How to Replace a Bosch Electric Cooktop Element

Radiant or induction?#

Look under the glass to tell which you have. A radiant element is flat coiled ribbon wire sitting in a ceramic-fiber cradle; an induction coil is a flat copper spiral with ferrite strips. Radiant elements glow and fail by burning through at a hot spot. Induction coils rarely fail themselves — when an induction zone dies, the power board behind it is the usual suspect, which is advanced work.

Test before you remove#

With the 240V breaker off and verified dead, disconnect the element leads and meter across the terminals. A healthy Bosch radiant element reads roughly 20-80 ohms depending on wattage, and an open (OL) reading confirms a broken wire. Dual-zone elements have separate wire pairs, so test each zone on its own. An induction coil instead reads a very low 0.5-2 ohms, where any open reading means the coil is finished.

Swap the radiant assembly#

1. Access the element — hinge the cooktop up at the front catches, or lift a built-in unit out of the counter cutout after releasing the junction box below.
2. Photograph and release the high-temperature push-on leads, then free the spring clips or Torx T15 screws holding the cradle.
3. Lift the element out as a complete unit; Bosch supplies the coil and its ceramic cradle together, so there is nothing to transfer.
4. Set the new assembly so its center lines up with the printed zone circle on the glass, and reseat the clips.
5. Reconnect the leads to the matching terminals — on dual-zone elements, reversing inner and outer wiring makes the wrong ring respond to the control.

Mind the air gap, then test#

The element must never touch the underside of the glass — Bosch holds a small 2-3mm air gap so the surface will not thermal-stress crack. Confirm the element sits flat and the clips are engaged before closing up. Restore power and run the zone at medium: a radiant element glows evenly through the glass within a minute or so, while induction stays dark and instead should hum when it detects a cast-iron pan.

Bosch cooktop service in [Sacramento](/sacramento/sacramento) and the Bay Area — our technicians carry radiant elements and diagnose induction boards. Book a same-day visit.