Thanks again to several of you for all the help you've given.
Gas wall oven, GE model JGRP17WEW4WW. SN VZ636174Q
It now has a new ignitor, two days old, the third new one in 3 years and still there is some explosion, like there was with the previous one. (First two worked for a while each, then failed to light oven.)
Installed and tested about four times and everything fine on Sunday, but today he reports: Anne used the oven Monday - commented on the explosion. I tried it this morning, Tuesday Explosion that jiggled the door; then (I believe, after lit) it had a small explosion.
It lit with the previous ignitor also, but on occasion exploded a bit, once or twice quite loudly, and after that his wife refused to use it.
What else might it be, or is this ignitor defective?
The valve?
BACKGROUND: The ignitor is round (carborundum, right?)
The previous ignitor, 2 yrs old, was 92 ohms. This one, before installation, was 580 ohms. Both when cold. That seems like a big difference.
The webpage said this kind of ignitor should show 2.5 to 3.0 amps Sunday the previous ignitor, after it warmed for one second, showed in test One 2.8 amps dropping pretty quickly to 2.44 in test Two 2.9 amps dropping pretty quickly to 2.39 so by the time the gas started flowing, the amperage was about 0.1 amp below the minimum or 2.5
The new one started close to zero and gradually built up to 2.8 volts, where it was when the gas went on. After two tests with the same result, I dicsonnected the ammeter. It took between 1:30 and 2:00 minutes to light at first, but on the third and fourth times took less than a minute.
We might have touched the metal cage around it, but no one touched the surface of the ignitor.
My friend was away for a week, and this past sunday we put in a brand new ignitor, from repairclinic.com, recommended here (which shipped promptly, btw). It came in vinyl envelope that said Genuine GE Replacement Parts, and I I'm sure it was. (In a corrugated cardboard enveleope, in a cor. cardboard box.. I'm sure no damage in shipping.)
Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let me know if you have posted also.