Watch the burner area through a full attempt
With the oven set to bake, look at the burner. If something glows orange for a while and then everything goes quiet without a flame, the igniter is the suspect. A burner that lights and stays lit but produces too little heat is a different problem, and an oven with nothing glowing at all points somewhere else again.
What you find
- Something glows in the burner area but no flame appears — The classic weak igniter picture, and it is quite distinctive.
- The glow lasts a long time and then goes out — The valve never opened, which is exactly what a weak igniter causes.
- A faint gas smell during the attempt — Stop immediately, leave, and call from outside rather than continuing.
- The cooktop burners light normally — They are a separate system and they prove the gas supply is present.
- Nothing glows and nothing happens at all — A different branch, pointing at supply or control rather than the igniter.
- NEAR MISS: a brief smell as the burner lights normally — Common and quite different from a persistent smell.
Ranked for a gas oven
- A weak igniter — First by a wide margin. It ages by drawing less current while still glowing, so it looks healthy right up to the point it can no longer open the valve.
- A gas supply problem to the oven section — Second. Cooktop burners that light normally largely exclude it, which is why that check is worth making.
- A control or safety valve fault — Third. Real, less common, and it needs the same technician as the igniter.
- Electrical supply to the appliance — Last, and it is identified by an oven where nothing at all happens.
Observe the attempt, then hand over
- Set the oven to bake and watch the burner area — It distinguishes a glowing igniter from a dead one, which is the key fork.
- Check the cooktop burners light normally — It confirms gas is reaching the appliance.
- Stop if there is any smell of gas — That has its own procedure and it overrides everything else.
- Arrange a visit rather than investigating further — Igniters and valves are gas work, and there is no owner version of it.
Owner steps
- Set the oven to bake and look into the burner area from a safe distance — Watch for a glow and then for a flame. The gap between them is the diagnosis.
Tools: flashlightAbout 15 min
- Time roughly how long any glow lasts before it gives up — A long glow with no flame is the recognisable weak igniter pattern.
Tools: notepadAbout 10 min
- Light a cooktop burner to confirm gas is present at the appliance — It separates a supply problem from an oven-section fault in a moment.
About 5 min
- Leave and call from outside if you smell gas at any point — Do not operate any switch on the way out, and do not go back in to check.
About 5 min
- STOP before the burner, the igniter or any gas component is touched — Gas work is for a qualified person and that is the whole boundary here.
The gas rules
Safety
If you smell gas, do not operate any switch, leave the building, and call the gas utility or your local emergency number from outside. Never work on a gas fitting or an igniter. Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel for any other reason, let the cavity cool first, and never run a self-clean cycle to try to clear a fault.
When to call
Call a qualified gas technician for an igniter that glows without lighting, and expect the igniter to be the part. Call the gas utility or your local emergency number from outside for any smell of gas. Say whether the cooktop burners light: it tells the technician immediately whether gas is reaching the appliance.
Nearest pages of this class
Scope
Written for the Kenmore oven class rather than one model line, with gas appliances in mind because the igniter fault is distinctive. These appliances are built on several platforms, so the model plate decides which parts fit yours.
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
