I almost didn’t want to write this post because it’s not very pretty to look at. (It’s been a while since I cleaned my oven.) But then I thought many of us have electric ovens and sometimes things break and they aren’t very pretty to the eye. Let’s face it life is messy and it’s not always cute pumpkins and pretty decor. So I want to share with you how I fixed my oven for free.
A week or so ago, I noticed my baking element wasn’t heating up. I figured it was time to replace it. I ordered a new one on eBay for around $17. When the part arrived, I killed the power, pulled out the range and opened the back of the oven. Removed a few screws that were holding it together. Next I took out the baking element. Once again, two screws needed to come out. That’s all.
When I pulled out the element I noticed that one of the wires wasn’t connected to it. This wire was fine, but the second wire had a burned tip and wire connector piece or terminal. (I think that’s the proper term.) I had a hunch that the baking element was just fine and that the culprit was the burned wire.
I took the burned piece to an appliance store where the nice man gave me a couple of new pieces to take home (free of charge). Or you can order them on Amazon.
At home, I used my wire stripper to strip off the burned wire tip and replaced the burned wire connector. Next I attached the wires to the baking element. Sure enough, the baking element worked again.
From what Sears told me when I called them about replacement parts, they charge at least $200 for a repair guy to come out. This does not include parts.
melodys100
October 7, 2015You make things that seem so hard look so easy!
sabines
October 7, 2015Sometimes things seem harder than they really are!
Patrick
October 22, 2015And what do they call these connectors, when I search on internet it comes up about how to replace the coil, or the baking element. It drives me nuts. the electrical connector
sabines
October 22, 2015Hi Patrick. The appliance store guy told me this piece is called a high temperature terminal connector.They usually come in bags of 100 or so. My guy was nice and gave me a couple for free. It’s best to bring the broken connector piece to the appliance store as they come in different sizes.Hope this helps.
Marie
November 17, 2016How did u connect the back wire to the new terminal, please tell..
sabines
November 17, 2016Hi Marie. I just pushed the wire into the terminal. It’s a bit tight in there, but this way the wire stays put.
Max
March 31, 2018Technically you’re supposed to use a crimping tool to ensure strong and safe connection
Max
March 31, 2018Sorry – saw that this was addressed below
sabines
April 1, 2018Max, you’re probably right. But years later, my oven is still going strong.
Owen
February 12, 2016So do you pull some of the “copper” wiring into the connector? Twist it? How much? Just about to give it a shot tonight…
sabines
February 12, 2016Cut off the burned wire and then pull a small piece of wire (as much as you can fit) into the connector.Hope this helps. Good luck!
remrov
April 27, 2016Do you have to solder the connector to the wire? I have heard that if you use pliers, and the connection is to loose it can cause issues again. How did you do this?
By the way…..I am looking everywhere for these connectors but can’t find them anywhere.
sabines
April 27, 2016I gently placed the wire into the connector. I didn’t need any tools. The connector is a tight piece so the wire sits pretty tight. Lowes and Home Depot don’t have the connectors (at least not in my area). I went to a local appliance store and sure enough they had plenty to choose from. You can also order them on amazon or eBay but they come in bags of 50 or 100, I believe. Hope this helps.:) Btw. my oven is still working fine.
Michael Swain
July 22, 2017I work on appliances. You have to crimp the metal tube down on the wire after you push it in. Otherwise it will come loose again or heat up and burn again. Forget solder because it melts from 350 to 600 degrees, and the element would easily melt it during normal use. Just crimp it down onto the wire so it “bites” into the copper part. Then you plug the female spade connector onto the element. Those are called spade connectors btw. The flat one is the male and the one it plugs inside of is called the female. Any auto parts store or hardware store carries them in electrical section. Hope this helps!
sabines
July 22, 2017Hi Michael! I did crimp it down onto the wire. Yay, so happy I got it right. Thank you so much for your tips… They’re much appreciated. And thank you for stopping by.
Beatrice
October 14, 2017Thank you. My oven started heating very slowly this morning and I located a burned terminal to the top (broiler) element. I will find or order new connectors and fix this myself. I knew it wasn’t the element itself because I checked for continuity with a multimeter. Also checked the sensor probe (YouTube). Multimeters are very handy for “powerful” women. 🙂
sabines
October 16, 2017Great advice! I need to get one.
Chris
February 9, 2017I have similar problem, except that the burnt part is the tip or the terminal end of the heating element. It is really nice for people like you that has DIY skills to troubleshoot and not pay $200 to the repairman. The hardest part of appliance repair is finding the problem and getting into it. If you will track how many hours you spent on it, one will say $200 for the Sears tech is justified.
