How to Replace a Bake Element in a Frigidaire Oven

Frigidaire manufactures popular American-made ovens. They have excellent life expectancy if they are well maintained, and they are up there with brands like Samsung and LG in terms of popularity. They have a simple design, so a lot of the required maintenance can be done at home. 

Jobs like replacing your bake element every five or so years is a simple repair job you can do yourself to help get the best out of your Frigidaire oven. 

What is a bake element?

An oven generally has two heating elements. They are responsible for heating your oven and maintaining a constant temperature. The top element is responsible for broiling, while the one at the bottom is responsible for baking.

The bottom element, or baking element, generally sits on metal feet on the oven floor. The element is connected to the back of the oven via a plate or bracket and held on by screws. This plate covers two metal prongs that are connected to two wires inside of the oven. Female spade connectors are the most common connectors used in the frigidaire oven. It is designed to make it as simple as possible so homeowners can do the replacement themselves. Frigidaire has both gas and electric ovens.

Gas ovens are powered by either natural gas or LPG, and they tend to have a more inconsistent heat as a result. Electric ovens, as the name suggests, hook into your home’s electricity supply. 

Regardless of whether you have a gas or electric-powered oven, you will be able to do this repair yourself. The Frigidaire oven bake elements are a relatively common part, and you should be able to find them easily. Just make sure you bring the model number, so you are getting the right one. 

The following Frigidaire models are covered in this guide:

F04C352BTB

F04C367BBA

F04C367BSA

F04C367BSB

F04C367BTA

F04C367BTB

F04S350BDA

F04S350BDB

F04S350BWA

F04S350BWB

F64B350BDA 

FCS388CETB

FCS388WECA

FEB374CCBA

FEB374CCBC

FEB374CCBD

FEB374CCBF

FEB374CCS1

Disconnect your oven 

Safety should always be your top priority when doing DIY repairs or replacements. Ensuring you have the oven unplugged from its power source should always be your first step. If you are unable to access the plug or there is no plug, then turn the fuse for your oven off. 

Remove internal racks 

Once your oven is disconnected, it is safe to work on. You should start by pulling out all the trays and racks that are inside your oven. This will give you more room to do the replacement. 

Replacing your baking element is the perfect time to give your oven racks a clean. When you are working inside the oven, you can leave your oven racks to soak in some hot water with some dishwashing liquid. The time soaking will make them easier to clean when you go to put them back in. 

Remove element mounting

Once you have enough space to work inside your oven, you can begin to take the faulty element out.  

1. Pull the oven away from the wall if needed.
2. Using a screwdriver, remove the screws that are securing the element to the oven. 
3. Very carefully pull the element 10 to 12 centimeters toward you and away from the back wall of the oven.

Disconnect the wires 

You will need to disconnect the wires to install a new bake element. Your power should already be off, and if you have gloves handy, you should wear them too during this step. 

1. Take a photo of how the wires are connected to the prongs. This will be important when you are connecting the new element. 
2. Using your screwdriver, remove all the screws connecting the wires to the prongs of the element. 
3. Save the screws as you may need to use them when attaching the new bake element. 
4. Ensure the wires do not fall back inside the oven. If needed, you can tape them down until they are needed. 

Test for electrical current

After you have freed the wires, test them for an electrical current before continuing. To confirm the circuit power is off, you will need to touch the probe of a non-contact voltage tester on each of the wire ends. You are checking to make sure there is no voltage present. If the voltage is detected, you have not disconnected your oven from its power source correctly. There should be no voltage present before you move on to the next step. 

Install the new element 

For the majority of the Frigidaire models, you will be able to find a replacement bake element for between $80 to $100 dollars depending on the store. If you are not 100% sure which element to get, you should note your oven’s details and ask a professional. 

After you have removed the faulty element, you can install the new bake element. 

1. Place the new element inside the oven, ensuring it is faced the right way. You will know it has the correct orientation because there will be a place to connect the wires at the rear. 
2. Using the photo you took earlier as a diagram, reattach the wires in exactly the same way. 
3. Screw the new element to its mounting, and ensure the screws are done up tightly.

Once your new element is installed, you can replace all the racks and reconnect the power and you should be good to go.