Maytag Performa Stove not mantaing baking temp

I have a gas stove a Maytag Performa barely past the 5 year warranty on electrical parts (naturally), and the baking temperature inside the stove does not maintain the temperature setting, if I set the temp to 400 degrees via the electrical setting switch, it will reach that temperature and then begin to decrease down to about 200 degrees and not rise again, so I switch from bake to broil and once the broiler flame ignites, which usually takes awhile, I switch back to bake and only then will the temperature maintain the desired 400 degrees once reached and stay there, i'm not sure if this is a problem with the electrical switch or possibly grease in the jets, i tried using the self clean feature several times to clean out grease possibly from the jets but that didnt solve the problem, i have not spilled grease inside nor is the stove at all dirty, the stove uses one compartment for baking and broiling, the broiling flame from above and the baking flame from underneath the pan beneath the grill, any thoughts on how to fix this myself?

Hi,

Model#?
http://www.applianceaid.com/model-number.php Some model# helps.

A weak ignitor can cause temp issues...

http://www.applianceaid.com/gas-range-repair-help.php#glow

jeff.

Model # PGR5710BDW Maytag Performa GAS RANGE

Could also be a problem in the stove's logic circuitry, which clears when you switch to broil.
You could cut power temporarily to the oven and see if that also clears the bake temp problem.

If you're not up to measuring ignitor current draw I'd start getting prices for the logic board/controller part and the ignitor.

[ame]http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=maytag+class+action&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8[/ame]

im thinking more like the temperature sensor probe is malfunctioning

sweets said:

im thinking more like the temperature sensor probe is malfunctioning

Click to expand...

Maybe, but how does your procedure for clearing the fault affect this component?
And if the parts guy says he hardly ever sells one of these, it may be a less likely candidate.

It may also be a coincidence that your procedure works, unless you can consistently clear the problem by doing it. The problem may be time-dependent instead of being affected by control settings.

There are several test points in the oven that you should monitor to try to isolate the problem. Connections can also fail.

Since the problem is not intermittent and the oven is not tripping its breaker, etc., you have a good chance of solving this one.

Do not cause a gas explosion.
It was not that long ago that a HO and his wife landed on the lawn at 3 AM because of his faulty dryer install. Since their house was demolished they are now "judgement proof", all in a flash. And nearby houses took some shrapnel, also.

I'm appreciative of the tip, should I close the gas before attempting to change the temperature sensor probe, or the ignitor switch?

Probably not necessary if replacing temp sensor probe though?

"You could cut power temporarily to the oven and see if that also clears the bake temp problem."
How exactly is that done?

I also read somewhere that some temp sensor probes require calibration via the electronic control and might not be defective, not sure if its this model?

Lets face it, it's hit or miss with any of these replacements

Ohming the oven temp sensor is a good idea, still sounds like a weak ignitor to me.

1000-1100 ohms at room temp for the sensor.


Ignitor, glow bar Manufacturer Number 74007498


Oven sensor kit, short Manufacturer Number 12001655

jeff.

sweets said:

How exactly is that done?

Click to expand...

With the gas danger, you have to be careful not to defeat any of the oven safeguards that prevent gas mishaps.
I guess the worst outcome would be the gas valve being on and no ignition being called for by the oven logic circuitry.

To cut power, turn off the oven breaker for a few seconds and then back on.

BTW, the more measurements you take, the less role probability plays in getting a favorable outcome for your repair adventure.
Then it's up to you to minimize your errors in logic, see "logical fallacies" on Wiki.

"Ohming the oven temp sensor is a good idea, still sounds like a weak ignitor to me."

Jeff;
I dont have an ohmeter, however I took the bottom pan off and set bake to 350 degrees, I watched as the ignitor got bright red and lit the flame, but at a temp of about 200 degrees the flame went out and never came back on. Wouldnt that indicate the temperature sensor probe is off somehow??
Thanks

but at a temp of about 200 degrees the flame went out and never came back on

Click to expand...

...and then what?....the ignitor stayed on?
left the door open a while?...what happens after a bit?

I dont have an ohmeter

Click to expand...

Then you may have to replace a part to test.

jeff.

"but at a temp of about 200 degrees the flame went out and never came back on

..and then what?....the ignitor stayed on?"

No the ignitor (and flame) went off, but isn't that in response to the temperature sensor probe in this case falsely telling it to go off??

Isn't that how this works? the temp sensor probe tells in effect the ignitor to go on and off and if its (the temp sensor probe) not working properly the ignitor shuts down?

No the ignitor (and flame) went off

Click to expand...

Crap!

but isn't that in response to the temperature sensor probe in this case falsely telling it to go off??

Click to expand...

