Magic Chef Oven Will Not Heat
If your Magic Chef oven’s not heating up when you turn it on, use the following troubleshooting steps to help you locate the problem, so you can fix or replace the defective part or parts and get your oven to heat up and function properly again.
WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any oven yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death. Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it. If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it. Be aware that ovens have extremely sharp edges and hot parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death. Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved in oven repair besides those listed above. We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further. Think safety first!
Magic Chef Electric Oven
Step – (1.) Incoming Power
First, you will need to check for a blown fuse or a tripped circuit breaker in your home’s main circuit breaker box. If a fuse has blown, you will need to replace the fuse with a new one. If you find that the circuit breaker has tripped to the off position, flip the breaker back to the on position.
Step – (2.) Blown Oven Fuse
On some Magic Chef oven models an internal fuse is used to shut the oven off to prevent any further damage to the appliance. If the fuse has blown, the oven won’t turn on. The fuse can be tested using a multimeter. If the fuse does not have continuity, the part is faulty and will need to be replaced. Before replacing the fuse with a new one, you will need to inspect or troubleshoot the various components within the oven to determine what caused the fuse to blow. Visually inspect the internal oven components, look for burnt wires, burnt wire connectors, signs of damage on the heating elements and the element’s connections.
Step – (3.) Bake Element
The bake element is located on the bottom part of the interior cavity on free standing and wall ovens. If you have noticed that your electric oven won’t heat while you are trying to bake, the baking element may have burned out. You can test the element for continuity using a digital meter or multimeter. If the test shows no continuity, the baking element will need to be replaced to fix the problem. If the element has continuity, it is good, and more troubleshooting will need to be performed. Safety Warning – Please be sure that your oven has had plenty of time to cool down before testing or removing any internal or external parts. Some oven parts can hold heat for quite some time and will still burn you long after the unit has been turned off.
Step – (4.) Broil Element
The broil element is located on the inside of the oven cavity at the top and is used for broiling. Quite often the broiler element is used to help preheat an electric oven faster. If your element has stopped working you will need to visually inspect it for signs of damage, such as burn marks, bubbling or blistering, burnt or melted terminal ends or a broken spot in the element. A broiling element can be tested for continuity using a digital or analog multimeter. If the test shows no continuity, the broil element will need to be replaced to fix the problem. If the test shows the element has continuity, it is good and more troubleshooting will need to be performed. Safety Note – Please keep in mind that just because a broiling element does not look hot, doesn’t mean that it isn’t hot, it can still burn you. You will want to be sure to wear safety gloves while inspecting or troubleshooting any of your oven’s parts.
Step – (5.) Surface Heating Element
The surface heating element is used on the cooktop surface of some electric free standing and slide-in oven models. If your surface element is not heating, you can test the part for continuity with a multimeter. If the element has continuity, it is good, if the test shows no continuity, the element is bad. The solution is to replace the broken surface element to fix the problem. Troubleshooting tip – If you do not have a test meter, one can be purchased reasonably cheap from your local hardware store. A test meter can be a real time and money saver while troubleshooting all of the various electrical parts used on an oven. Electrical parts can be diagnosed either good or bad quickly, instead of just assuming that a heating element is faulty and replacing it, only to find out the element wasn’t bad, and the problem lies elsewhere with another faulty oven part.
Step – (6.) Temperature Sensor
The temperature sensor is used on newer model electronic control ovens. It is used to sense the temperature inside of the oven. The sensor communicates with the ovens electronic control board which adjusts the temperature as necessary. On newer model ovens, a fault code should display on the control panel if the temperature sensor has failed. You will need to refer to your owner’s manual, under oven fault codes.
Step – (7.) Electronic Control Board
You will need to Inspect your oven’s electronic control board. The control board is a very difficult part to test. You can visually inspect the control board for a loose wire harness connection or a burnt or melted component on the control board. If any of the mentioned damage is found, the control board may be faulty. The control board is a very intricate electrical part, sometimes a hairline fracture in a solder spot can cause the board to fail, you won’t even be able to see the fracture in the solder with the naked eye.
Magic Chef Gas Oven
Step – (1.) Oven Igniter
The oven igniter, also known as the glow bar, is used in some free standing and wall gas oven models. It is located under the burner shield inside the bottom part of the oven compartment, mounted right next to the gas burner tube. The igniter is used to open the gas valve and to ignite the gas to flame for heat. As the igniter draws electrical current it will heat to a high temperature and glow red hot, as well as cause the bi metal in the ovens safety valve to warp and open the valve releasing the gas to be ignited into flame. The igniter can become weak over time. If you can see that your oven igniter is glowing but will not light the gas to flame it may need to be replaced. If the igniter does not glow at all, it is faulty and will need to be replaced to fix the problem. You can test the igniter for continuity using a digital meter or multimeter. If the test shows no continuity, the igniter will need to be replaced, if the igniter has continuity, it is good and more troubleshooting will need to be performed. Troubleshooting tip – If you don’t have a test meter, a digital meter can be purchased reasonably cheap online or from one of the bigger hardware stores, a test meter is a real time and money saver while troubleshooting the electrical parts used on an oven. Electrical parts can be diagnosed either good or bad very quickly. Instead of just assuming that a part is faulty and replacing it, only to find out that part wasn’t bad, and the problem lies elsewhere with another faulty oven part.
Step – (2.) Spark Electrode
Modern gas oven’s use some form of electronic ignition system, such as the spark electrode or an igniter system. These ignition systems have replaced the older oven style gas flame pilot lights. Oven models using a spark ignition system also have an actual gas pilot like a pilot ignition system only the pilot does not stay lit all the time. Instead, when the ovens thermostat is turned on, gas flows to the oven’s safety valve and also to the oven’s pilot, which gets lit with a spark. Once the pilot is lit and the safety valve’s sensor bulb senses the pilot flame, that valve will then open, allowing the gas to flow to the oven’s burner where the pilot flame ignites the gas burner. If the spark electrode is weak or no longer works at all the oven will not light, the repair solution is to replace the spark electrode if this is the case.
Step – (3.) Thermostat
The thermostat is used on some gas oven models to control the temperature inside of the oven. When the desired temperature has been reached, the thermostat will turn off the heat source. When the oven’s temperature begins to fall, the thermostat will cycle the heat back on. The most common symptoms of a faulty thermostat are undercooked food or an oven that either won’t turn on or turn off. Safety Warning – Please be sure that your oven has had plenty of time to cool down before testing or removing any internal or external parts. Some oven parts can hold heat for quite some time and will still burn you long after the unit has been turned off.
Step – (4.) Safety Valve
If the oven’s igniter comes on, glows red hot for 90 seconds and does not light the burner, you will need to test the safety valve for continuity. You can test the safety valve for continuity using a digital meter or multimeter. If the test shows no continuity, the valve will need to be replaced. If the valve does have continuity it is good, and more troubleshooting will need to be performed. Safety Reminder – You will need to be sure to turn off the gas that is dedicated to your gas oven before you begin to remove this part.
Step – (5.) Oven Control Board
You will need to Inspect your oven’s electronic control board. The control board is a very difficult part to test. You can visually inspect the control board for a loose wire harness connection or a burnt or melted component on the control board. If any of the mentioned damage is found, the control board may be faulty. The oven control board is a very intricate electrical part, sometimes a hairline fracture in a solder spot can cause the board to fail, you won’t even be able to see the fracture in the solder with the naked eye.