Timer/clock in circa 1978 electric range

[trader-of-some-jacks]

Our electric range/oven, no doubt original equipment when our house was built in 1978, recently had its timer fail.

It's a GE range. The timer is a white third hand that is on the analog clock on the range's control panel. You set the timer by pressing in on a center knob and twisting, and then the timer sets from 60 minutes down to zero.

It's a klunky device, but accurate enough, and most importantly, it buzzes - LOUDLY - when done, and it remains buzzing until someone turns it off.

However, a couple weeks ago, it stopped buzzing at all, resulting already in a few burned or overdone dinners.

How easily can this timer/clock be replaced? There are a couple screws along the top horizontal surface of the control panel, but I don't see an easy and direct way to get just the timer/clock swapped out. And I don't want to spend $120 on a service call just for a $5 clock.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Check out

or for some ideas and pricing.

Given the age of the range, I'd opt for a new one before spending much on a service call.

[PipeDown]

I had a similar clock break. Is it the High-Low range witlh all the controls up top to the right of the small oven. I had to remove the chrome trim, then the glass faceplate, then I could get at the controls.

The buzzing is made by a bent piece of metal that acts like a spring and a hammer. A coil next to it causes it to vibrate and clatter on two adjascent stoppers. In my case the little lever that prevents it from buzzing broke and it buzzed all the time (I shoved a piece of wood in there to shut it up perminantly). In your case it may either be jammed (in which you might be able to free it) or it may have broken off (in which case it is unrepairable).

I would abandon the clock and buy a $5 electronic timer. If you think you may be too far to hear it, carry it with you. I assume you don't like these because most of them stop beeping after a minute or so. Sometimes I use the timer on my microwave oven. It beeps for a few seconds at first but then chirps every 15 seconds or so until it is cleared.

Now the descision is between modifying your habits or spending lots of money.

[trader-of-some-jacks]

Useful information. Thanks.

The model is a GE (something like) JPM22-02 (tough to read). The only clocks for it I find on parts sites are roughly $95 for a digital and $135 for an analog. Crazy!

Yeah, the $5 kitchen timer sounds like the route I'll be going!

[mm]

I have a Kenmore stove from 1979, one year later than the op's. I haven't seen it's clock from the back, but I have seen a lot of alarm clocks. I wonder if some stove clocks arent' like them, with only one stop. I guess the alternation of the current, or not,t makes the piece of metal vibrate. It uses the winding that runs the clock to vibrate the metal. And sometimes the metal just needs to be bent a little to start working again. I could never fgure out a rule for which direction, so I tried both. :)

I came across a mechanical timer, in a traditionalk white case with a knob,, for my mother, about 10 yearsa go, that was labelled "Long ringing." Yeah, like you say, you can take it with you.

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