How To Fix a Broken Amana Oven

It’s always frustrating when an appliance is on the fritz, but particularly so when it’s your oven. If your Amana oven appears to be broken, don’t call in a repair technician just yet! There are quite a few simple issues that can be fixed at home with a little effort. Read on to find out the most common problems and fixes.

This guide applies to all models of Amana ovens, including: AC027DE/P1172603S, AC027DEW/P1172604S, AC027SE/P1172601S, AC027SEW/P1172602S, ACH100E/P1133381NE, ACH100W/P1133381NW, ACO1860AS, ACR3130BAW0, AEP222VAW1, AER3311WAW0, AGR3311WDW1, ARG7102W, ARG7200W, ARG7200W, ARG7300W, ARG7300W, ARG7302WW, ARG7302WW, ARG7600WW, ARG7600WW, and FDU185.

Check for power issues

The first thing to check if your Amana oven isn’t working is to make sure it’s getting power. There are a few things that can go wrong with your power supply that can be an easy fix. 

First, check to see if your oven is getting any power at all. If it’s turning on and some components of the oven are working, like the stovetop or the light, it’s unlikely to be a power issue. However, if the entire oven is dead, a power issue is likely. To check this, follow these steps:

• Inspect the power cord, making sure it’s properly plugged in. If it’s loose,  push it in tightly. 
• Test to see if the circuit breaker for your oven has tripped. Locate your home’s electrical panel and check the breaker that corresponds to your oven. 
• If the breaker has tripped, reset it and see if your oven now works. If your oven works briefly, but then the breaker trips again, this is a sign of a serious electrical problem and will require an electrician to fix. 

Check the heating elements

If some aspects of your oven are working, like the light and the stovetop, but it isn’t heating up at all, there could be an issue with the heating elements. To check if this is your issue, follow these steps:

• For safety reasons, disconnect the power. 
• Visually inspect the heating elements in your oven. There are two elements: the bake element at the bottom and the broil element at the top. If either one appears cracked or damaged in any way, it will need to be replaced. 
• If the heating elements appear to be normal but your Amana oven still isn’t heating, try testing the elements with a multimeter to see if they’re working correctly. 
• Unscrew the elements and measure the resistance with your multimeter. A working oven element should display a reading between 20 and 115 ohms—anything outside this range indicates a faulty element. 
• To replace the element, you’ll need to order a replacement part. You can order new elements directly from Amana, or from a third party supplier online. 
• After disconnecting the broken heating element, connect the wires to the new one and screw it back in place. Your oven should now be working once again.

Check the thermostat

If your Amana oven is heating unpredictably, or only heating a little bit, then a faulty thermostat could be to blame. Thankfully, this is relatively easy to diagnose and fix. Read on to find out what to do. 

Test if your oven is heating correctly

Use an external oven thermometer to check what temperature your oven is actually heating to. If there is a significant difference between the temperature setting and what the external thermometer is detecting, then your thermostat is likely the culprit. Make sure you give your oven enough time to heat up before drawing any conclusion, though.

Check the bulb

One component of your oven’s thermostat that can malfunction is the bulb. This is the part that detects the temperature inside the oven, and if it is knocked out of place accidentally or if it gets covered in grease or grime it can become inaccurate. 

Inspect the bulb—if it is askew or dirty, put it back into place and clean it carefully with a soft cloth and a mild detergent. Then test your oven again to see if it’s now working. If the bulb was the problem, it should now be heating up properly. 

Test the thermostat with a multimeter

To confirm that your thermostat is broken, you can test it with a multimeter. To do this:

• Make sure the oven is disconnected from the power, then locate the thermostat. You can refer to your manual for its exact location—you may need to remove the back panel of your oven. 
• Disconnect the wires from your thermostat, then test it with your multimeter. If it’s working correctly it should show a reading of zero—anything else means it is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Replace the thermostat

Once you’ve determined the thermostat is faulty, replacing it is the best option to get your Amana oven working once more. You can order a replacement part online. To replace the faulty thermostat, follow these steps:

• After ensuring your oven is disconnected from the power, remove any screws or bolts holding the thermostat in place and disconnect it from the wires. 
• Put the new thermostat in place, connecting the same wires and bolts.
• Replace any panels you had to remove in order to access the thermostat, and turn the oven back on. 
• Test to see if your Amana oven is now working. 

Check the door latch

Sometimes an issue with your door latch can prevent your oven from heating. Here’s how to determine if this is your issue. 

• Inspect your door latch to see if it’s damaged or if anything is blocking it. 
• Open and close the door to make sure it’s locking securely.
• If you notice an issue with the latch, clean it thoroughly with a cloth and a detergent solution to remove any grease that might be blocking the latch. If you can see any visible debris, remove it with an old toothbrush. 
• If the door latch appears damaged, bent, or cracked, you’ll need to replace it. You can order a replacement part online. The door latch mechanism can be unscrewed, then you can screw a new one into place.