Replacing my oven igniter
Summary
I was able to save myself the cost of an appliance repair call by replacing my oven igniter. Here’s some pictures and how-to. I have a Bosch gas oven but this should apply to any gas oven.
Problem statement
My wife reported that the oven was stuck in a pre-heating stage. When I opened the oven after about 20 mins of pre-heating, the tray at the bottom was hot, but I could not hear the low “hissing” sound of the flame that heats the oven. I suspected something was wrong, and Googled “Bosch oven not heating” and learned that a likely fault was the igniter.
I watched perhaps 1 YouTube video and then removed the bottom tray to learn what an igniter is, and that it glowed but there was no flame, like the video had. So I googled “Bosch oven igniter lights up but no flame”. This led me to several DIY videos showing how to replace an igniter.
Why write this blog post
If you suspect your oven igniter needs replacing, watch one of the many videos on YouTube. This post is just to document my experience, which was in line with every video I watched.
How to replace your igniter
Order a replacement
I used AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc) to double-check the part number I needed. You can take a pic of your oven model number (on mine it’s on the side of the warming drawer near the floor) or type it in. This confirms the part you need. I ordered a genuine OEM part, it was about $120, but they can be as cheap as $18 from Amazon.
Remove oven door
Sounds silly now, but I had no idea how to do it. Google it, it couldnt be easier. I applied a tiny amount of WD40 to get the little locking mechanism on my hinges to move.
Remove bottom tray
Also couldn’t be easier. There are two screws you can use a regular screwdriver to remove.
Confirm your igniter is bad
Turn on your oven to bake. My igniter glowed, but the flame never lit. I believe that’s because an older igniter doesn’t draw enough current to open the oven’s gas safety valve. So gas doesn’t flow, and therefore we have no flame. Google it if you have doubts.
Turn off your electricity at the breaker and gas
In my case, I switched off the electrical breaker but because I wasn’t moving the oven I did not touch the gas.
Remove the old igniter
There are 2 screws with a Torx T20 drill bit.
Cut the wires for the old igniter
They are insulated with some heat resistant covering. If you have a model that allows you to easily access the clip where the new igniter can clip into the control board of the oven, then do that. From videos, I gather some models have this clip accessible from underneath the oven.
On my Bosch oven that clip must be accessed from the rear, and I did not want to pull my oven away from the wall. So I spliced the old wires with the new igniter.
Splice the wires
Use high temp porcelain wire nuts. 1 pair cost me $3 at a local electrical supply store. I thought they would ship with the product, but they did not.
Remove about three-quarters of an inch of insulation carefully from the existing wires and the new igniter wires, and twist them together, and then screw a wire nut on them.
Wear rubber gloves. Apparently oils from your skin can touch the wires and igniter and make it less heat resistant and reduce it’s lifespan.
Screw in the new igniter
Shove the extra wiring into the back of the oven, where the original wires came from.
Test the new igniter and replace door
In my case, I accidentally locked the oven door hinges before fully seating the hinges in at time of replacement. Two mins more of YouTube videos showed me how to use a wrench to re-open the hinge and try again.
Boast to your wife
At this point, your oven igniter should glow brightly, pull enough current to open the gas valve, and ignite a flame that heats your oven!
If this has solved your problem, you can then tell your wife that you saved a $150 call out fee. All it took was waiting 1 week on spare parts, driving to the local electrical store for porcelain wire nuts, almost destroying your toaster oven during the week, Googling many times the silliest of questions, and spending 2 hours for what should have taken 20 mins!