I hope someday I can say that I don’t want to pay $50,000 to a cardiovascular surgeon because all he will do is to unclog the arteries, an easy task. That part is easy but getting to it is a life and death of the patient.
sabines
February 9, 2017Chris, I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes finding the problem is the hardest task. Luckily I didn’t spent too much time on this issue. It was well worth doing the repair myself. In addition to the high cost of hiring a repairman, there is also the wait time (he’ll be there between 8am and 4pm), which means I need to take the day off and wait all day.I do what I can, but sometimes, I leave it to the pros. My plumber was supposed to get here between 9 and 4. I waited all day. Well he didn’t make it until almost 6. Then the water was turned off for two hours. Not ideal when it’s dinner time and kids want to shower. But since I don’t know much about plumbing, I had to suck it up but luckily the problem was fixed. Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it a lot.
shawn hunt
July 23, 2017Do you even need a terminal on the wire coming from the stove, or can you just strip the burnt wire back and connect it directly to the terminal on the oven element?
sabines
July 24, 2017The way I understand it, the terminal is on the wire coming from the stove. This terminal connects to the baking element. Without the terminal, you wouldn’t be able to connect the two pieces.
Judy Minter
September 29, 2017one side of the element popped right out i been working on the other for 30 min didnt want to break any wires. do i need WD40?
sabines
September 30, 2017Judy, did you unscrew it first?
Amy Racquél
November 14, 2017Hello.. I replaced my oven broiler myself about 2 yrs ago. What a sense of accomplishment! Lol. Last night I noticed broiler wasn’t turning on. I removed the broiler and found that one of the wires must have burned off. The one wire was still attached to the broiler and looks unaffected. The other wire is completely GONE..the space (with no trace of a wire) was still attached to the broiler. I felt around inside the insulation where the comes out of… I can’t seem to feel any trace of it. Can I somehow just replace the whole wire that’s ‘missing’ ? If so… where does it originate? I’ve opened the hood (It’s an electric flat top stove) it seems like the wires under the hood are strictly for stove top. I could be wrong, but see no evidence of a scorched or broken wire in that location.
sabines
November 15, 2017Amy, did you remove the back panel? I bet the wire slipped back into the hole. With the panel removed you should be able to see the wire. Hope this helps.
Wire Harness Manufacturer
July 12, 2018Thanks for sharing such useful blog commenting sites.
Travis
September 6, 2018Pulled my oven element this morning and discovered the same thing. Did a google search and you showed up. Very cool & thanks Music City Mom.
Travis
Hendersonville hubby.
sabines
September 9, 2018Hi there, Hnerdersonville hubby. Thank you for stopping by. Btw, I got the parts from an appliance store in Madison. Can’t remember the name, though. Have a great week!
ankit kumar
September 24, 2018It is very informative. This is wire connecter will help me a lot.Thanks.
[email protected]
https://www.art-sea.com.hk
Wire Harness Manufacturer
Connector Manufacturer
September 24, 2018Thanks
Really wanted this backlinks list.
Camilla Landers
December 15, 2018To crimp the connector to the wire that connects to the Heat element… how do you do this? Do you strip the plastic off the end of the wire? I did this because it would not fit into the wire… do you crimp onto the copper wire itself or the coated wire?
sabines
December 18, 2018Yes, strip the plastic off and any burned wire.
Silas Knight
May 1, 2019Thanks for the great tips for oven repair. I like how you said that buying a new part was only $17 on eBay. We’re looking at repairing our broken oven, but I still think hiring a pro to help us will be good.
Sabine
May 12, 2019You should do what feels right to you. Some things I can fix myself ( like the oven and dryer) but I’ve had to call the plumber several times.
Karen
November 15, 2019Thanks! I repair all my own appliances. I’ve replaced my element before but just was concerned about why the wire would burn instead of the element blowing. Now that i see your post I’ll just replace it and hope for the best… I miss my appliance repairman dad! Thanks for the post.
Momof3
May 6, 2020So glad to have ran across this article. This is EXACTLY what happened to my oven. I used it earlier in the day and it was fine. Then later that night I tried to preheat the oven and it would never come up to temp. I’ve replaced the element before on a different oven I used to own. So I thought that was going to be the case here. When I got in there I found one side looked normal, connection, etc. But the other side was “burnt”… and the wire appeared to be “missing”. Pulled the stove out and removed 4 screws… easily came off and there was the other “burnt” end. I assumed I could clip the wire above the damaged area and strip the clean wire. But I certainly did not know what to call that “connector thing”. Thanks so much!! I now feel confident that I can make this repair on my own and get back to baking!
Sabine
May 6, 2020So happy to hear this. Isn’t it great when we can fix some of our things ourselves? Glad my post was helpful.
Valerie Yelton
June 3, 2020Thank you. You helped me “fill in the blanks,” the parts are now on order, and I now feel confident that I can do this.
Sabine
June 4, 2020Awesome! Good luck.
Megan Murray
October 14, 2020Did you notice a burning smell at all after first replacing the terminals?
Sabine
October 18, 2020Yes. It went away, though.