On 12/26/2010 7:39 PM, Vacillator wrote:
Hi,

It looks like my oven set control, on my 1986 vintage GE
oven, is acting up. It sometimes works (turns on the oven element)
and sometimes doesn't. Last time it worked for a while, then shut
off, that is, the heat went down, until I rotated it through all the
settings, and back to "bake", when it started working again.

I guess the connections are getting old and worn. Is there some
way to just clean it ? I notice there are websites selling the
control, but for huge sums, equaling 2 days pay of a guy making $9 an
hour, minus taxes.

The average price seems to be about $115, for this one electronic
part. Yikes.

Is there a more affordable way to obtain the part? Is it possible
to just clean the part, and reuse it ?


The part number is WB22X5122, in a GE oven circa 1986.

GE website has it as "unavailable".

Yes, I know I got a lot of years out of it, but $116 is a lot for one
electronic switch.

The wonders of modern technology!

You haven't indicated what type of "control" it is
(pot, optical encoder, rotary switch, etc.) -- hard
to guess for someone not owning a similar oven!

Also, are you sure the problem is in the "knob"
and not in some bit of electronics that the knob
"talks to"?

E.g., if it wwas *my* oven, I would try swapping
the connections for that "knob" with those of
a similar knob and see if the problem "moves"
with the knob or stays in place regardless of
the change. Likewise, follow it back into the
bowels of the oven and swap things *there*
(i.e., the controls for the actual heating elements)
until you have positively isolated the source
of the problem. Else you are likely to spend
all that cash on the wrong part...