Electric oven broiler stays cold
You set Broil, wait a few minutes, and the upper element never glows or heats.
Start here: Start with the control setting, then inspect the oven broil element for blisters, cracks, or a burned spot.
Oven troubleshooting
Oven Broiler Not Working
Direct answer: When an oven broiler stops working, the usual culprits are a wrong mode or door position, a failed oven broil element on electric models, or a weak oven igniter on gas models. Start with the simple checks first, because a dead-looking broiler is often a setup issue or one failed heating part, not the whole oven.
Most likely: Most often, the broil circuit itself has failed: an electric oven broil element is visibly damaged or a gas oven broil igniter glows weakly and never lights the flame.
First separate the lookalikes. If bake still works but broil does not, focus on the broil side only. If neither bake nor broil heats, you are on a bigger power, gas, or control problem. Reality check: a broiler can take a minute or two to show heat, especially on gas. Common wrong move: replacing parts before confirming whether the oven is actually in Broil mode and the door is in the position your oven expects.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering an oven control board. Controls do fail, but they are not the first bet when only the broiler is dead.
If bake works normallyCheck the broil element or broil igniter before blaming the control.
If bake and broil are both deadStop here and troubleshoot the oven heating problem as a whole, not just the broiler.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-04
What the broiler is doing tells you where to start
Gas oven broiler never lights
You hear or see the oven try to start, but there is no broil flame at the top burner.
Start here: Watch for the oven broil igniter. If it glows but the flame never lights, the igniter is the leading suspect.
Broiler works weakly
Food barely browns, preheat feels slow, or the broiler cycles off before real heat builds.
Start here: Check for a weak gas igniter, a partially failed electric broil element, or a door that is not closing the same way it used to.
Bake works but broil does not
The oven still bakes, but the top heat function is dead.
Start here: That usually points to the broil-specific heating part or circuit, not the whole oven power supply.
Most likely causes
1. Wrong mode, timer setting, or door position
Many ovens will not broil if they are in a delayed mode, still cooling from self-clean, or if the door is not in the expected open or closed position for that design.
Quick check: Cancel the cycle, clear any timer, set Broil again, and try the door both fully closed and slightly cracked only if your manual normally calls for that behavior.
2. Failed oven broil element
On electric ovens, the upper element takes direct heat stress and often fails with a split, blister, or dead section.
Quick check: With power off and the oven cool, look closely at the upper element for rough spots, holes, or separated metal.
3. Weak or failed oven broil igniter
On gas ovens, a glowing igniter can still be too weak to open the gas valve. That gives you a no-flame broiler even though the oven looks like it is trying.
Quick check: Start Broil and watch the igniter. If it glows for a while but no flame appears, the oven broil igniter is the top suspect.
4. Broil circuit or control problem
If the broil heating part looks good and never gets power, the issue can be in the selector, relay, wiring, or electronic control.
Quick check: If bake works, the display responds normally, and the broil part passes the visual check but stays dead, the broil control side moves up the list.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Confirm the oven is actually being told to broil
A surprising number of broiler calls turn out to be a mode, timer, or door-position issue. This is the fastest safe check.
- Cancel any active cycle and clear delayed start or timer settings.
- Set the oven to Broil on a high setting if your control offers high and low broil.
- Give it a full 2 minutes to respond before deciding it is dead.
- Try the door in the normal broil position for your oven. On many newer ovens that means fully closed; some older designs want it slightly cracked.
- If the oven was just in self-clean or recently tripped a breaker, let it cool fully and try again.
Next move: You likely had a settings or door-position issue, not a failed part. If there is still no top heat, move on to identifying whether you have an electric element problem, a gas igniter problem, or a broader oven heating issue.
What to conclude: If broil comes back after a reset and proper setup, the oven hardware may be fine.
Stop if:
- The control flashes an error and will not accept a broil command.
- You smell gas at any point.
- The oven trips the breaker as soon as Broil is selected.
Step 2: Separate a broiler-only failure from a whole-oven heating failure
If bake is also dead, this page is no longer the best fit. You need to avoid chasing the broiler when the real problem is larger.
- Test Bake with the oven empty and cool.
- On an electric oven, check whether the lower bake element heats at all.
- On a gas oven, check whether the bake burner lights normally.
- Notice whether the display, light, and convection fan work, but do not treat those as proof the heating circuit is good.
