Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Old Norge Gas oven slow to ignite, see pics

I have a really old Norge gas stove/oven. It does not use any electricity for operation. Recently, the oven portion has stopped working correctly. When I turn it on, I see the pilot light "jump" over to heat the thermocouple, so that part is working correctly, however it takes a minute or two for the gas to start flowing through the burner. I've added photos so you can get a better picture. One of the photos shows the pilot light burning with the dial in the off position. The other photo shows the pilot light jumped over to heat the thermocouple waiting for the gas to start flowing to the burner.
Can anybody help me diagnose this problem? Thank you

Comments

  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,293

    First thing to try is cleaning the pilot orifice.

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • dizzlewizzle
    dizzlewizzle Member Posts: 4

    Thank you. That has been done. The pilot light seems to be working nominally.

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,854

    check the output of the thermocouple or just replace it. they wear out over time and produce less current, eventually they don't produce enough current to open the valve. obviously it won't turn on until it heats the thermocouple but as it get weaker it will have to get hotter and hotter before it opens the valve.

    and it isn't that old…

    dizzlewizzle
  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,293

    If the valve is still slow to open, next thing to look at is the thermocouple.

    So order of progress is pilot, thermocouple, gas valve. Betting your thermocouple is failing

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • dizzlewizzle
    dizzlewizzle Member Posts: 4

    Thank you. Do you have an estimate for how old it is? The house was built in 1948. I assumed the stove was original, but I don't know. I haven't been able to identify it.

  • dizzlewizzle
    dizzlewizzle Member Posts: 4

    Thank you. How would I go about identifying the part and ordering the correct one?

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,854

    70's or 80's. It was the economy model. They still made that style in the 90's but probably would have used some sort of electronic ignition even on the economy model by that point.

  • delcrossv
    delcrossv Member Posts: 1,293

    Thermocouple is the copper wire looking device that has one end in your pilot and the other screws into your gas valve.

    Parts can be ordered online

    Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,854
    edited October 25

    Actually, looking at it more closely that might be a mercury pilot switch. Find the model number of the range in one of the online appliance suppliers' catalogs and find the part there. If it is obsolete from the manufacturer of the range it is probably still available from robertshaw or whoever made the valve. I would try sears parts first. I forget the chain of who owns the norge name, it is probably either whirlpool or electrolux/figidiare. By the time that was made i'm pretty sure norge no longer existed and someone that bought them was just using the name.