No broil heat at all
The display accepts Broil, but the top of the oven never gets hot and there is no glow, flame, or sizzle.
Start here: Start with settings, door position, and a quick visual check of the broil heat source.
Oven broil troubleshooting
Whirlpool Oven Broiler Not Working
Direct answer: If your Whirlpool oven broiler is not working, start with the broil setting, door position, and whether the oven is electric or gas. Most no-broil calls come down to a failed oven broil element on electric models, a weak oven igniter on gas models, or a control issue only after the heat source checks out.
Most likely: The most likely cause is the actual broil heat source failing: a burned-out oven broil element on an electric oven or a weak oven igniter on a gas oven.
First separate the lookalikes: no heat at all, slow weak broil, or a broiler that works sometimes. Reality check: broil problems are usually pretty direct once you confirm whether the heat source is trying to come on. Common wrong move: replacing parts because the bake side still works, when the broil circuit has its own failure.
Don’t start with: Do not start by ordering an oven control board. Controls are not the first bet unless the broil element or igniter never gets power and the rest of the oven behavior points that way.
If the broiler stays stone coldCheck the broil setting, door behavior, and whether the element or igniter shows any sign of life.
If it glows or lights weakly but food will not brownSuspect a failing oven broil element, weak oven igniter, or a temperature sensing problem before blaming the control.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-17
What the broiler is doing tells you where to start
Broiler heats weakly
The oven gets a little warm up top, but it takes far too long to brown or melt anything.
Start here: Watch for a partial glow on an electric broil element or a gas igniter that glows without lighting the burner strongly.
Bake works but broil does not
The lower oven heat still cooks, but the upper broiler never comes on or only works once in a while.
Start here: Focus on the broil-specific heat source first, because bake and broil do not share every failure point.
Broiler works intermittently
Sometimes broil starts normally, then another day it stays cold or shuts off early.
Start here: Look for a cracked electric broil element, a weakening gas igniter, or loose connections around the broil circuit.
Most likely causes
1. Failed oven broil element on an electric oven
This is the most common reason an electric broiler stays cold or only heats in spots. A broil element can crack, blister, or burn open while bake still works.
Quick check: Set Broil and look through the door after a minute or two. If the element never glows and you see a split, blister, or burned area, that is a strong clue.
2. Weak oven igniter on a gas oven
Gas oven igniters often weaken before they fail completely. The igniter may glow but still not pull enough current to open the gas valve for a strong broil flame.
Quick check: Set Broil and watch for the igniter. If it glows for a while but the broil burner does not light, or lights late and weakly, the oven igniter is the lead suspect.
3. Wrong mode, delayed start, or door-position issue
Some ovens will not broil if the wrong cycle is selected, a timed feature is active, or the door is not in the expected position for that model.
Quick check: Cancel the cycle, clear any timer or delay setting, then start a fresh Broil cycle and follow the normal door position for your oven.
4. Oven sensor or control problem
This is less common, but it moves up the list if the broil heat source looks intact and never gets hot, or if the oven acts erratically in more than one mode.
Quick check: If both bake and broil temperatures are off, preheat behavior is odd, or the broiler cycles off far too soon, the oven sensor becomes more likely than the control.
Step-by-step fix
Step 1: Confirm the broil cycle is actually being called for
A surprising number of broil complaints are a setting problem, a delayed cycle, or a door-position mismatch rather than a failed part.
- Cancel anything currently running.
- Make sure the clock is set and no delay start or timed cook feature is active.
- Select Broil again and choose the normal broil temperature or high/low option.
- Close or crack the oven door only the way your oven normally expects during broil.
- Give it a full 2 minutes to respond while watching and listening from the front.
Next move: If the broiler starts heating normally now, the problem was likely a mode or cycle setup issue. If nothing changes, move on to identifying whether you have an electric broil element or a gas broil burner with igniter.
What to conclude: You want to rule out the easy false alarm before opening anything up.
Stop if:
- The control panel is dead or not responding at all.
- You smell gas.
- You see sparking, arcing, or smoke.
Step 2: Identify the heat source and look for obvious failure signs
Electric and gas broilers fail differently. Separating them early keeps you from chasing the wrong part.
- Unplug the oven or switch off power before inspecting inside the cavity closely.
- Look at the top of the oven cavity.
- If you see a thick metal heating loop across the top, you have an electric oven broil element.