Maybe, without testing we may not know for sure.....the sensor shuts off nothing nor does it turn on anything....temp sensor changes resistance to tell the control what is happening and the control turns things on and off......that is why we ohm the sensor...
http://www.applianceaid.com/oven-temperature-sensors-help.php
...if way off on the ohm reading it may be telling the control the wrong information.

jeff.

"Maybe, without testing we may not know for sure.....the sensor shuts off nothing nor does it turn on anything....temp sensor changes resistance to tell the control what is happening and the control turns things on and off......that is why we ohm the sensor...
http://www.applianceaid.com/oven-temperature-sensors-help.php
...if way off on the ohm reading it may be telling the control the wrong information."

Jeff,
Are you saying the ignitor should remain on (bright red) throughout the entire baking time?
Wouldnt the temp sensor probe "sense" the temperature in the oven is rising higher than the set baking temperature and shut the flame and the ignitor down to maintain the set temp?
I kind of hear something shut down, a kind of "clump" sound once the set baking temperature is reached, this only happens if I go from bake to broil and then back to bake again
Sorry for all this detail

Besides a schematic you need a Theory of Operation. I doubt that Maytag will help you with this but you might find a schematic inside the oven walls somewhere. It's usually in an envelope, taped to the wiring.

I have a 30 YO furnace and the maker was kind enough to send me a factory service manual, for free.
This photocopy is a few pages, and that thing has saved me mucho dinero. You really need to know the sequence of operations.

Get a meter. It will pay for itself the first time you use it to diagnose or fix anything. An appliance meter is not the same as a meter for house wiring because appliances do not have Phantom Voltages.

There are also
components failing from normal wearout,
components failing early from factory defects (so called infant mortality) and
components failing because they are being overstressed by some fault somewhere in the appliance.


Let's say you guess at what part it is, you replace it, and it doesn't fix the problem.
Do not get on a slippery slope of buying more parts. The money you paid for the part is a sunk cost.

"sunk costs are not taken into account when making rational decisions. In the case of a movie ticket that has already been purchased, the ticket-buyer can choose between the following two end results if he realizes that he doesn't like the movie:

Having paid the price of the ticket and having suffered watching a movie that he does not want to see, or;
Having paid the price of the ticket and having used the time to do something more fun."

In your case, "more fun" means do some thinking, reasoning and measuring.

BTW, check any new part before installing, and after installing if it didn't fix the problem.

Yes i know youre correct and i should get the ohmeter/voltage meter and learn how to use it

Whose the manufacturer of your 30 yr old furnace?
I have a 27 yr old boiler and i'd sure like to get that manual for mine

As to the Maytag Performa stove, i'm just speculating on operation, but it would seem that the temp sensor probe has some effect on whether the ignitor is on or off, please correct me if im wrong, i'm just guessing

sweets said:

Yes i know youre correct and i should get the ohmeter/voltage meter and learn how to use it

Whose the manufacturer of your 30 yr old furnace?
I have a 27 yr old boiler and i'd sure like to get that manual for mine

As to the Maytag Performa stove, i'm just speculating on operation, but it would seem that the temp sensor probe has some effect on whether the ignitor is on or off, please correct me if im wrong, i'm just guessing

Click to expand...

Bryant.
They probably fired the guy for sending me that manual. Everytime I fix something on my furnace it is money out of the pockets of the HVAC industry.

If my informal HVAC survey from long ago is correct, your boiler has outlived about 95% of boilers as old. You may soon have to make a repair/replace decision.

And Stihl will not even sell a factory manual to a HO, but I fixed my leaf blower anyway.

Are you saying the ignitor should remain on (bright red) throughout the entire baking time?

Click to expand...

The ignitor stays on when ever the flame is on...ignitor must draw current to keep the gas valve open.

Wouldnt the temp sensor probe "sense" the temperature in the oven is rising higher than the set baking temperature and shut the flame and the ignitor down to maintain the set temp?

Click to expand...

The sensor shuts off nothing nor does it turn on anything....temp sensor changes resistance to tell the control what is happening and the control turns things on and off.

Temp sensor can ohm ok but the sensor circuit inside the clock/control can be bad. Sometimes a loose wire ( male-female ) connector can cause high resistance in the sensor circuit.

jeff.

This works every time:
So whenever I see the set baking temperature drops, I switch to the oven setting via the clock, after the broiler flame is lit I wait several minutes, then switch back to bake, set the temperature to wherever I need it, after which time the oven will heat up to that preset temperature, (it lets me know via a beep), and it remains at that temprature for however long I need it too.
Do you still think its the baking igniter that's faulty?

An amp meter reading would tell if the ignitor was weak....heating it up with the broil can help...so far it still -sounds- like a weak ignitor.
It's the "it shut off and didn't come back on" that is odd.

http://www.applianceaid.com/gas-range-repair-help.php#glow

jeff.