How to Repair a GE Oven With Broiler Lights That Are Not Igniting

Preparation

• Leave the gas shutoff valve enabled until you are ready to test the broiler, and unplug the oven's power cord from the electrical outlet. The gas shutoff valve located on the back of the oven must be enabled to prevent gas from leaking while adjusting the oven's configuration. The shutoff valve has a button that pulls out when enabled, and prevents gas from reaching the oven while in the locked position.

Air Shutter

• The air shutter, which is found in the oven's interior on the back wall, controls the amount of air the burner receives to produce a flame. The air shutter is open by default, but may be positioned too low to produce a proper flame. An air shutter set too close to the closed position inhibits the broiler's ability to properly light itself when enabled. Pull out the oven's bottom drawer to access the air shutter and shine a flashlight on the oven's back wall to see the shutter. The air shutter is adjustable with the use of a Phillips screwdriver, and increases airflow when the shutter's screw is unscrewed and the shutter is turned slightly to the open position. The broiler's burner produces blue cones of flame when the air shutter is properly configured, and produces yellow tips when the air shutter has been opened too far.

Self-Clean

• The oven's broiling feature will not run when the self-clean feature is active, as the self-clean prevents use of any of the cooking settings until the cleaning cycle finishes and the oven cools. The self-clean feature turns on depending on your cleaning timer settings, and remains extremely hot for at least one hour after stopping the cleaning cycle. Push "Clear/Off" to interrupt the self-clean cycle and wait for the oven to cool before pushing "Broil" to test the oven's broiler.

Power Issues

• Your oven may not be receiving power if the broiler feature does not light when the broiler button is pressed, and this is often due to power outages in your home. A blown fuse or tripped circuit in your home prevents the oven from operating, and requires a breaker reset or fuse replacement to resume use of the oven's features. If your home continuously loses power when using the oven, your power outlet may not be able to handle the energy required by the GE oven. Contact an electrician to test your home's outlets for weak or defective lines.