Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

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dacflyer
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Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by dacflyer »

Kenmore stove 790.93754100

friends stove shows a F1 error code, basically the board is bad.. when power to stove is turned on, the oven turns on and you can't turn it off. ( fire hazard - what if this was to happen while your not at home or in the middle of the night ) lucky they was home when it happened.
anyway, resetting does no good.
the board is about 160.00$

has anyone ever tried to repair these boards ? there are repair services out there. so something must be repairable on the boards.
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Lenp
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by Lenp »

Hi dacflyer,
I always use the Think, Look, Smell, Touch and Measure approach. Think about the fault, what may have caused it and what parts could be involved. Look for evidence, like a burned board. Smell the board for that unmistakable acrid electronic aroma when you let the smoke out. Touch various parts if you can do it safely when the board is powered. Generally warm is good but hot is not, and last do power off resistance tests then power mwasurements of whatever on the board makes sense to you.

Looking at the board pictures, the end of the board with the relays is the power switching side, and it's probable that's the end of the board where the fault is. I would check as many common components as possible, like diodes, caps, resistors that are associated with the oven relay. A shorted component, or welded relay contacts, would cause the oven to turn on. Most of the components are likely standard parts, or can easily be substituted.

It is certain that uses a processor chip that is loaded with custom software, and it is in the pure un-obtanium family! If that is the problem it could be turnng on the oven because of a shorted gate. At the end, It may be that a swap out is the best solution, so try not to damage the board or it may not be acepted as an exchange. It looks like the same control is used on many different makes and models and as you found out, the street price is about $160.

In the world of board repairs, volume is king. If you were repairing these boards regularly, you would have drwaings, even if they reverse engineered, historical knowledge, parts infrmation, test jigs to make life simple. For a one of kind board, hose luxuries are not there.

One good thing, it that it is the oven, not a burner control. Probably it is a self cleaning oven that is well insulated so maybe the temperature would reach some critical peak then stabilize. I would also expect that the engineering included a thermal fuse that is separate from the operating controls, that disconnects the oven element power in the event of a control failure.

Maybe you have seen this information, but if not, I hope it helps.

Also...http://www.searspartsdirect.com/repair- ... board.html
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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haklesup
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by haklesup »

I can usually find those controllers on ebay as well for lot less money and in at least one instance the ebay part lasted a year longer than the sears parts direct part so don't assume they are selling better stuff than anyone else on the aftermarket. (its all crap, Ill post about my fridge problems later)

My oven has several boards, one was for control, the other was mostly relays but it was a tiny 3rd board that failed with the thermocouple interface .

you described it as turn on won't go off, that's a bit different than came on by itself and stayed on.

Can the temperature still be regulated (if so, the thermostat and couple are good)
Stuck on could be a failed relay, check the relay board first. this should be easy, you can energize the coils with the rated voltage and check the contacts with a DMM with the board unplugged and on the bench.

Once you exonerate the sensors and control relays, then you can be confident that the controller is bad. I've trued to repair but without a schematic and in some cases firmware, it is very difficult unless an obvious burn out occurred.

This one has a schematic but it is hard to read, I don't see any relays so they may be integrated on the control board, you can still test them on the bench with above procedure.
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/model-n ... 0.93754100

Sears wants $190 for the controller
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/part-nu ... 2/628.html

The controller part number is 316207522 and ebay wants almost as much. Might as well spend the extra $20 from sears and get the worry free 1 year warranty
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dacflyer
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by dacflyer »

i have replaced a few of these boards, i know all the typical TS tips and such..
i just think that the turning on itself is a hazard..
but once in the F1 mode, there is nothing else to control..can't adjust temp or anything.. will just replace the control if the customer wants it..but for now i disconnected oven control board, so that at least the customer can use stove top.
was just thinking if anyone here ever repaired em.
anyway, time to go to work,, byeeee.
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by haklesup »

Certainly if it did activate all on its own, it should be reported to the manufacturer as a serious defect even if out of warranty. I suspect however that at some point someone turned it on and then after that it failed to ever turn off again.

