Hi. I have a Maytag double oven and the bake element (bottom) of the top smaller oven is non functioning. It is full digital oven control with ceran top.
I pulled it out with and tested with a digital meter. Strangely, it the oms reading started out at about 120 and started to quickly drop, but as it approached 39, it began dropping slowly. Took the better part of 2-3 minutes to drop to and level out to 28.2 Ohms. This seems odd to me.
I attached the meter to the element leads and turned it on Bake and the digital screen on the oven, which shows a small picture with which elements are on, indicate that both top and bottom elements are on. Yet, my voltage read is 0 (have my meter set to top level (500).
Does this suggest my control board is toast (pun intended), or is there something else I could test? Is there anyway to check connections on the control board?
Thanks, and actually, you are correct. I made an error in the model but the last 3 characters are BCB, not BRB.
Would it make sense to take off the back and follow the wires from the element to make sure there is not a bad connection somewhere, or would I be wasting my time?
I guess I am a bit desperate to find an alternate solution because the control board for this unit is $950 (here in Canada), which is complete highway robbery. Priced right by manufacturers for consumers to make the obvious choice…buy a new unit rather than fix. But that is a discussion for another thread on another day.
If it is the control board, I will either wait for a used unit to go on sale in local classifieds to use for parts, or toss this thing and buy new. For now, my wife said she can live without the bake element on the top oven if need be.
Would it make sense to take off the back and follow the wires from the element to make sure there is not a bad connection somewhere, or would I be wasting my time?
I would definitely do this.
You can never tell you may get lucky.
Just be sure to unplug the unit when you do this.
Could even be that they have added another thermal cutout in the bake element circuit and not documented it or might even be that they wired it into the bake element instead of the broil element.
Ok, so I took off the back cover of the range and tested the current directly from what I think is a relay on the back of the control board to the wire that goes into the other prong of the bake element. Same result…no reading.
I found what I believe are two relays connected to the bake element. Once is located on the back of the control board. The wire from the left prong (when facing back of range) goes directly to this relay. The other relay is mounted to the frame of the range and and the other prong of bake element AND one of the wires coming from the broiler element are spliced together into the same connector attached to this 2nd relay.
Here’s the thing, and don’t know if this is normal. But when I turn on BAKE, I hear two clicks in quick succession from the relay on the back of the control board and only one from the other relay). It almost sounds like the relay on the back of the control board closes the circuit, then for some reason, a second later, it opens the circuit again. However, I had my meter hooked up to the prong on the relay and I never see a reading on it when I turn on BAKE. So, this in itself may prove that the circuit is not actually closing, even for a split second. Else, I presume I would see a short blip of power on my meter.
BTW, I did test my meter on the broil element to make sure it works and got good reading, so I know my meter is not at fault.
Any thoughts on what i might do next? Or are my only options now to live with it, or buy a control board?
Sorry for not replying sooner but I was at the lake for a couple days.
The relay on the board controls the L1 side of the line.
This is the actual temperature control relay.
The relay on the frame is the DLB relay (double line break). This is a safety type relay that disconnects both the bake and broil elements from L2 when the oven is not in use, It seems to work OK.
You could try the diagnostics on page 5-2 in the manual to see if the bake element will come on when you do this.
Note I am not sutre that any element will come on as it does not say if the DLB relay is closed.
You are trying to find out it it is just a problem with the bake relay or if it is a problem with the electronic control of the relay.
I am willing to give that a try, but I guess the bigger question is that even if this tests leads to the conclusion that the specific relay on the board is at fault, can that relay alone be purchased and replaced, or am I still looking at a new control board module regardless?
If the latter, then I will likely simply look to buying a new range or wait for a used one to sell in local classifieds and strip out the control module.
Another question, if i did find a used range but in white (mine is black), can the control module be replaced separate from the plastic cover that has all the button symbols, or is that affixed to the control module with some sort of adhesive? (ie. could I easily pull the black cover off mine without damaging it and adhere to the replacement module)?
can that relay alone be purchased and replaced, or am I still looking at a new control board module regardless?
Yes it can be replaced.
You do need a soldering iron, solder and solder wick or a so;der sucker.
Also some electronics experience helps.
There should be numbers on it and you can often use those numbers to find a replacement from Digikey etc.
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the control module be replaced separate from the plastic cover that has all the button symbols, or is that affixed to the control module with some sort of adhesive? (ie. could I easily pull the black cover off mine without damaging it and adhere to the replacement module)?[/COLOR]
This I do not know and cannot tell by looking at the pictures of the part.
If it is peel and stick getting the old one off without any damage would be unlikely.
Thanks. I did chat with a rep and they checked…supposedly it is peel and stick, so if I find a replacement, it would have to be black I guess.
I will check if I can see any numbers. If I can order just a relay, that would be great. I have a good soldering iron and solder sucker, so replacing would not be a problem.
I will post back when I have had a chance to test the relay as suggested in your previous post.
I spoke to a technician at Newark element14, who said its possible the armature in the relay is failing and is not completely closing thus resulting in an open circuit.
So, after looking around (very hard to find this relay), I bit the bullet. I found the exact relay at Mouser Electronics. Shipped to my father in FL $12.12. My son will bring it home when he goes to visit him in 2-3 weeks. I am hoping this will fix the problem. If not, it’s not a big deal at only $12.
I will report back in about 3-4 weeks once I receive and install the new relay.
Well, bit the bullet and ordered a relay. Arrived at my father’s in FL. My son is visiting in a couple of weeks and will bring back. Will report back if the relay does the trick.
Replaced the relay on the control board last night and my top element is now working again!!! Wooo-hooo! I do need a new solder sucker though…getting the solder off probably took half the time!
So $12 and a bit of patience vs $950 for a new control board…definitely worth it!
Thanks for all the help!
For those who might have the same issue:
Got my replacement relay at Mouser Electronics
Part # G8P-1C4TP-V DC24
And thanks for getting back to us. Now when others search for a similar problem they will see what actually worked instead of just suggestions about what could be the cause.
Well, all was good in paradise, but now I have a new problem related to same element.
Same bottom element on the upper oven is not heating. But here’s the weird thing. With everything hooked up, and probing with my meter with the back panel off, I am getting 120V on input side of the element, and 120V on the output side of the element, which means current is passing through.
When I first tested resistance (see first post) the ohms reading started out at about 120 and started to quickly drop, but as it approached 39, it began dropping slowly. Took the better part of 2-3 minutes to drop to and level out to 28.2 Ohms.
Is it possible the element is toast? Should my next step to to test the resistance again?
I am getting 120V on input side of the element, and 120V on the output side of the element, which means current is passing through.
No it does not mean that there is current passing through the element.
It depends on where the reference probe of the meter is.
It is the voltage across the element that is important.
When one side of the meter is at Neutral or ground then 120 on each side of the element can be confusing.
1: It could be that the element is blown/open an you are measuring L1 on one side and L2 on the other side.
2: It could be that the element is OK but you are measuring either L1 or L2 on both sides of the element.
When I first tested resistance (see first post) the ohms reading started out at about 120 and started to quickly drop, but as it approached 39, it began dropping slowly. Took the better part of 2-3 minutes to drop to and level out to 28.2 Ohms.
I am not sure what happened here.
Is it possible the element is toast?
I doubt it
Should my next step to to test the resistance again?
Would not hurt.
Disconnect one side of the element to ensure you isolate it from other parallel resistances.