How to Fix Your Oven when the Door Won't Open: Troubleshooting Door Lock Problems

This #diy video shows how to #diagnose and #repair a range with an oven door that won't open.

Sometimes, if you run an oven self-cleaning cycle and then lose power midway through it, the door lock motor can get jammed in the locked position. This video will show you how to take apart the door lock motor and manually unlock the door. However, if the oven door lock is faulty, the lock will get stuck again the next time you run a cleaning cycle. We explain how to check continuity on your door lock motor to see whether you need to replace it.

Unlock the door
1. Pull the range out from the wall and disconnect the power.
2. Remove the back panel to gain access to the lock motor assembly.
3. Remove the screws holding the door lock assembly in place.
4. Release the door-latching rod by pulling the lock motor assembly down and tilting the front inwards.
5. To unhook the locking rod from the drive cam, push the rod forward and open the oven door.
6. Note the position of the drive cam and the hole that the locking rod fits into. Remove the Philips screw holding the drive cam on the motor. Remove the drive cam and rotate it 180 degrees from where it was when the door was locked.
7. Line up the two slots on the bottom of the drive cam with the posts on the motor shaft. Push the drive cam down and lock it on the motor shaft. Make sure that the switch arm aligns with the side edge of the drive cam.
8. Reinstall the Phillips screw on the cam. Re-hook the locking rod back onto the drive cam. Reinstall the motor bracket assembly onto the range.
Now you have two options. You can either reassemble the oven and get cooking, or you can go to the next section to check if the door lock is faulty. If the door lock is faulty, you’ll run into the same problem the next time you run the oven’s cleaning cycle.

Check for a faulty door lock
While oven’s back panel is off and the power to the oven is turned off, follow these steps to test whether the door lock works correctly. If it doesn’t, the oven door will get stuck again the next time you run a cleaning cycle.
For this test, you use a multimeter to check the door lock’s motor circuit for electrical continuity.
1. Leave the power to the oven turned off
2. Locate the two electrical wires going to the lock motor and disconnect them.
3. Set the multimeter to read ohms of resistance on the 20,000 ohms scale. Place one meter lead on each terminal of the lock motor.
--If it measures no continuity, replace the door lock because it’s faulty.
--If the multimeter measures about 2000 ohms, the door lock’s motor is good. Go to the next step,
4. If the previous step showed that the motor is good, check for a break in wire harness. First, plug the wires back into the lock motor and then remove the oven’s upper back panel. Locate the two wires from the motor connected to the electronic control board. Disconnect the wires from the electronic control board and put one meter lead on each wire.
--If the multimeter shows no continuity, repair the broken wire in the harness.
--If the multimeter reads about 2000 ohms, both the harness and door lock are okay, and the problem is that the electronic control board isn’t sending current to the lock motor. Replace the electronic control board.

Or call 1-800-437-1673 to speak with a parts specialist.

The video includes these parts and tools. Look up your model to make sure you get the right parts for your range.
Multimeter
Door Lock
Electronic Control Board

Find parts for your range at:

[livemeyer]

As a do-it-yourself guy I have watched a lot of repair videos on youtube. This so far is the best. Clear and super concise, you don't waste time in a video having us watch you unscrew the back panel or other needless steps. Everything is explained exactly what to do with clear pictures, without talking down to me or wasting my time. Thank you, I wish all were as good as this.

[dougtowers]

My friend, all I can say is: Well done!!!! This is the most detailed and right-to-the-point tutorial on its class. Very professional.

[watsonjoel]

Thank you Wayne. Your detailed video saved our night . Our motorized door lock was 90 degrees from the correct position more than likely due to a power outage. Either way, I was able to take it apart, reset the spindle and observe the sensor activation in the correct position. Door was successfully unlocked and all is well in the kitchen again! Thanks again! ~Joel

[elusivemonarch]

Thank you young man. I am a 70 yr.old female. I had no problem, your instructions are exact. I had looked at my cornbread, my glasses got steamed up & I mashed clean instead of vari- broil. . Then the door locked. YOU SAVED ME AT LEAST $100.00 ON A SATURDAY.

[darylg.]

This was a great tutorial. I tried using the self cleaning for the first time on a oven that came with the house. It made all sorts of noises and never opened. The stove works as normal, bakes and stove top flames are fine. Thanks again!! P.s. the oven is a 1998 Frigidaire gallery.

[rayhui]

Very useful guidance, I can fix the range door locked problem by myself. Thank you so much!

[burnbluefox]

I never even know my oven even had a self cleaning mode. Thank you so much!

[alexandrasinclair]

my oven is WAY older than the one shown so it took me a little longer to identify everything, but this helped a lot. Im only i'm only 17 and have no experience so if I can do ANYONE CAN

[thewifemommylife]

Yay !! Ok YouTube world don't give up ! I fixed my stove .watching this video helped but my align wasn't straight so therefore it wouldn't turn my oven back on, the door was finally open but the oven still said locked. So it would let me turn it on . So I plugged in the stove hit the self clean button, watched the motor in the back of the stove rotate till it finally aligned properly, u hear a click then screw everything back together and then the lock screen went off my stove and finally it's working again !!!! Whooo never been so happy

[katepowerful]

I was worried that I had broken it, thank you very much

[MyPlumrose]

You saved a life! And it didn’t even take me that long

[justanotherchannelfornow]

Thank you. This helped us get the stove top and oven to work. No more auto-cycles due to no money to fix the latch. : )

[jasonpetit]

Worked like a charm. Thanks for the quick, to the point, easy to follow instructions. I still have to fix the root cause, but at least I can use the range. Much appreciated.

[mtcritters]

Thank you for the video, I finally got the the oven door to unlock when the door was already opened. :-)

[nismo]

the you so much!! My mom stove was having issue with it! kept opening and closing! Removed it completely!

[caritoarias]

Thanks... Directions were simple and easy to follow.

[fluidgrace]

thanks so much, , i was able to open my oven door by following your instructions!! Question, will it hurt anything to leave the locking rod, off the drive cam?

[migwa]

Thanks for your help.mine was locked I followed your instructions did work. Thanks again

[ambicateiler]

Great video, but beyond my technical ability.

[mikekenney]

Great Video. helped me out tons and saved lot of money. Thanks