I have a gas oven. The flame burns yellow and leaves too much soot on the wall near the flame. Is there a way to clean the element thing? Dave

Normally not the thermostat. Blue flames signify that the gas is burning clean, a yellow flame signify that some contaminate is burning with the gas. I would guess that something has leaked onto the burner or you have some corrosion build up. Try taking it out and giving it a good cleaning with a soft bristled brush and see if that is any better.

It shouldn't be burning yellow and emitting soot at all;sounds like on of these possible causes-
(a)blocked burner airways(this can lead to yellow tipping and sooting on LPG powered appliances because insufficient air is getting through to the burner causing it;you can also get this effect on LPG barbecues say if dead insects or spiderwebs are in the burner pipes and airways after a period of storage),
(b)incorrect aeration being set when the burner was converted using LPG jets(too much gas and not enough air causing yellow flames/smells and sooting),
or (c) if you use propane cylinder gas a dicky or faulty regulator. I would get it looked at investigating all the possibilities I mention and taking action to correct this where necessary ie clearing the burner airways(if this is causing your problem), adjusting the aeration in the burners until you get a clear noiseless blue flame without any excessive yellow and sooting(but even after good adjustment you may find still get a very slight yellow tip without sooting at the top of the flame;this does happen with propane gas and there is a slight tendancy for this to happen more often with butane-butane tends to display very slight yellow tips on ignition increasing slightly as the burner warms up to full temperature) or if you use propane cylinder gas replacing the regulator if that is necessary.

Can I assume that you determined that the bottom burner flame is burning properly? To do this, remove the oven bottom insert. The flames should have approximately 1" of blue cone and should burn with no yellowing tip, if on natural gas. (A small yellow tip on the end of the outer cone is normal with most LP gas.) The flmaes should not lift off the burner ports. If the flame is lifting, gradually reduce the air shutter until the flame stabilizes.

Go to the following website for your particular manual.

http://www.hammerwall.com/Manuals/Kenmore/Description/362.75585890/Kenmore%20Free%20Standing%20Gas%20Range%20Owners%20Manual/L0522834/

If your oven is 20 years old the temperature sensor system might no longer be accurate, if you have access to a temperature measuring device that can confirm that the oven is not reaching 350 then run it up and check that its not just your indicator light system. Some oven burners have air control and yours may have accumulated oven soil over the years. If your burner. Is behind a short wall like mine is, use a mirror and torch to check. A clean can bring things back to standard. Flame heat is from a good mix of. Gas and Air...

clean the orfices and tubes and then if possible adjust your air mixture setting also

If the burner bar has an adjustable slider for increasing or decreasing air into the bar.That would be it. If not then there is a defect with the gas valve or burner bar.

It may be that the heating element is dirty and consequently, is not igniting the gas. Mine was doing the same thing and was also making a big BOOM sound which was the sound of the gas in the oven igniting after too much gas was released.

I called a friend who gave me these instructions and it worked...I was able to fix it in about 30 mins.

1. Remove the floor of the oven...there are two screws along the back wall of the oven holding the oven pan (the floor of the oven) in place. remove these two screws using a Phillips screw driver. The oven floor pan will then pull out.

2. Remove the thick steel plate next which is located in the center...just under where the oven floor pan sits. Remove the the right and left screws located along the outside edge of the oven floor rim and the center nut. I used a cresent wrench for the two screws and the center nut...didn't feel like finding the right socket size and don't have the special screw driver fitting.

3. You will see an aluminum pipe that runs down the center from the front to the back. Near the back and mounted to right side of the aluminum pipe there is the heating element. It is protected by a metal casing. There are two screws securing it to the housing. With your wrench, remove the two screws and gently pull it back. The heating element is made of a ceramic material and is delicate. Using a tooth brush, gently brush the heating element to clean it.

clean your orifaces.

Also make sure that it's the correct stove for your gas type. If you're using a NG stove on Propane, you're wrong. It's making a lot of soot, and could potentially blow up your house. Stop using it until you're sure.

Remove the burner tube that you said has soot on it and clean it out. This will give you a cleaner burn.