Next move: If bake works and broil does not, stay focused on the broil element, broil igniter, or broil-side wiring and control. If neither bake nor broil heats, troubleshoot the oven heating problem as a whole instead of replacing broil parts first.
What to conclude: A broiler-only failure usually means one upper heating component has failed. A no-bake and no-broil oven points to power supply, gas supply, safety lockout, or control trouble.
Step 3: Inspect the broil heat source you can actually see
Physical clues are often enough to confirm the main failure without guessing.
- Unplug the oven or switch off power at the breaker before touching anything inside.
- For an electric oven, inspect the upper oven broil element closely with a flashlight.
- Look for a split sheath, blistered spots, white ash marks, or a section that has burned open.
- For a gas oven, restore power only for observation, start Broil, and watch the oven broil igniter from a safe distance.
- If the gas igniter glows but the broil burner never lights after roughly 30 to 90 seconds, treat the oven broil igniter as the leading failure.
Next move: A visibly damaged electric broil element or a glowing-no-flame gas igniter gives you a strong, parts-supported repair path. If the element looks intact and the igniter does not glow at all, you need to consider wiring, a failed igniter, or a control-side problem.
Step 4: Check the simple connection points before blaming the control
Loose or heat-damaged connections at the broil part are more common than a bad control board, and they can mimic a dead element or igniter.
- Disconnect power again before opening any access panel.
- If you can safely reach the broil element mounting area, look for scorched terminals or a loose connector on the oven broil element.
- On gas models, inspect visible wiring to the oven broil igniter for brittle insulation, a loose plug, or heat damage.
- If the broil element is visibly failed, replace the oven broil element.
- If the gas broil igniter glows but will not light the burner, replace the oven broil igniter.
- If the igniter never glows and wiring looks sound, or the electric element looks good but never heats, the diagnosis is moving toward a control or harness issue.
Next move: Replacing the failed broil heating part usually restores normal broil operation right away. If a known-good broil part still does not run, stop buying parts and move to a wiring or control diagnosis.
Step 5: Finish with the right next move
At this point you should either have a supported repair part or a clean reason to stop and escalate.
- Order an oven broil element if your electric broiler has visible damage or tested dead after the basic checks.
- Order an oven broil igniter if your gas broiler glows but does not light, or if diagnosis confirms the igniter is open and the wiring is intact.
- Do not order an oven control just because the broiler is dead. Control problems are real, but they come after the heating part and connection checks.
- If bake and broil are both affected, or if wiring is burned, schedule service for a deeper electrical or gas diagnosis.
- After any repair, run Broil for a short test and confirm the upper heat source cycles on without unusual smell, arcing, or delayed ignition.
A good result: You have matched the symptom to the most likely repair instead of guessing at expensive parts.
If not: If the broiler still will not run after the supported part replacement, the remaining problem is likely in the oven wiring harness or control circuit and is a good point for professional service.
What to conclude: Most homeowners can handle a confirmed broil element or broil igniter replacement. Control-side failures are less common and less friendly to guesswork.
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FAQ
Why does my oven bake but the broiler does not work?
That usually means the problem is limited to the broil side of the oven. On electric models, the oven broil element is the first thing to suspect. On gas models, a weak oven broil igniter is very common.
Can an oven broil igniter glow and still be bad?
Yes. A gas oven broil igniter can glow orange and still be too weak to draw enough current to open the gas valve. If it glows but the broil burner never lights, the igniter is often the fix.
How do I know if my electric oven broil element is bad?
A bad oven broil element often shows a split, blister, burned spot, or rough white ash mark. Sometimes it looks normal but tests open with power disconnected. If it never heats on Broil while bake still works, it is a strong suspect.
Is it the control board if the broiler stopped working?
Maybe, but not first. If only the broiler is dead, the heating part, igniter, or a burned connection is more likely than the oven control. Save the control diagnosis for after the obvious broil-side checks are done.
Can a bad oven door gasket make the broiler seem weak?
Yes, but it usually makes the broiler weak rather than completely dead. If the door seal is torn or flattened, heat can leak out and browning will suffer. It is worth checking after you rule out the main broil heating part.
Should I keep trying to broil if I smell gas?
No. Stop using the oven, turn it off, ventilate the area, and do not keep testing it. Gas odor during a failed broil attempt is a clear stop point.