Your GE Oven turns off by itself for two reasons; overheating and a Failing Display Control Board. There are multiple causes of overheating, including a faulty cooling fan blower, a defective thermostat, or poor oven ventilation. Follow our quick DIY guides to identify and fix overheating or display board issues that could cause your GE oven to turn off unexpectedly.
If your GE oven heats for a few minutes during a bake or broil cycle and then turns off unexpectedly, there’s a problem. My 3-year-old GE oven recently started cutting off during my cooking cycles. It turned out to be a faulty thermostat. It was easy to find a compatible thermostat replacement here.
If your oven gives you a similar headache, there’s nothing to worry about. There are quick DIY fixes you can try to prevent your oven from constantly cutting off in the middle of cooking.
I’ll be sharing these troubleshooting guides and simple fixes with you in this article.
1. A Defective GE Oven Cooling Fan Blower
GE ovens have a built-in cooling fan blower responsible for circulating air around the oven to cool down its internal components after cooking. The cooling fan blower keeps the oven’s internal components from overheating.
If your oven has a defective fan blower, it tends to cut off automatically when it overheats. This is common with GE ovens programmed to shut down when temperatures are extremely high.
How to Troubleshoot a Defective GE Oven Fan Blower
First, determine if your fan blower is causing the untimely oven to shut off. To do this:
- Reset the oven by turning off the power and turning it back on.
- Push and hold down the “Broil” and “2” buttons simultaneously for about 3 seconds. This will activate your oven’s fault retrieval mode.
- Hit the “1” button to activate stored faults. If your oven has a fan blower issue, it’ll display F350 or F352 error code. These codes indicate that the fan blower is turning slower than it should or is not turning.
- Hold the “Broil” and “1” buttons simultaneously for 3 seconds to activate the ERC test mode.
- Press “3” to run the fan blower at a low speed, and look through the vent trim at the back on the maintop to see if the blower turns. If it doesn’t or turns at an extremely slow speed, a fix is needed.
How to fix the fan defective cooling fan blower:
- Turn off the oven power.
- Remove the main top.
- Check if the blower wheel has any obstruction caused by foreign objects, wire routing, or insulation sitting on the blower’s red silicon hub. If there are no obstructions, proceed to the next step.
- Rotate the blower by hand. It should rotate freely without making noise or feeling rigid. If the blower turns freely, you need to check the fan blower wiring.
- Test the blower motor wiring for resistance. The white-to-black wires should show 47 ohms and white to red 31 ohms. If the wires are good, proceed to the next step.
- Assess the control board blower connections by running the cooling blower in the Service Mode. You’ll need to turn the oven power on to do this. The white wire (neutral) and the black wire (low-speed) should record 120VAC. If not, replace the entire blower motor assembly.
Note: These steps can be confusing and complicated for someone without technical oven repair knowledge. As such, I recommend you call a GE oven technician to test and repair a defective oven fan blower.
2. An Anti Heating Mechanism
GE ovens are equipped with a protective anti-heating mechanism to prevent overheating. This mechanism takes the shape of the circuit breaker, which cuts power to your oven if it gets too hot.
So your GE oven may shut off during a cooking cycle under the influence of the circuit breaker. The device is designed to trip and shut off the power supply to the oven when it reaches a certain ‘high’ temperature.
Can you alter the limit temperature? No. This temperature limit is predetermined and set by the manufacturer to ensure optimal safety.
If your oven turns off unexpectedly, wait for it to cool off so the circuit breaker resets. Also, prevent your oven from reaching this limit temperature. Check your GE oven’s user manual for the exact value.
3. Faulty Safety Thermostat/temperature Sensor
Both your thermostat and temperature sensor have the responsibility to regulate the temperature of your GE oven. The sensor measures the temperature of your oven; the thermostat turns the heating element off to prevent overheating once your desired cooking temperature is reached.
If your GE oven turns off by itself, a faulty safety thermostat or temperature sensor could take the blame.
How to Troubleshoot and Replace a Faulty Safety Thermostat/temperature Sensor:
- Turn off the power to the oven:
- Locate the thermostat/temperature sensor.
- Use a multimeter to test the thermostat or temperature sensor for continuity. No continuity for any of the devices? Think about a replacement.
- Remove the faulty thermostat/temperature sensor: Carefully disconnect any wires attached to the device(s) and remove them from the oven.
- Install the new thermostat/temperature sensor in the same location where the old one was removed, and reattach any disconnected wires.
Call a professional for a fix if you’re not comfortable doing these.
4. Poor Oven Ventilation
Again, this is related to overheating. The oven ventilation system removes steam, smoke, and other fumes from the oven during cooking.
When your ventilation system is faulty, these substances accumulate inside your oven and provoke overheating.
Of course, overheating means your circuit breaker has to turn your oven off unexpectedly. There is a quick fix for oven ventilation systems. But first, troubleshoot to confirm that ventilation is indeed why your oven turns off by itself.
How to troubleshoot and fix a faulty oven ventilation system
- Check the oven filters: The oven filters may be clogged with grease, dirt, or other debris. Remove the filters and clean them thoroughly with soap and water. If the filters are damaged, they may need to be replaced.
- Inspect the exhaust duct: Check the duct for any obstructions or damage, and clear or repair it as needed.
- Check the fan blades for any damage or obstructions, and ensure the fan motor runs properly. If the fan is damaged or not working correctly, it may need to be replaced.
Check your GE oven’s user manual for more directives.
5. A Failing Display Control Board
If your oven cooling fan blower is sound, the only other reason your GE oven turns off by itself is a failing display control board. This happens because a faulty display board often heats up as soon as your oven starts to heat up.
As a result, the heat overload causes the control board to shut down until it can cool. That also means your oven shuts down, as the controls’ settings are not sustained.
How To Fix a Failing Display Control Board
A faulty control board must be replaced. To do the replacement:
- Cut the power to the oven.
- Remove the screws holding the oven control panel in place.
- Pull the panel up to remove it.
- Disconnect the wires.
- Remove the screws securing the control board on the panel.
- Remove the control board.
- Take the new control board and transfer the overlay from the old one to the new board. You can also opt to use a new overlay.
- Follow the reverse steps to screw the control board on the panel, reconnect the wires, and fix back the control board panel.
You can follow a visual demonstration of the above steps in this video from Repair Clinic on YouTube:
Do GE Ovens Turn Off Automatically?
Yes, your GE oven turns off automatically after a 12-hour wait period. Some people forget this feature and assume the oven has a fault. Note that one feature that stands out in GE ovens is the automatic shut-off feature, designed to protect the oven by turning it off automatically after 12 hours.
This feature is important for two reasons:
- Prevents accidents, such as fires that may occur from overheating – if the oven is left on for an extended period.
- Conserves energy by turning off the oven when it is not in use. This is particularly important for people who often forget to turn off their ovens after use.
You may have forgotten that your GE oven has this automatic turn-off feature. This a reminder that your oven may not have a problem; you just left it ON for too long. Don’t be surprised to get home and find your oven sleeping, especially if it’s been left ON for many hours.
Steve Rajeckas is an HVAC hobbyist with an avid interest in learning innovative ways to keep rooms, buildings, and everything else at the optimal temperature. When he’s not working on new posts for Temperature Master, he can be found reading books or exploring the outdoors.