Cooktop burner will not shut off - I tried using a pliers to turn it and shut it off but it turns and heats on all level but when it stops at the off position light does not go off and burner does not stop heating

The oven safety valve
(also called the gas valve) is the part that ensures that gas is not released until the igniter has reached the correct temperature needed to ignite the gas. While this part can fail, it is uncommon. If the hot surface igniter does not glow you should first verify that you have voltage to the circuit. This is a live voltage check and should be performed by a qualified person. If voltage is lost at the valve terminals then you should verify the continuity of the bi-metal in the valve using a multi-meter.

The oven burner igniter
commonly known as the hot surface igniter is used in modern gas oven burners to open the gas valve and to ignite the gas. As the igniter draws electric current it will heat to a high temperature and glow, as well as cause the bi-metal in the oven safety valve to warp and open the valve releasing the gas to be ignited. This sequence normally takes about a minute. Igniters come in both flat and round styles and are very fragile. If the burner does not light then you should check the igniter first. If the igniter does not glow at all, then check for power to the circuit. This is a live voltage check and should be performed by a qualified person. If power is present then the igniter may be open circuit and can be checked for continuity with a multi-meter. If the igniter is glowing, but the burner is not lighting, the igniter may be weak and still be at fault because it requires a certain amount of current draw to open the valve. This check requires the use of an amp meter and should be performed by a qualified person. If the igniter is defective then it must be replaced.

It sounds like you may have a Whirlpool gas range. If so it is more that likely the burner assembly itself. The electrode attached to the burner gets to where it will light during the preheat but then once it starts to cycle the spark module tries three times to light the burner and then shuts down. the burner assembly comes as one unit with the electrode attached.

You didn't say whether you have a gas or electric oven, or oven & stove. I'll assume you have a stove, just to cover all bases.

First, you should shut down the oven: a gas stove will have a valve on the gas line behind the stove. The valve will either have a red handle or a flat stem that usually has a hole in it. Turn either valve 1/4 turn to shut off gas, use a wrench on the flat stem. An electric stove should be shut off by flipping off the double circuit breaker for it in your electric panel. Do not unplug an electric stove when it is on; this can damage the plug &/or electrocute you.

Most likely the inside of the knob has stripped out. Look at the knob for a hole that has a setscrew in it: a small allen wrench or screwdriver will loosen the setscrew, most knobs don't have them and will pull off. Be careful to use even pressure on two sides of the knob; if you can't pull it off, use two butter knives or flat screw drivers to pry it up enough to get a grip on it.

Look at the center stem on the back of the knob, it will likely be cracked or stripped. Some stems have a D-shaped metal insert that strips out inside the plastic stem. If you have one, pull off a burner knob and compare the stems in the back, if they are the same size, put the burner knob on the shaft for the oven control, and use that knob to turn the oven control off.

If the burner knob won't fit, use your fingers or a pair of pliers (gently) to turn off the oven control shaft. If the shaft stops normally, you can turn the stove back on using either the gas valve or the circuit breaker. If you have a gas stove that doesn't have electric ignition (a clicking noise when you turn on a burner) you may need to re-light the pilots for the burners. Lift the covers off the burners to re-light the pilots.

If you have succeeded in turning off the oven, you need a new knob -- you can get one at an appliance parts store or maybe a hardware store. If the oven control did not turn off normally, I would leave the oven/stove turned off: the control itself will need to be replaced by a qualified repair person.

Hi,

Here is a tip that I wrote to give details about why your cooktop will not spark to light the burners..

Cooktop Range Stove spark ignition does not work

heatman101

Well first you need to verify that it is getting proper gas pressure to that burner. Try lighting the burner manually with a match. Does the burner look normal? If the burner flame is really small then you will need to remove the burner head and check the orfice for a restriction. If it looks normal then it probably is a weak spark from the igniter, igniter electrode is out of position, or burner head has dirty ports at electrode causing no ignition. Inspect the burner head. If it is removable then take it off and clean out the burner ports(eyes) with a sewing needle. If it is not easily removable then try doing this while it is still installed on the range. Also try using a wire brush on the electrode to clean any carbon/debris build-up casuing a weak spark. You can also try bending the electrode slightly with a flatblade screwdriver(be careful don't break the elctrode) away from the burner creating a larger spark.

