The bake (bottom) element evidently fractured and then burst in half in a blaze of incandescent heat. This blew a hole in the oven bottom panel and welded a bunch of gunk all around that hole. Maybe it could be cleaned up with much effort, but it is rock-solid. Besides, the hole is right where the contour of the bottom panel makes it extremely difficult to try to shape a piece of sheet steel for attachment with JB Weld. Far easier, I’m sure, just to get a new panel and replace the old one. What is the process for replacing this panel?
I appreciate the advice. I checked what is below the oven bottom panel by gently inserting a probe in the hole. The probe went an inch or so down and then encountered some white, fluffy fiberglass sort of stuff, probably insulation. It did not appear to be burned at all. Below that layer, it felt solid, no fracture or hole. Apparently, the hole was the sort of reaction that occurs when a short circuit blast will damage a screwdriver but leave everything else intact.
There are no screws at the front corners of the bottom panel, but there are round discs that could be screw covers at the back corners. Would these be pried up carefully with a small screwdriver to reveal the screw heads? And if that is the case–if there are two screws in the back but no screws in the front–would the bottom panel perhaps slide backwards after the screws were removed to disengage from where it seems to fit under the very front floor of the oven? I’ve already ordered the bake element and the bottom panel, which should arrive in a day or two. If when I remove the bottom panel–which I’d better do right now–and discover more damage, I’ll have to order whatever else is necessary.
Thanks again.
Unfortunately, none of the attachment methods you described were used in this case. It is difficult to imagine what the manufacturers were thinking–or not thinking–when they modified the oven bottom panel attachment method the way they did in this case. It was attached by screws, all right, but the screws were driven from outside in. This requred either the almost complete dismantling of the oven to get to the inner shell or (this is what I finally did) the use of a hacksaw blade and handle to cut through three screws on one side, three on the other, and two in the back. It took a long time (tough screws) and two hacksaw blades to do the job. Of course, this meant that there was no easy way to attach the new bottom panel, which slid in under the front lip but was too loose. To keep it from rattling around–definitely not a good idea with a delicate element right above it–I used a couple of dabs of J.B. Weld at the front, with two bricks holding the panel in place while the epoxy set up. If I ever need another panel, I’ll have to break the epoxy to get it out, but that is a heck of a lot less hassle than messing with screws that are essentially inaccessible. Frigidaire definitely was not at its best when it ran this oven through the production line.