My oven broiler does not seem to be working-I turned it on broil for about 15 minutes - no heat, nothing. On normal bake, it takes about a half hour to heat the oven to 350 degrees - my old stove took about 10 minutes. The self-cleaning feature does work. What should we check?

Understand that I am not a professional, so this answer is subject to revision by someone who is more knowledgeable.

Where I live now I'm on Natural Gas, but in the past I've had electric stove/ovens. Based on my best recall the situation you describe is NOT abnormal.

When in the Broil mode, the Bake element is NOT on, but the Broil element is on FULL-bore to provide that strong radiant heat required for the Broiling process, AND for the good browning /crusting of the product being Broiled!!!!!

On the other hand, when Baking, not broiling, IF the Broiling element were on high it would provide too much radiant heat to the top of the product being Baked, and would burn the top.

While Baking, by energizing the Broil element in a lower power setting, the Baking process is enhanced with more heat by the assistance of the Broiler element, BUT without the hazard of burning on the top!!!!!

Hope this is right and helps your understanding.

You're actually referring to the "broiler" elements. Most electric ovens have these at the top of the main oven space. (Some gas ovens are set up the same way, but many put the broiler elements in a bottom drawer.)

As their name implies, broiler elements are active only when you're broiling. They will not go on for baking.

Broiling is the process of cooking food by exposing it directly to a high heat source at close range. To broil a steak, for example, you would place the pan holding the steak on an oven rack raised to the top or next to top position in the oven (consult the manual) and set the oven to broil. The top elements will then turn on and cook the meat by direct radiation.

Most people, however, use ovens for baking far more often than for broiling. Baking is the process of cooking food (cakes, casseroles, roasts etc) by indirect heat. In other words you raise the oven to a certain temperature, put the food on a rack more in the middle of the oven, and let the surrounding heat cook it over time. When you bake the top broiler elements usually don't come on at all.

I hope this helps.

The bake element
is the heating element that is found at the bottom of the oven. Most electric ovens use both the bake element and the broil element in a bake cycle, with the bake element performing 90% of the heating. If the bake element isn't working, the oven may not heat. To help determine if the bake element is defective you should first do a visual check. If the element is blistered or separated then it should be replaced. If the element appears to look normal, then turn the oven on to a bake function for a minute and then turn it off.

Check the element for signs of heating and if it is still cold then it may be defective. Disconnect the power and then remove the back panel. First check the wires as they may have become loose or corroded. If the element appears to be fine visually, test it for continuity with a multi-meter. If the element is burned or no longer has continuity, it will need to be replaced.

You could use the oven without the broiler. It is customary that the oven will use the broil element to even out the heat in the oven for better baking but you could use if. it just may not bake evenly. There could be two things that is causing the broil element to stay energized. the control is not shutting down or there is a short to ground in the broil element. Have the broil element tested, it could just need replacing. If it is in the control that is a bigger problem.

Manufacture and model would be nice ohm out the bake element might be open some are in the oven cavity others are hidden below the lower oven plate and have to check from the rear by removing back cover in the bake mode the broil element element cycles on/off thats why you have some heat.

check the igniter for oven and change
you may have a seperate igniter for the broiler

Turn the breaker off for 5 minutes then turn it back on see if this helps if not let me know.

Hello there and than you for choosing Fixya
If your oven does not heat, does not heat enough or does not broil, a common cause is a burned out heating element. There are two elements, the baking element on the floor of the oven and the broiling element on the ceiling of the oven. They are about the diameter of a pencil and typically supported by metal stand-offs.
This easiest test you can do is to turn on the oven and observe the heating element. If it glows red, the element is working. When baking, the broiling element may come on to assist with preheating or to maintain the oven temperature. When set to bake, if the broiler comes on, but the baking element does not, the likely cause is a burned out baking element.
When set to broil, the broil element should glow red, but the bake element typically is not used. If the broiler does not glow, it is likely a burned out heating element.
There are other possible causes of these symptoms, refer to our diagnostic page for some other possibilities.
To test the heating element using a multimeter, follow the steps provided below.

1. Unplug the oven or turn off the power at the breaker or fuse box.
   
2. Follow the heating element back to where it goes through the wall of the oven. Remove the bracket that secures the element in place.
   
3. Unscrew or unfasten any stand-off supports that secure the element to the oven.
   
4. Pull the element part way out to expose the oven's wiring connected the element.
   
5. Label the wires and secure them in place so they do not fall back into the cavity.
   
6. Disconnect the wires from the element.
   
7. Using a multimeter set to x1, touch one probe to each of the element contacts. Expect resistance in the range of 20 to 40 ohms. Infinite or kilo-ohm resistance usually indicates a bad element and it should be replaced.
   
8. If the element tests okay, reconnect the wires, slip them back into the cavity and resecure the element.

When the food you're baking is done on top but not on the bottom--or when baking just takes far too long to finish--the bake element may be burned out.

You may get fooled into thinking it's working, because the oven is hot inside. But many electric ovens use the broil element, too, during the preheat and bake cycles. So the food may be getting heated only by the broil element, which causes poor baking results.

If the bake element is burned out, replacing it should solve the problem. Otherwise, you need to further troubleshoot the oven's electrical system to locate the defective wire or component.

You have two ignitors one for bake and one for broil your bake is not working