If your gas oven does not heat up, then you might need a new oven igniter. Replacing an oven igniter is not nearly as scary or dangerous as it sounds. In fact, if you can assemble an entertainment center, a grill, or something similar, then you can replace an oven igniter. How do I know? A few weeks ago, and for the second time in three years, the igniter in my gas oven stopped working, and I replaced it myself.
What is an Oven Igniter?
The oven igniter does exactly what you might guess. It has a metal and ceramic element that gets very hot when you start the oven. When it reaches the proper temperature, a sensor triggers a switch that allows natural gas to flow into the burner tube. The natural gas then ignites due to the hot igniter, creates the flame, and the oven begins to warm up.
If the igniter is not hot enough or doesn’t get hot at all, the sensor will not allow gas into the burner tube and the result is the oven stays cold. A nice safety feature, don’t you agree?
Here is a picture of my old, burned out igniter.
The good news is that replacing an oven igniter is relatively easy.
Tools You May Need
NOTE: The combination of screwdrivers and sockets required will vary depending on your oven.
Philips Head and/or Flat Head Screwdriver
Socket Set
Wire Cutter and Stripper
Digital Multimeter
What You Need To Do
The exact steps to replace the igniter vary by stove or oven model. Find the complete oven model number. This is usually printed on a decal with the serial number and placed somewhere on the oven. It’s probably hidden. These basic steps are the same, regardless. The first two are critical safety steps.
1. Unplug the stove/oven or turn the circuit breaker off for the circuit that sends power to the oven.
You don’t want to receive an electric shock, and you also don’t want to damage the electronics of your oven while fixing it.
2. Turn the natural gas off for the line that goes to the stove/oven.
3. Locate the igniter.
This varies by model, and will likely require some combination of opening an access panel, removing the oven door, removing the bottom drawer, or other parts of the oven. From my experience, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get to the igniter.
4. Disconnect the igniter wires.
The wires are probably connected by a snap connector, slide connector, or both. they could also be connected with wire nuts. Pay attention to where the wires are connected. You will need to reconnect them the same way
5. Remove the old igniter.
There are likely two or more screws securing it in place.
6. Test the suspected bad igniter.
You can use a multimeter to test an igniter for continuity. How do you test it? First, set the multimeter to the lowest setting to measure ohms (Ω) of resistance. Make contact with the wires using each probe. If it measures OL (open line) or anything above 1100 ohms, you probably have a bad igniter. The Repair Clinic Oven Igniter Test Video explains it very well.
7. Assuming the igniter is bad, get a replacement.
You can probably find what you need at Repair Clinic (I buy my replacement parts there). Just enter your exact model number (it might be 10 or 12 characters long and is probably on a sticker somewhere on the appliance), and the site will display the replacement parts for that exact model.
8. Secure the new igniter using the original screws.
9. Connect the igniter wires to the stove/oven.
Be sure to connect the wires in the correct locations that you noted in step 4 above.
10. Put any other panels, doors, or other parts back where they belong. We can’t have any leftover screws!
11. Turn on the natural gas line.
12. Plug in or turn the circuit breaker back on.
The precise location of your igniter will depend on your oven model, but if you head on over to Repair Clinic, they provide detailed video instructions showing exactly what to do. In fact, I always watch the complete video before I even decide to attempt the repair. If it looks too difficult, then I leave it to a professional.
Honestly though, replacing an oven igniter is one of the easiest appliance repair jobs I’ve done. By doing it myself, I’ve saved the cost of having an appliance repair person visit my home.
Disclaimer This is a relatively easy repair for someone that has done other minor repairs and improvements around the home. You should only attempt this if you feel reasonably capable.