Oven Not Heating? Igniter Testing – Gas Oven Troubleshooting

Oven not heating or not baking evenly? This video demonstrates on how to test an igniter on a gas oven. The igniter is the most commonly replaced part for an oven that is not heating or not baking evenly.

Other commonly replaced parts for a gas oven not heating or baking properly:

Oven control board
Safety valve
Thermal fuse

Click here to purchase a replacement oven igniter:

Click here to purchase the multimeter used in this part testing video:

How to disassemble your oven:

For more DIY videos including part replacement and help finding your model visit the repair help section of our website:

All of the information provided in this part testing video is applicable to the following brands:
Frigidaire, GE, Jenn Air, Kenmore, KitchenAid, Magic Chef, Maytag, Thermador, Whirlpool

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[matthewmcgee]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your clear instructions made diagnosing and replacing our ignitor simple. Showing how to use the multi-meter was very helpful. I received one as a gift probably 20 years ago and had no idea how to use it, but your simple instructions made it easy to determine that our ignitor did not have continuity. I was able to order a new ignitor and now we have a working oven again.

[Zappateer]

Thank you- the multimeter continuity test was a good idea to confirm this was the part that needed to be replaced.

[georgecoombs]

Thanks for the info I thought the ignitor was alright, but replaced it anyway and it works great.

[geigy]

An informative and clear video - thank you.

One small detail that might help someone less experienced. To measure up to 1100 ohms, the meter should be set to a higher range than the 200 ohms indicated in the video.

[Penguin]

A note to anyone diagnosing an oven igniter- the continuity test would really only be helpful in diagnosing an igniter that isn't glowing at all, at which point I'd expect to see either an open or OL or 1 reading on your meter, or very high resistance well over 1kohm. If your igniter is glowing a soft orange but won't light the gas, then it's because your igniter is weak enough that it isn't pulling enough current through the gas safety valve to permit it to open. Those gas valves work on a bi-metallic spring that bends as it heats up, which mechanically moves the valve. If you your igniter is weak, it can't pull enough current, which can't heat up the spring, which can't move the valve adequately to let gas flow. On my oven this was intermittent half the time- some days it worked, some days not, some days it took 10 minutes to finally light.

[JakeSmith]

A faulty bottom ignitor was exactly what was wrong with my oven not heating properly. At first, I was skeptical because my ignitor was glowing fairly bright, but apparently it was not glowing bright enough to open the gas safety valve to allow the burner to light. I removed the ignitor by unscrewing the two screws and unplugging it from the rear. I then checked it with a voltmeter and it had approximately 180 ohms. The actual part of the ignitor that lights, can best be described as what looks like a black strip of sandpaper, with a shiny or reflective bass to it. Upon inspecting my old ignitor, I saw that only about half of the black portion was still shiny and reflective. I purchased a new one on Amazon for $17, and it was an exact replacement with the same connector attached. All areas of the piece inside the ignitor that looks like a black strip of sandpaper on the new ignitor were shiny and reflective, with no dull or burnt out portions on it. Prior to installing it, I checked it with a voltmeter and it had approximately 170 ohms. After I installed it, it got brighter than my previous ignitor, and the burner fired up about 30 seconds later. This was a very easy fix and only took about 15 minutes. You can do this!

[FuntoreadChinese]

Thanks for the video! I was able to fix my Jenn-air Gas oven before thanksgiving. The igniter didn't glow at all and the reading was OL. So I ordered the part from amazon and replaced it and it worked!

[sportster]

My Frigidaire wall oven stopped maintaining a high enough temperature and I started smelling unburned gas while baking. The resistance tested lower than acceptable. I ordered a new igniter and now the oven works better than it has in years!

[jobfour]

Good info video, I had the small digital meter. But will also add that the igniter has to be cool to get accurate reading, and after it was cool to touch my meter didn’t read any numbers of resistance….

[repairclinic]

Thanks for the comment, we appreciate it! We actually do cover amperage at the very beginning of the video, however we don't spend much time on it so it could be easy to miss.

[jfitz]

Thanks for the video. We replaced the igniter and everything worked about 3 months. Now the oven is not heating again. Is there another problem that could be causing the igniter to go bad?

[tippycanoe]

This saved me from buying another thermal control thermostat instead. I bought a replacement ignitor, installed it and a working oven as a result.

[thomasgluck]

It would also be useful to know what the ohm reading is for a weakened ignitor.  The one on my range glows but the gas valve does not open.  I measured a resistance (R) of 220 ohms so that would draw about (I) = 0.5 amps on 110V (V) which is too low than the 3.3 amps required.  For 3.3 amps to flow the resistance should be about 33 ohms using V=IR.  Is this correct?

[Grimlyte]

I know the video is a little old, but I thought I might ask before I try to replace something. My igniter lights but won't consistently light the gas, it was replaced about 2 years ago. I've read that it needs to be a certain amp to open the gas up to light. I can smell gas so it at least seems like gas is being released. Could it be something else or should I still try replacing the igniter?

[calimesacox]

Wow thank you for the info. I have put off fixing my oven for years. no turkey dinners no thank you..

[mostlikelywedoitservices]

Run amp test. I have ohmed them, and they showed that they should work. However, they did not pull enough amps to open the safety valve. Also, a tired igniter draws amps slowly, as a good one is pretty rapid.

[Tony-fybs]

Igniter took 75 secs to activate the gas flow, replaced and now less than 45 secs. The initial problem was low temp, seems better now. Oven lights quicker and is able to maintain a more even temperature

[mauriziobussolino]

What else could go wrong? tested igniter and valve. Both have continuity. Is there a way the electric connection to the valve and igniter can be cut off? My too broiler, fan and light all work as they should. NXR PRO 36. Thank you for any tips

[mcckrm]

some spark ignitors only have one wire so you should cover those as well...

[venichord]

My igniter will not glow but has continuity, and my Broiler works fine any suggestions? thanks in advance