Gas Stove Clicking But Not Lighting

Warning: If you smell gas coming from your gas appliance while it's shut off, turn off your gas supply immediately, open the windows or leave the house, and call a technician to inspect your gas supply.

Note: Wait for your appliance to cool down before working on it to avoid burns.

A quick check is to grab a utility lighter with a long neck and attempt to start your stove.

• If the stove doesn't start, then follow the steps directly below to troubleshoot.
• If the stove starts, jump to the spark igniter sections.

The cap can become misaligned during cleaning if it's bumped.

• Remove the grate, and then recenter the cap.
• Test ignition. If this worked, you're done troubleshooting.
• If not, you can check some more things below. Most of the checks aren't difficult, so don't be afraid to try.

Many times, cleaning will fix things. Take your time and clean things well. When water or other food debris gets under the cap, it can clog the burner and gas supply and prevent ignition. The gas supply is a tube with a small hole that feeds gas through the burner to the igniter.

• Remove the grate, and then remove the burner cap.
• Remove loose food debris, and scrub the burner clean. If the food is caked on, soak the affected parts in a vinegar and warm water solution. If you can remove the burner base do it before you clean it so you don't get moisture inside the bur
• While the burner cap and burner base are drying go on to the next item.

Inspect the gas supply. You'll have to remove fasteners on newer stoves to lift the burner base. The burner base has a hole that allows gas to flow to the igniter. If that hole is clogged, clear it with a paperclip.

• The gas supply feeds through the central hole under the base through a nozzle called a jet. There is a hole in the jet that can become clogged with grease. Use a sewing needle or thumbtack to clear the hole.
• Let the burner parts dry before reassembling.
• Test ignition
• If your stove still did not start go on to the next item.

If you can get your stove to start by using a lighter, then some part of the ignition system is the issue. To do this test, we recommend a long-reach lighter so you don't have your hand so close to the burner. Test each burner to see if there are problems on a given burner, and try to do so near where the spark electrode is located.

• Start by unplugging the oven from the wall and turning off the gas supply.
• Remove the burner cap, and then disconnect the burner base.
• Inspect wires connecting the range top to the burner head for any signs of damage, wear, and tear. Replace if damaged.

Another way to check for a faulty ignitor is by removing the burner cap and turning the control knob to the ignite position.

• The ignitor spark should be bluish-white. Check all of the burners in turn. If some have white sparks that's a good sign. If they all have yellow or orange sparks the spark module could be bad.
• A yellow or orange spark signals a problem.
  • Clean the ignitor electrodes where you see yellow or orange sparks.
  • If the spark doesn't improve, the ignitor electrode should be replaced.
  • If any spark electrode still is giving a weak spark after replacement, then replace the spark module.
  • If all of the sparks were yellow or orange, this suggests that the spark module should be replaced; it is likely failing.

If your stove isn't clicking at all, it's likely the ignition module or switch. If only one or two burners will not cause the spark to come on, check their respective switches.

• Locate your ignition switches, and grab a multimeter. Cycle the switch, and see if its resistance changes. Acceptable values are 0Ω (zero Ohm) when closed and OL (open loop) when open.
  • Some models will have all of the switches wired in parallel, which makes finding the faulty switch more challenging. You can connect your meter to the output of the switch string, and operate each switch in turn.
• You can try popping open the faulty switch, cleaning it, and giving the metal tab a slight bend to improve contact. Replace the switch if this fix fails. You may have to replace all the switches if they come as one harness.

Lastly, if your switches seem fine, consider inspecting and replacing the spark module.