- If you see a burner tube or shielded burner area with an igniter nearby, you have a gas broil burner system.
- On an electric model, look for cracks, blisters, burn marks, or a section that has broken loose.
- On a gas model, look for a damaged igniter, heavy corrosion, or loose-looking mounting around the broil burner area.
Next move: If you find a clearly damaged electric broil element, you have a strong repair direction. If nothing looks damaged, restore power and watch what happens during a fresh Broil cycle.
What to conclude: Visible damage on the broil heat source usually outweighs more complicated theories.
Step 3: Watch what the broiler does when you call for heat
The first minute of operation tells you whether the broil circuit is trying to work and which part is most likely failing.
- Restore power and start Broil.
- For an electric oven, watch for the oven broil element to glow evenly across most of its length.
- For a gas oven, watch for the oven igniter to glow and listen for the broil burner to light.
- If the electric element stays dark, note that.
- If the electric element glows only in one area or heats unevenly, note that too.
- If the gas igniter glows but the burner never lights, or lights after a long delay, note that as well.
Next move: If the broiler now heats strongly and evenly, the issue may be intermittent wiring, a loose connection, or a control problem that needs closer testing if it returns. If the electric element stays dark or the gas igniter glows without proper flame, the heat source branch is now your best lead.
Step 4: Use the strongest clue to choose the likely repair
By now you should have enough evidence to avoid guess-buying and focus on the part that actually fits the symptoms.
- If you have an electric oven and the oven broil element is visibly damaged, stays dark, or heats unevenly, treat the oven broil element as the primary repair.
- If you have a gas oven and the oven igniter glows but the broil burner does not light properly, treat the oven igniter as the primary repair.
- If broil works but is consistently weak and bake temperatures also seem off, move the oven sensor higher on the list.
- If both bake and broil act strangely, the display behaves oddly, or power to the heat source is inconsistent, stop short of buying a control and consider a deeper diagnosis.
Next move: If one of those clues matches cleanly, you can move ahead with that repair path confidently. If the symptoms do not match any one path cleanly, do not buy multiple parts. At that point the wiring, sensor, or control side needs proper testing.
Step 5: Finish with the repair or make a clean service call
The goal is to either replace the clearly failed broil-side part or stop before the job turns into unsafe electrical or gas diagnosis.
- Replace the oven broil element if your electric oven showed visible damage, no glow, or uneven heating from the top element.
- Replace the oven igniter if your gas oven igniter glowed but the broil burner would not light properly or took too long to light.
- Consider replacing the oven sensor only if heating is present but clearly inaccurate across modes and the broiler is not the only complaint.
- If none of those fit, schedule appliance service and report exactly what you observed: dark element, glowing igniter with no flame, intermittent broil, or both bake and broil acting up.
A good result: If the broiler now heats fast and browns food normally, the repair path was correct.
If not: If the new heat-source part does not fix it, stop there and have the oven professionally diagnosed for wiring, sensor-circuit, gas-valve, or control issues.
What to conclude: A clean symptom report saves time and keeps you from stacking unnecessary parts onto the problem.
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FAQ
Why does bake work but broil does not?
Because the broil side has its own heat source and wiring path. On electric ovens, the oven broil element can fail while the bake element still works. On gas ovens, the oven igniter for broil can weaken even though bake still lights.
How do I know if my oven broil element is bad?
The strongest clues are visible damage, no glow during Broil, or a glow that appears only in one section instead of across the element. A cracked or blistered oven broil element is usually done.
Can a gas oven igniter glow and still be bad?
Yes. That is very common. A weak oven igniter may glow but still fail to draw enough current to open the gas valve properly, so the broil burner never lights or lights late and weakly.
Is the oven control board usually the reason the broiler stopped working?
Usually no. The heat source itself is more commonly at fault. Control problems move up the list only after the oven broil element or oven igniter checks out and the symptoms point to a broader electrical issue.
Can I keep using the oven if the broiler is not working?
Usually yes for light bake use, if there is no gas smell, sparking, or burned wiring. But if you see a damaged oven broil element, delayed gas ignition, or charred connections, stop using the oven until it is repaired.
Should I replace the oven sensor for a no-broil problem?
Not first. The oven sensor is more likely when temperatures are off in more than one mode, not when the broiler is completely dead. A no-broil complaint usually points to the broil element or igniter before the sensor.