# oven door seal replacement, self-cleaning function malfunction



## YerDugliness (Jun 2, 2008)

The offending appliance is a GE "Spectra" electric range, model #J BP24BOB2WH.

Apparently the cleaning lady used oven cleaner on the oven, which is a self-cleaning model, and now the self-cleaning function does not work. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding repairs for this malfunction?

The other issue is also reported to relate to the cleaning lady using oven cleaner...the "braided rope"-like seal for the oven door was reportedly transformed from a soft, pliable product into a hard, rigid product, which does not provide a satisfactory seal for the oven. I did a search on the forum but can't find any threads relating to replacement of the seal on the oven door....it looks like it ought to be a simple procedure, but what do I know, I've never done one (I did replace a refrigerator door seal once, and that was a simple procedure, but who knows about an oven door seal?).

I sure could use some help if anyone has had any experience with any of the issues I mentioned.

Thanks in advance for whatever assistance you can provide :thumbsup: !

Cheers from Doug


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

OK using oven cleaner on a self clean oven will not make the self clean function not work, it may harm the finish of the oven but Little else. You have something else going on with that, I don't think you can blame the cleaning lady


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

forgot the door seal, most likely you will have to remove the oven door and dismantle it. take the screws out of the sides, the top and the bottom and it should come apart, after that it should be apparent how to replace it. Fairly easy .


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## YerDugliness (Jun 2, 2008)

hardwareman said:


> OK using oven cleaner on a self clean oven will not make the self clean function not work, it may harm the finish of the oven but Little else.


OK, I've spoken to the owner of the appliance and it appears this is correct...the self cleaning function is operational, but the damage to the surface of the interior of the oven prevents the self cleaning function from working. Is there some product we can use to remedy that?

Thanks, hardwareman, for the info!

Cheers from Doug


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

YerDugliness said:


> the self cleaning function is operational, but the damage to the surface of the interior of the oven prevents the self cleaning function from working.
> 
> Thanks, hardwareman, for the info!
> 
> Cheers from Doug


this all sounds a little odd to me, maybe its not translating second hand very good. The self clean should still be ok , she would have had to use a hammer and chisel to damage the interior bad enough to make it not work.


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## YerDugliness (Jun 2, 2008)

I managed to ask the owner about this...she said that she had heard that the use of oven cleaner on the interior of the oven rendered the self-cleaning function useless, so she had not tried it again after the cleaning lady used oven cleaner on it. She does continue to use oven cleaner to clean the oven.

Am I correct to assume that repeated use of oven cleaner would be no more harmful than the original use? If so, is it possible that the self-cleaning function might well operate? 

...or, could the interior of the oven now be so "etched" by the use of oven cleaner that the function would not work. I'm willing to suggest we try it if you think the process would still work.

Thanks for the advice, hardwareman. I plan on picking up the door seal on the way to the location of the oven when I head that way tomorrow....weather in the Houston area is pretty bad and it sounds like we might well be "housebound" this weekend by snow, so this might make a good project (if we don't have to replace frozen water pipes). I know, I know. we're wussies down here, but believe me, the drivers down here have NO IDEA how to drive on snow or ice. I grew up in Kansas, so it's not a problem for me, but I have no intention of putting myself on the same roads with so many who have no idea!

Cheers from Doug


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

LOL about the southern drivers when it comes to ice and snow, they have no clue. Today and yesterday we got hammered by 12 inches of snow with 40 mph winds, a true old fashioned blizzard.

If that was my oven I would make sure I wiped it out really really good with some type of non flammable solution and try the self clean, no reason it should not work.


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## cbollin (Feb 2, 2011)

do you have a digital display for your over temp? if so when you try to use the self-cleaning function do you receive a code on the display? It's an F code. On self-cleaning ovens their is a latch that must engage to lock the door. if this does not latch the oven will not go into cleaning mode and you will get an error code on the display.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

cbollin said:


> do you have a digital display for your over temp? if so when you try to use the self-cleaning function do you receive a code on the display? It's an F code. On self-cleaning ovens their is a latch that must engage to lock the door. if this does not latch the oven will not go into cleaning mode and you will get an error code on the display.


 
he said in an earlier post that the self clean function DOES work.


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## boman47k (Aug 25, 2006)

hardwareman said:


> he said in an earlier post that the self clean function DOES work.


If it does heat, but does not clean, I'm thinking the door seal is not sealing off, and the oven is not getting as hot as it should for the cleaning.

Btw, when I use oven cleaner, I try to protect top and bottom elements plus the capillary tube coming from the oven temperature control switch.

Ditto on the lock too.


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## YerDugliness (Jun 2, 2008)

I thought I would post an update on the project.

I sourced a new oven door seal and installed it. It was amazing how "stiff" the original seal was....and once the seal was replaced, it is equally amazing how much more efficient the oven is. It preheats in less than half the time required before I replaced the seal and now cooks at the correct temperature (it was at least 10* cool before the replacement). The hardest part of the entire project was getting the oven door off (GE has online user manuals that explain how to accomplish that).

As for the issue of the self-cleaning function, the owner reports that she didn't ever try the self-cleaning function b/c she had been told that use of the chemical oven-cleaner by the previous owners had ruined the finish and that would not allow the self-cleaning function to operate correctly. We now plan on using the oven until it needs to be cleaned and trying the self-cleaning function to see if it works correctly. The inside of the oven is not slick and shiny; rather, it is dull and somewhat "etched", for lack of a better term. 

We are now in the position of NOT considering replacement of the appliance, it works so well. If the self-cleaning oven function does not work (worst case scenario), we will continue to clean the oven with chemical cleaners. Prior to replacing the door seal the plan was to replace the entire appliance. Cost of the seal was $52.

Thanks SO MUCH for all your help, folks. I sincerely believe you helped us avoid the cost of a new stove......

CHEERS!!! from Dugly


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