This repair took between 15 and 30 minutes BUT ONLY because my 10 year old son did the repair. He couldn't wait for his father to come home from work. His only complaint was the tight fit to reach the back of the oven (he wanted to take the oven door off but I said no). He removed the 2 screws that held the element in place and then pulled it from the oven until he could remove the screws that held the wires in place. He was concerned that a little of the insulation came out with the wires, but this was no issue. The new element hooked right up (we figured out that we had to use the 2 new screws for the wires because the old ones did not fit very well). We used the same 'old' screws to attach the element back to the oven. Plugged the oven back in and it works fine. My son was so proud and I didn't have to help any more than shining a flashlight for him.
The heating element in the lower oven of my 18 year-old GE double oven broke into two pieces and would not heat. Because of the age of the oven, a replacement part was unavailable through GE. I came across PartSelect.com through an Internet search and ordered the part online. Total cost was $33.50, counting s/h. FedEx delivered the new element less than 48 hours after I placed the order online.
IMPORTANT: FLIP the BREAKER to stop electricity from going to the oven. Replacing the heating element is a two step process: 1. Remove the old element. 2. Install the new element in its place. (NOTE: This job is much simpler if you lift and remove the oven door BEFORE you begin. NOTE also: There are no slots in the screws, so you must use a small socket wrench--not a screwdriver-- to remove the screws.) STEP 1: Two screws go through the small metal plate attached to the element prongs. These screws hold the element to the back oven wall. Remove the screws, then pull the element forward a few inches to gain access to two screws which hold the element prongs to wires that come through the back oven wall. (One wire and one screw for each of the two prongs.) Remove the two screws. Remove and discard the old element. STEP 2: Install the new element by doing Step 1 in reverse. Oven is now repaired! (It took more time to type these instruction than it took to repair the oven.)
