 them, 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.

Tools For The Job

The only tool you’ll need for sure to test these components is a multimeter that can check for continuity and read amps. Aside from that, you may find a pair of needle-nose pliers and a Phillips head screwdriver useful.

1. The Oven Igniter Itself

It’s best to start with the component itself, since these parts are fragile and will start to wear out with age. The igniter, or ignitor (different spellings for the same part), is a small component consisting of a ceramic body, heating element, and (usually) a protective 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. A working igniter will glow white hot at maximum temperature, lighting the gas that is released into the oven. As the component ages, the heating element can weaken, making it less efficient. If your oven burner struggles to light or won’t light at all, the igniter may be the cause.

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.

Basic Testing

• 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.

Check The Amperage

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

• • 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.
• Don’t forget to shut the power back off now!

Check For Continuity

• 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. The Oven Safety Valve

As the name implies, the oven safety valve is a fail-safe component that stops the release of gas into the oven if the igniter is not 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. If the safety valve has failed, it won’t allow gas into the oven whether or not the igniter is in working condition, and no gas means no flame.

Safety valves can usually be found in one of two places on the range. If you need help tracking yours down, here’s where to look:

1. On the back of the oven, behind an access panel, connected to a gas line that runs to the oven’s burner.

2. 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.

3. Gas Pressure Regulator

The gas pressure regulator is a small square component that reduces and regulates the pressure of incoming gas, allowing the oven to function. It consists of inlet and outlet hookups for gas and an internal diaphragm and spring, which do the actual regulating. You’ll most likely find the pressure regulator near the safety valve, either inside the oven or on the back of the range. If the regulator’s internal components fail, it will most likely prevent gas from flowing into the oven at all. In these cases, the igniter may glow properly, but there’s nothing inside the oven to light.

Unfortunately, fully testing out the gas pressure regulator requires specialized tools. There’s one quick check you can do at home, though:

• Look for a manual shut off valve on the regulator. Newer pressure regulators often come with a lever that allows the user to shut the valve off. Make sure it’s in the open position.
• You can gauge that the regulator has failed by process of elimination. If your regulator doesn’t have a shut off valve or is set to open and you’ve checked the other components and haven’t found anything wrong, it’s safe to assume that the regulator has failed.

Finding The Right Replacement Part

While it’s possible your oven issues may be caused by a component that’s simply come loose or been accidentally shut off, chances are, after running these tests, you’ll have found a part that needs to be replaced. Your next step, then, is getting a genuine OEM replacement component.

To track that down, 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.

Once you have the model number, go to AppliancePartsPros.com and type it in. You’ll be presented with a list of genuine OEM replacement parts compatible with your appliance, and you can have the one you need shipped to you in just a few days!

Wrapping Up

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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