Whirlpool is a known and revered brand in the home appliance space. Chances are, you are one of the seventy thousand people who bought a Whirlpool appliance in the year 2020.
Whirlpool sells a wide range of ovens, from conventional microwaves to grill ovens.
Sadly, you will face some common Whirlpool oven control panel problems.
In this article, we’ll go over some common problems and potential fixes.
4 Control Panel Problems of Whirlpool Oven
Let’s have a quick look at those issues before I dig deep!
- F1 Error Issue
- Temperature Control Problem
- Oven Not Turning On/Off
- Other Issues
As an owner of a Whirlpool oven, you are likely to face one of the few specific errors that we’ll discuss.
There might be problems with wiring or even the oven’s heating components.
In this article, we will be focusing on some common control panel issues. Some common issues you might encounter are as follows:
- F1 Error Code
The ‘F1 error code represents an electronics error in the system of the oven. The failure may have occurred in any of the components of the oven.
It may be a problem with the keypad, temperature sensor of the oven, or even bad circuitry.
In some cases, it could even mean that the oven is not registering user commands due to the software getting corrupted. This is a common issue in ovens and in certain cases, it fixes itself.
- Temperature Control Issues
The oven normally regulates temperature based on how the user inputs cooking time or change settings.
However, if the control panel malfunctions, the temperature the oven will reach may not be optimal.
There are several ways of identifying whether your oven is not hitting optimal temperature.
For instance, if your food is repeatedly undercooked or under heat, the temperature is not being regulated well.
The food could sometimes also be unevenly heated. This may all boil down to a faulty control panel.
- Oven Not Turning On or Off
Bad circuitry in the control panel or even faulty switches may lead to the oven not turning on or turning off. This could happen despite pressing the correct buttons multiple times.
The oven may also turn on/ off properly if wires going to and from the panel have issues.
- Other Miscellaneous Issues
Aside from the more common issues we discussed above, you might face some other random problems as well. The circuitry in the control panel may burn out.
This happens due to voltage fluctuation or age. The surge protection device may falter, leaving the oven with no power.
Many of these issues have simple DIY fixes. Some of the problems might need professional attention and replacement of parts, though.
How To Fix Your Oven’s Control Panel?
Now you have familiarized yourself with the different parts of a Whirlpool oven control panel as well as some potential issues.
With this knowledge, you can go forward and look for fixes. Some of them are easy enough to administer yourself at no cost.
Others might require expertise from a professional or a replacement part.
Let us take a look at some ways of fixing a Whirlpool oven control panel:
- Reset The Oven
One of the easy ways of fixing the control panel is resetting it. This will work especially well if the oven was simply facing a glitch and not a hardware issue.
You can reset a Whirlpool oven in multiple ways. A basic reset requires you to press the ‘cancel’ button to wipe old settings just like resetting any oven control board.
Once the error message is not showing anymore, recalibrate the settings to the previous one. You can consult the user manual on how to do that.
The method of basic reset we discussed works when the Whirlpool accubake oven control panel is not working. This should also work with most other Whirlpool models in software glitches.
Another way of resetting is doing a hard reset. This requires you to plug out the oven from power sources.
When your oven shows an error code, plug it out from the outlet and leave it that way for five minutes. Once you plug it in, continue using the oven.
If the error code does not come back, your oven is likely fixed. However, if the error code keeps showing up, there might be bigger problems with the panel.
- Replacing Damaged Wiring or Small Components
Sometimes the damage could be more significant than a simple software glitch. If a reset does not fix the oven, you may have to look at this angle.
Firstly, take out the board from the oven encasing. Find the right screwdriver. An oven has many delicate parts and you should operate carefully.
Once you have detached the control panel, check the back for potential problems. If there is any dirt or debris, clean it carefully.
Also, check carefully if any of the wires attached to the oven have come loose or show signs of damage. If any particular wire shows a problem, fix that first.
You should also check the semiconductors and small elements in the panel. Consult your owner’s manual or specific YouTube videos to identify the different parts.
If you are handy with tools and electronics, you should be able to purchase replacement parts from online stores/ parts stores and replace them. Doing that will often fix the error entirely.
- Control Panel Replacement
Once you’ve gone through the steps mentioned above and still haven’t fixed your oven, this is the next eventual step.
If your oven is not working properly despite troubleshooting, there might be deeper problems with the control panel. That may warrant a complete replacement of the entire control panel.
For this step, you can obtain authentic Whirlpool spare control panels from different e-vendors. Make sure to check for warranty and match the exact model number.
You can find specific tutorials on how to replace the control panel in Whirlpool ovens. But doing so may void your existing warranty.
It is also a tenuous process. So, we recommend that you contact your nearest repair or service center for a replacement. But before you do that, watch this video and ask yourself whether you want to do it yourself or not.
The Control Panel Layout
Before we jump into faulty Whirlpool oven control panels, it will be wise to take a look at the layout.
Now, the specific layout will vary based on which exact model you have. The overall buttons and structure at its core should be very similar though.
The layout across the microwave range includes a capacitive dial pad. The buttons have capacitive actuation. There is typically a dial pad, alongside some function keys.
On microwaves, the layout of the control panel is vertical. On other types of ovens, it might be horizontal.
The outer panel is encased with a plastic protective layer. Some models come with metallic/ plastic knobs.
Behind the front panel, the back contains all the circuitry and connection points, which attach it to the rest of the components in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The oven control board is an interface made up of buttons and dials. It is used to control different functions of the oven and to essentially interact with the device.
There are a few signs you should look out for. You should check if there are error messages in the display.
If your food is overheated or undercooked, that is also a telltale sign that something has gone wrong.
Depending on the model, the price of the control board can vary from 40 USD to as high as 140. On average, they cost 60 to 70 dollars.
There are mounting screws in the outside panel of the oven. Removing that panel will give you access to the main screws holding the control board in place.
After unscrewing those, carefully unplug the ribbon cables connecting the components of the board and the rest of the oven.
Last Words
From making that lovely cake to surprising your mom, or to heat that dish from last night: an oven is like a lifeline in our day-to-day lives.
A Whirlpool oven will serve all your needs –from big to small. Until it falters.
In case you face Whirlpool oven control panel problems, you can refer to this article and get a concise idea or a fix.
That will allow you to keep your dependable appliance going and ready to serve your needs!
About Author
My new electric range has Tones. Oven is preheated for instance.
Can the tones be made louder?
I have a Accubake oven. How do i reset the controls when the control screen shows “DOOR” on the screen and will not heat up. Also the oven light will not turn off. It happened during a power failure.
Screen does not have a cancel button.
Our panel is dark. No lights. But tones and inside oven lights work? Sadly it’s an older model and I will need to get control panel rebuilt as they no longer make that style.
My whirlpool convection will not bake all the way through. If I make bread or a cack it does not Cook on bottom or middle and it certainly isn’t any faster than a regular oven. It needs watching constantly!!
my oven is overheating; set temp to 350 and it will go up to 475 + randomly. How do I tell if its the control panel or heating element?
Finding a replacement control board for Whirlpool RF4700XEW9, part number AP297345, I am finding near impossible, if your experts can give me clue as to where I could purchase this component I would be eternally grateful.