It sounds like it might be a sticking gas control valve for the oven or the hot surface igniter for the oven might be weak. You will need to turn the oven on and off completely several times until the problem happens. When I say completely I mean turn on the oven control and watch the igniter start to glow. Then when the oven burner comes on(should within a minute) shut of the oven control and wait for the igniter to stop glowing completely and burner to shut off completely. Then repeat the process again. If you try it about 10 times and nothing happens then the problem will be difiicult to identify. If you turn on the oven control and the igniter comes on but the gas burner does not then try giving the gas control valve(located in brolier/storage compartment) a tap with a wrench. If the burner suddenly comes on then the control valve was sticking. Try repeating the shut down/turn on process again. If it does not do it again you may have fixed the problem...if it does you will need to remove the igniter and test it with an ohm meter(should read at least 500 to 800 ohms). If the igniter is testing good and glowing brightly then the gas control valve would be the suspected problem. And remeber to be very careful when doing these testing procedures so you do not hurt yourself.

If you have the glass cooktop slide-in model, the problem is most likely the burner "ribbon' under the glass top for the small burner has come loose. I fixed mine with only a phillips-head screwdriver, needle-nosed pliers, and a 1/4" wrench (1/4" socket on the end of a nutdriver works better). Here are the steps I took to fix it: 1) Slide the oven out from the counter so the sides of the oven are clear of the counter top. 2) Remove the phillips head screws-1 on each side of the oven near the top/rear. These will be the only phillips-head screws you will need to remove. 3) Open the oven door and remove the 4 hex-head screws at the top/front/inside the oven- there are 2 on each side which follow the opening of the door. Then close the door. 4) Pull off the burner knobs by gripping them and pulling straight up. Don't worry, you will not break them but you will need to give them a good tug. 5) Remove the burner retaining nuts that are under the knobs-you may need a wrench to loosen them but only tighten them by hand when reinstalling. 6) Pull the face of the control panel away from the oven slowly until you see a ribbon connector on the right side and then disconnect the ribbon and remove the face plate from the oven. 7) Remove the 4 hex-head screws from the face plate bracket (the plastic part that was holding the face plate) and pull the bracket toward the front of the oven until it flops over and rests on the oven door handle. 8) remove the 2 black screws holding down the glass top-one on each side of the oven-the screw heads face the front of the oven. 9) Disconnect the two wiring harnesses attached to the cook top. Don't worry, they only fit one way so you don't need to label them. 10) Lift the cook top until the wiring harnesses are clear of the holes and place it upside down on a flat surrface. 11) Remove the two retaining bracket screws and brackets from each side of the non-working burner. 12) Slowly lift the burner and flip it upwards until you see the ribbon coils. It should not be necessary to disconnect any wires. 13) Look at the ribbon coils very carefully to see if any of them are disconnected from their main connection points. If so, feed the ribbon back inside the pinch point (you may need a small screwdriver to open the pinch point first) and then use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to pinch the ribbon to hold it in place. I had to use a voltage meter set in the OHM position to find where mine were disconnected. Once you pinch the ribbon end back into place, put everything back together in reverse order. If your burner still does not work, your burner knob switch may be bad. I hope this helps. Good Luck!

This stove uses a special switch that turns one way for the large burner and the other way for the smaller burner. I was not aware that this had a seperate simmer burner on it, however. I think you using the wrong term there.

This is not computer controlled--the only computer on it should be the oven switch. I would assume that you need to replace the switch for the dual-size burner. If you take your model number in to Sears, or log onto Sears dot com, you should be able to get to the PARTS DIRECT web site on the computer, and if they ever sold that model you should be able to pull up a parts breakdown with expanded drawing and part numbers and prices. You should be able to buy the part from them. The part should be virtually the same as ANY recent model Frigidaire or Kenmore stove with the same style burner. This should be a very easy repair for you to make yourself, assuming that you know a little about working with electricity--remember, this stove USES 220 VOLTS!

Check out all of the wiring coming into the switch and going from the switch to the burner to be sure that there is not a short!

If you have one of the older smooth surface stoves, where the burners are part of the ceramic top, all bets are off, but anything you bought new in the last half-dozen years, should have a separate burner underneath a glass top, and the repair should be simple. Even with the older stove, it is still likely the switch, and should be no problem.

You have a short in one of the contacts on one of the controls.  Remove the cover to the cooktop.  Visually inspect.  If necessary, disconnect the wires from the controls one at a time....they're all in parallel until you stop the symptom.  Be careful around the wiring...turn off power before touching any uninsulated wires.