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Posted by # Fred # on December 28, 2006, 2:02 pm
> My reply of Dec27 on OvenFrank88's problem with his Frigidaire range
> appears not to have gotten through, so here's another.
>
> Had the same problem recently with my 5-yr old Kenmore range, which
> also uses the Spitfire Controls model 318183900 electronic oven
> control. Since no power was getting to the bake and broil elements, and
> all other functions including the display were still operating
> normally, I figured that something was wrong with the 20A relay (the
> largest of the 3 located at the end of the circuit board) that switches
> both the bake and broil elements. Closer inspection revealed that the
> trace on the solder side of the circuit board connecting this relay to
> its associated spade terminal had probably overheated and blown open,
> because the relay itself was still operating in reponse to the control
> voltage. I thought I'd try a repair because the cost of replacing the
> whole control would be $314 for the part alone (Sears has one in
> stock). Now these controls are not actually repairable; they're sealed,
> so you can't get at the solder side of the circuit board for one thing.
> I ended up cutting off the top and one side of the relay's plastic
> housing, exposing the relay, and soldering a couple of stranded copper
> wires between it and the spade terminal. The oven now heats normally.
>
> I had a similar problem with my dishwasher touchpad control 3 years
> ago. The cost of replacing that control was going to be about half the
> cost of a new dishwasher! It only needed resoldering of a contact of
> one of the power relays that sits on a circuit board.
>
> I think all such types of electronic controls have the same
> failure-prone weakness; in their efforts to keep appliances compact,
> stylish, and to reduce manufacturing costs (and maybe also help the
> parts and repair business), they've included the power handling relays
> - the ones that switch the bake and broil elements for example- with
> the electronic control. Premature failures will continue to occur until
> these relays are installed off the board. Reliability of the control
> may then begin to approach the reliability of the relays themselves,
> which is about 100,000 electrical operations, and that of the other
> solid state components. Bill E., Toronto, ON
>
Thanks for the tip. My friends 36" Tappan gas range has a F1 error message
and the oven won't turn on. I'll check out the bake and broil relays
assuming if I could get to it. If plug-in relays were used but that would
add any extra dollar to the circuit board.
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