I have an Amana smoothtop AK2H35 the large dual burner seems to overheat. It gets so hot, that everything burns, when I turn the temp down, the burner does not turn off, though eventually, it does turn off, but only when very hot. Can this be fixed, or do I need to replace the cooktop?

Hello there
I will answer this in 2 sections for testing the burners and the thermostate
Surface Burner Testing:

In order to test the surface burner on your electric range, the following steps should be taken:

1. Before repairs or testing can begin you must disconnect the electricity at the fuse panel, at the circuit breaker panel, or by pulling the plug. Make sure the power is off before proceeding. A jolt from 220 volts can be fatal, use caution!



2. Remove the surface burner from the stovetop. On most electric ranges this can be done by pulling the burner up and out of its plug-in receptacle. Other models have the burner directly wired to the cooktop. To remove this type of burner, undo the screw that secures the burner to the cooktop, remove the clips that secure the insulators to the burner terminals, and carefully unscrew the wires from the terminals. Take care not to bend these terminals.



3. Visually inspect the burner - often there will be small holes or bubbles on the surface of a defective element.



4. Now that you have removed the burner, you can test it using your VOM. Using the ohmmeter function, set the range scale to R x 1 and touch the test leads to the two burner terminals. The VOM should show continuity. Typical burner readings should be somewhere between 19 and 115 ohms, depending on the range manufacturer. If there is no continuity, the burner is defective. To test for a grounded (or shorted) burner, place one test lead on the outside surface of the burner and the other test lead on each burner terminal in turn. If there is continuity at either terminal, the burner is defective.



5. If the burner is defective, replace with a new one by reversing the removal procedure (step 2 above). If replacing a wired-in burner, make sure that you install the wires on the correct terminals, according to the wiring diagram

An oven thermostat is a switch that opens and closes in response to the temperature it senses. It is typically found in the control panel, where a liquid-filled temperature-sensing bulb senses and maintains the internal oven temperature by cycling heat on and off.

1. Before repairs or testing can begin you must disconnect the electricity at the fuse panel, at the circuit breaker panel, or by pulling the plug. Make sure the power is off before proceeding. A jolt from 220 volts can be fatal, use caution!



2. Access the oven thermostat, which is located in different places depending on the make and model:
   1. On freestanding ranges, access the thermostat by removing the screws that hold the back panel in place at both ends.
   2. On models with front-loading controls, remove the panel and tilt it for access. Be careful not to let the wires disconnect from their components.
   3. Some built-in models have a removable backsplash. Lift the backsplash, rest it on the cook top and remove the screws from the backsplash, which holds the rear panel.
   4. On wall ovens or eye-level ranges, access the control panel by opening the door and removing the screws that secure it. The screws may be under the exhaust hood or below the control panel. If the control panel is hinged, simply tilt it towards you.
   5. On some models both the rear and front control panels must be removed. The screws may be found on the trim and occasionally the trim must be removed.
   
   
   
3. When testing the thermostat switch contacts for continuity, refer to the wiring diagram and remove only those wires being tested - and only one pair at a time. Test switch contact terminals as per your wiring diagram. If the switch lacks continuity at any of the contact terminal points then the entire thermostat switch needs to be replaced.

   Adjusting the thermostat:
   

4. Test the oven temperature by placing the tester in the oven's center and leaving it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Record the minimum and maximum temperatures of three cycles, then add those figures together, divide the result by six and you have the oven's average temperature.



5. If the average temperature is more than 25 degrees off, try calibrating the thermostat by following your appliance manual instructions for thermostat calibration.