My older model electric kenmore oven will heat to only 200 degrees, the broiler works, any ideas?

Question

the sears parts online site was not helpful

Answer 1

Most likely it is the oven control. The oven control measures the amount of heat in the oven and will cycle power to the element. It is also possible that the element is only getting 110V so it will heat a bit but not enough. The only way to know for sure is to test to see how much power the bake element is getting. If you get 220V AC to the bake element, its almost certainly the oven control. If your not getting 220V, it could be a burned wire or one of the breakers has blown on your circuit panel or a fuse on your oven fuse panel.

Most parts guys have a great deal of knowledge but their supervisors don't like them to give advice. The reasoning is that the more time they spend on the phone giving advice, the less money they make selling parts to another customer. Bad idea in my opinion but that's the way some companies operate.

Answer 2

I would say it's the thermostat not the elements if you can still broil and get some temprature from the oven

Answer 3

Bad temperature sensor is one possibility.

But most often it is a burned out bake element that is grounded. When they burn out and short to ground it can open one side and then only heat on the other 110v side at a low rate, thus low temp.

Answer 4

theres probly two heating elements and one is bad.

Answer 5

Thermostat.

Answer 6

You have an oven heating element and the broiler element.  They are both used to get the oven to temperature then the broiler element turns off.  I would say the oven heating element (the one at the bottom of the oven) is bad.  See here for more troubleshooting ideas:

http://www.repairclinic.com/0088_13_1.as...