Oven Not Heating: How to Diagnose and Fix It

Quick Answer

If your oven isn't heating, the most likely culprit is a burnt-out bake element in electric models or a weakened igniter in gas units. Start by visually inspecting the heating element for breaks or blisters, as a physical break is the clearest sign of failure.

When your oven quits heating, it's almost always one of two things: a burnt-out element or a dying igniter. I've fixed hundreds of these and honestly, it's rarely anything scary. The real danger of ignoring it? A weak gas igniter can let gas build up before it lights. And a failing relay on the control board can cause wiring damage if you keep running the oven. Catch it early and the fix is cheap.

GenericOvenSeverity: highDifficulty: intermediate90% DIY Success

Time to Fix

45–90 min

Difficulty

intermediate

Parts Cost

$35 – $120

Tools Needed

Phillips #2 screwdriver, 1/4 inch nut driver

Oven Not Heating: How to Diagnose and Fix It

A cold oven is annoying but it's almost never a death sentence for your range. Most heating failures come down to a single $20-$80 part. Here's the thing most people don't know: electric ovens fail differently than gas ones, so the fix is totally different. Know which one you've got before you order anything, and you'll probably have this fixed same day.

Most Likely Causes

Based on aggregated repair data, here is the probability breakdown for this error code:

Burnt out electric bake element45%

Weakened gas oven igniter35%

Faulty oven temperature sensor10%

Failed control board relay7%

Blown thermal fuse or wiring issue3%

Symptoms You May Notice

The display and clock work perfectly but the oven cavity never gets warm no matter how long you wait.
Stovetop burners fire right up but open the oven door and it's stone cold in there.
Preheat takes 40-50 minutes to reach 350 when it used to hit that in 12-15 minutes.
You can smell gas when the oven's on but there's no flame and no heat coming from the burner.
The broiler works fine but bake does nothing, or the opposite.

Can you reset a Generic oven to clear the NOT-HEATING code?

Flip the circuit breaker off and leave it for a full 60 seconds. Not 5 seconds, a full minute, so the capacitors on the control board fully discharge and it clears whatever error state it's stuck in. Flip it back on and see if the oven fires up normally. If it was stuck in a self-clean lockout, this usually frees the door lock too. But if a physical part is dead, a reset won't fix anything.

Tools Required for Diagnosis

Phillips #2 screwdriver1/4 inch nut driverDigital multimeter with ohms settingWork glovesFlathead screwdriver for prying panel clipsFlashlight or headlamp

Service / Diagnostic Mode

On many modern ovens, press and hold the 'Bake' button for 5 seconds to enter the service menu or display the actual sensor temperature.

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

ComponentComponent Under Test

Expected Range10–1100 ohms

ConditionIf Open (OL) or infinite, replace component.

Replacement Parts

If your diagnostic testing proves the component has failed, you will need a replacement. We recommend OEM parts over aftermarket for water-handling components.

Part Name	OEM Number	Estimated Price
Electric Bake ElementWB44T10010 · $35–$85	WB44T10010	$35 – $85
Gas Oven Igniter74007498 · $45–$120	74007498	$45 – $120

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find oven parts in San Diego?

Honestly, call a local appliance parts warehouse with your model number in hand. Marcone and other regional parts houses usually stock common elements and igniters for same-day pickup. But I usually just order online from places like RepairClinic or AppliancePartsPros because they're fast and part lookups are easy. Either way, pull your model number off the sticker on the door frame before you do anything. That's usually where it lives on most brands.

Is it worth fixing an oven that's 10 years old?

Yeah, almost always. If the rest of the oven's in good shape and it's just a dead element or igniter, you're looking at $30-$80 in parts and maybe an hour of your time. New quality ovens start around $700-$800 these days, so a simple part swap is a no-brainer. Now if the control board is fried and you're looking at a $200-$300 part on a base-model oven, that math gets fuzzy. But for a heating part? Fix it every time.

Why does my oven take forever to preheat?

Usually means one of your elements has given up but hasn't fully failed yet. Most ovens actually use both the bake and broil elements together during preheat to get up to temperature faster. If the bake element's struggling, the broil element ends up doing all the work by itself and it just takes way longer. The other thing I see is a drifting temperature sensor that tells the board the oven's hotter than it actually is, so the board cuts the heat too early. Test both.

Can I still use the stovetop if the oven is broken?

Usually yeah. The stovetop burners and the oven are on separate circuits inside the appliance, so a dead bake element or bad igniter won't touch the cooktop at all. The exception is if something caused a bigger electrical failure, like a short that blew the main thermal fuse or tripped the breaker for the whole unit. But if your oven's cold while the burners work fine, you're good to cook on top while you wait for parts.

Why did my oven stop working right after a self-clean cycle?

This happens all the time and it's almost always the thermal fuse. Self-clean runs the oven at 850-900 degrees for 2-3 hours, which is way beyond normal cooking temps. That kind of heat is brutal on every component in there. The thermal fuse is a one-time safety device that blows to prevent bigger damage, and once it's gone, the oven won't heat until you replace it. Weak elements and igniters that were already on their way out often die during self-clean too. Basically an accidental stress test.

Models Known to Experience NOT-HEATING Errors

This repair applies to most Generic ovens with this error code. Common model numbers include:

JB645RKSS, WFE515S0ES, MGR6600FB, LREL6323S, FFGF3054TS, KGRS807SSS, NE59R4321SS, FGEF3059TF

Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on May 20, 2024