Oven not reaching the right temp?

Defective thermostat control & sensing bulb assembly

If your oven is off by more than 40 degrees when preheated, this is more than likely your problem. You may need to recalibrate the oven. The exact steps vary by manufacturer, so check your owner’s manual.

To know how to adjust the temperature you need to know how much the oven is off. To check, put an oven thermometer in the oven on the middle shelf, preheat the oven and look at the thermometer through the glass to get the readings. It is best to do this a few times. Once you know the difference between what you set it at and what it is you will know how much to change it.

Oven with push-button controls

1. Press the BAKE button just until the temperature displays the current offset setting—usually 0 or 00 unless you recalibrated the oven previously. (On some ovens, it’s the TIME/TEMP button instead.)

2. Use the arrow keys to increase or decrease the offset to make up the difference between the average you found and 350°F.

3. Press the BAKE button to finish or CANCEL to exit without saving.

Oven with knob controls

1. Pull off the TEMP knob. On the back of the knob is a small adjustment screw in a track labeled Cooler at one end and Hotter at the other.

2. Loosen the screw just enough that you can move it.

3. Move the screw toward Cooler if the oven overcooks or Hotter if it undercooks. Each audible click is about 10° F.

4. Tighten the screw and replace the knob. Repeat the process for checking the actual average temperature to see if you need to adjust the screw again.

If you are unable to recalibrate you will need to replace the thermostat control and sensing assembly. If that’s not your problem, then check for a faulty temperature sensor. If this is faulty it can cause voltage to the oven to shut off too soon or not at all. The temperature sensor can be checked with an ohmmeter and should read 1100 ohms of resistance. If it doesn’t, you will need to replace it.

If none of the above are the problem, it may be a malfunctioning oven control board. This part can’t be checked with an ohmmeter, but can be inspected for signs of burning or a shorted-out component. If you see any signs that it is bad, you will need to replace the part.

You should also check for a malfunctioning bake or broil element.  To do this, look for blisters or a break in the element. You can also check with a multimeter; if there is no continuity, the element is bad and will need to be replaced.

It could be a damaged convection fan motor. Check the fan motor with a multimeter tester. If there is no continuity you will need to replace the motor.  If the fan blades don’t turn easily with your hand, it could be that the motor bearings are worn out and will need to be replaced.

Please refer to RepairClinic.com for part locations and How To videos!