Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - F2 Warning - GE XL44 oven

In the middle of cooking I am getting a F2 message and the oven shuts off. Eventually I can go back and put the oven back on.

Any fix on this or just oven is getting too hot / need to clean it. I want to be able to know I can cook meals when I need them.

I am cleaning it now but it really does not look that dirty.

F2 indicates that the oven is sensing:

Temperature above 650 degrees with the door circuit in the unlock mode.
OR
Temperature above 935 dgrees with the door circuit in the lock mode.

Since I assume the oven actually goes off when it's turned off (so it isn't welded contacts keeping the heating element from turning off...), is the fan that cools the control panel running? If so, there may be a bad temperature sensor or problem on the control board. Cleaning it isn't going to help.

Doug M.

Temperatore sensor or control board seem pricey - should I look into getting another stove rather than have someone fix it?

The control boards can be quite pricey. Temp. sensors are usually not so bad. I would take it apart and take a look or call repair out to give you an estimate. It could be as simple as a loose wire.

Doug M.

Never heard any status back on this so I assume the oven was either fixed or replaced, but I have some info that might be of value to any one else having a similar problem (as I did over the weekend): F2 indicates that an overheat condition was sensed during cooking or cleaning. As I discovered yesterday, it may not be the oven that's over heating. It may be, and likely is, the control panel that's getting too hot:

GE uses a small fan in the back of the control cavity to keep all the controls cool during oven use. The fan is controlled by a thermostat and runs as needed to maintain a safe temperature. Behind this fan is a mesh screen to keep dirt and critters from getting into the panel. After a few years of use, this screen becomes clogged with dust and dirt and the fan moves little or no air. With little or no air movement, the control cavity gets quite warm and eventually the oven temp sensors, which are also located in this cavity, are fooled into thinking that the oven is too hot.

The solution, for those who are handy, is to take off the door(s) and take out all the racks (this will make the oven light enough for one person to handle). Then remove the side screws holding the oven into the cabinet and slide it about 3/4 of the way out of the wall until you can get to the back of the control cavity. On the back of that cavity, you'll find a mesh screen held in place by 4 screws. Remove, clean and replace. Note that the screen has to be removed from the outside. You can get to it by taking the control panel off, but the fan is mounted in front of it and you can't get the screen off to properly clean it.

Not really a bad job once you realize where everything is and this probably needs to become a yearly routine. Done more often, it could probably just be vacuumed off instead of removed and washed. I was tempted to leave the screen off, but it really provides needed protection. Without it, there's even enough room for a small rodent to find it's way in and cause a great deal of damage. Next time I need to pull the oven out, I may try to devise a better grill for the fan that won't accumulate so much dirt.

For those who are not so handy, find a good service man and keep this oven under a service contract that provides a yearly service. Make sure the service man pulls this screen out and cleans it every time he comes.

Doug M.

I think I might be haveing the same trouble but in "clean mode." The oven heats and then I get an F2 after about 20 min. Is the fan in the same area on a JBP79WY3WW? Thanks

My F2 error occured only in clean mode as well. This is the type of problem that would likely be apparent first in clean mode and progress to other modes as the screen becomes more and more clogged. Eventually this could cause irreparable damage to the control system. I would guess the fan is in the same area on all the GE built-in ovens.

Can you hear the fan running? If so, do you feel any air blowing out over the top door? My wife had noticed that the fan was louder and seemed to be running much longer than usual after using the oven. I couldn't feel any air blowing out before I cleaned the screen. Now there's a lot.

Doug M.

Mine is a free standing but I'm giong to look and see if I can find the fan. Shut the door and see if I hear are feel hot air. Let you know.
Steven

I don't hear a fan or feel air moveing in front of the door vent. I let the oven get to 350 before I checked.

A free standing unit wouldn't have a fan to cool the panel. Probably not the same problem. In your case, there is likely a sensor that isn't working correctly or the oven control module is bad. Does the oven work normally in bake mode?

Doug M.

Yes, it seems fine as far as just cooking. When I go to clean cycle the oven will start heating and then give an F2 after about 20 min. and shut off.

20 minutes... Not enough time for the oven to truely overheat so there may be a problem with the sensor. Also there might be a problem with the lock or the switch that tells the control module that the door is locked.

The wiring diagram should be located somewhere in one of the access panels, probably behind the control panel. It will give a list of fault codes and what to check for each. Mine was more detailed than any of the info I found on the web.

Doug M.

Thanks. I'll check there and see what I can find.It is really hard to find wiring diagrams and repair help on the webb. Years ago, 1970-71, I took a course in appliance repair. Been so long, I don't really remember much. Most of what I learned back then is way outdated now. I think Micro waves were still preaty new. HAHA

I have not had time to fool with this until now. I did notice on the inside of the door there is a high temp seal around the glass in the door. Mine appears to be ok all the way around except at the bottom. At the bottom it looks to be under the trim that holds the glass panel. Could that be my problem? I never noticed it before, may come that way.

bumping myself for help

bump again

"I did notice on the inside of the door there is a high temp seal around the glass in the door. Mine appears to be ok all the way around except at the bottom. At the bottom it looks to be under the trim that holds the glass panel. Could that be my problem? I never noticed it before, may come that way."

Yup, it comes that way. I don't think that's the problem or that the problem is in any way related to heat leakage or buildup in your case. I think you either have a bad sensor, a bad lock or a bad control unit.

Doug M.

Yhanks Dougm. I used to live in Dallas. I went to see my mom a couple of years ago. I was droping down from Tulsa so I went 127 to Flower Mound. Man, I had not been through there in about 10 yrs. I was shocked.