Have you figured out what F1 means as an error code? It sounds a little like "Sabbath" mode some ovens have where you can turn it on Friday night and it will stay on all weekend and it will ignore the normal deactivate after 12 hours safety. However that should clear after power cycling so you likely do have a real failure.
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CeaSaR
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by CeaSaR »

Somewhat related story:

My old Hamilton Beach BrewStation coffee maker was one of the early models that was just on/off with a 2 hour timeout to turn the pot off automatically. The power button was a momentary NO switch that cyled the power on / off and ran the previously mentioned timer, so there were some internal electronics associated inside. One day I came home from work and the pot was on and no one was home. Initial troubleshooting showed that the button wouldn't shut the pot off anymore, and it was blinking. I called the Customer Service line gave them the model info and asked if the blinking switch was an error code. She looked it up and no, no codes available or anything similar. Since it was a discontinued model and several years past warranty, they normally would not do anything, but since the failure mode was "power on", she offered to send the closest model as a replacement. (I do believe a possible house fire is a big deterrent to giving a defective appliance owner the brush off. ) All I had to do was cut the plug off and send the plug to them. About 2-3 weeks later, my replacement unit came in the mail.

Since I cut the plug off so close to the end, I put a replacement plug from the local hardware store on the end and guess what? The problem dissappeared! Used that one for another 4-5 years before the seal in the storage pot let loose. Now I'm using the replacement unit.

Moral is, if there is a serious failure mode such as heating elements that are uncontrollable and stay on, manufacturers don't like to take chances on much bigger liabilities and a relatively low cost replacement part or comparable unit is good insurance and good PR.

So give them a call and innocently ask what F1 means in your display. Then describe the problem, but don't tell them you've disabled the oven board. See what you get out of that call.

CeaSaR
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dacflyer
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by dacflyer »

the F1 code relates to controller failure..
the customer decided to just get a new stove...
the stove was not bad looking, would have been cheaper to repair it...
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CeaSaR
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by CeaSaR »

Seems like the manufacturers / ad agencies have really done their psychological job over the last 30 - 40 years in that they've cemented the "replace rather than fix" mentality.

Just out of curiosity, what's the price differential between the controller board and the new stove?

I know on my 1974 GE P7 range (came with the house) all I've had to do is replace an oven element, a triple coil stove element and maybe two oven lights. And that's within the last 25 years. Hell of a lot less expensive than buying a new unit.

CeaSaR
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haklesup
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by haklesup »

"I know on my 1974 GE P7 range (came with the house)"

So is that Olive green or Harvest Yellow?

I think people want new stuff with new features and newer style so its not all ad agency hype, also the cost of repair labor tallies up over time and for those who can't fix it themselves, that reaches a clear tipping point where new becomes more attractive than paying for another service call and parts. Indeed for some lower cost but used to be expensive appliances like microwave ovens, that tipping point is not far to find.
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Re: Ge range saga

Post by Lenp »

1.5 lifetimes ago, the older house we purchased came with a GE electric stove. One day my wife decided to pop a pizza into the oven. She commented that the bunch of push buttons on the top of the stove, that selected burners and modes, were difficult to operate. There was a group of maybe 6 for each of the 4 top burners plus a group for the oven. Closer inspection showed that they were gummed up from years of previous owner use. Disconnecting, removing and possibly disassembling these buttons that night was not on the agenda so I grabbed a can of magic whatever contact cleaner. More than a few liberal sprays and the buttons worked like new, smooth action with a snap! We were elated at such a quick and inexpensive fix, and the pizza went in.

When the pizza was finished the oven could not be turned off. All of the buttons were melted together inside the switches, forming a piece of static plastic artwork, so it was circuit breaker time. The button assemblies totaled more than common sense to put into an old stove, so we replaced it.

The saga doesn't end here though. The night it was delivered, I hooked it up and leveled it for proper cooking. Yes, a celebratory pizza was in order. The oven was switched to preheat and after some time the acrid smell of unhappy plastic started to fill the house. You may guessed it. My new Craftsman torpedo level was still on the oven rack, with only the aluminum frame intact, the rest was in a puddle at the bottom of the oven. When I told this story to the Sears salesman, he laughed so hard he decided to replace it anyway!

We have pizza's delivered now!

Len
Len

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"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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CeaSaR
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by CeaSaR »

haklesup wrote:"I know on my 1974 GE P7 range (came with the house)"

So is that Olive green or Harvest Yellow?

...
Thar would be the Cream with the woodgrain oven handle and control panel, dark tinted glass oven door and chrome accents. Self cleaning oven and POWER SAVER 4", 6", 8" Select-a-coil right front burner. All contosl are rotary dials, including the timer and clock.

Someone actually had some taste back in 74.

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dacflyer
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Re: Kenmore stove question F1 Error code

Post by dacflyer »

Ceasar >> new stove i think is about 800.00 v/s a 180.00 board... go figure...some people just have money to burn..

LENP >> what did they replace ? whole oven or just what ever the plastic melted onto ?
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