On the covered Kenmore 790 model manual-cleaning and self-cleaning wall oven, F3 means Kenmore's service table lists this code as: oven temperature sensor failure. Switch off the breaker, let the oven cool and measure the sensor with a multimeter. Look at the wire where it leaves the cavity and straighten any pinch.
Differential
Likely causes of “Kenmore 790 model manual-cleaning and self-cleaning wall oven code F3”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
The oven temperature sensor in the wall oven cavity has drifted or failed
What separates it F3 appears and the oven overshoots, undershoots or will not heat
How to confirm Switch off the breaker, let the oven cool and measure the sensor with a multimeter
- 2
A sensor wire that is pinched where it leaves the cavity
What separates it The wire passes through the back wall and was squeezed during installation or service
How to confirm Look at the wire where it leaves the cavity and straighten any pinch
- 3
A connector that has overheated behind the oven
What separates it The plug is discolored
How to confirm Replace the connector or the harness
- 4
A harness with a hidden break
What separates it The sensor tests well but the control reads it wrongly
How to confirm Measure the circuit at the control board
- 5
A control board that fails to read a good sensor
What separates it The circuit reads about 1,080 ohms and F3 stays
How to confirm The electronic oven control board is replaced
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- That the display reads F3 and which cavity of a double wall oven it was in
- Whether the wall oven heats, and how far the thermometer reading is from the display
- The resistance at the sensor and at the control board if you measured them
- The model number from the oven frame
Try in this order
0 of 10 completedCorrect only the documented fault domain
ReversibleSwitch the wall oven off at its breaker, since a built-in oven usually has no plug. With a multimeter, read the resistance of the oven temperature sensor circuit at the electronic oven control board; a healthy circuit reads around 1,080 ohms in a cool room. A reading more than 200 ohms away sends you to the sensor's own connector: measure there and replace the sensor if that reading is also more than 200 ohms off. A sensor that measures well at its connector while the board end does not points to the wire harness, which is replaced. If the board end reads correctly and the code stays, the electronic oven control board is not detecting the sensor accurately and is replaced last.
Switch off the breaker and let the cavity cool
ReversibleA wall oven usually has no plug, so the breaker is your disconnect. Wait until the cavity is cold before you reach in.
Measure at the sensor connector
ReversibleA healthy sensor reads around 1,080 ohms at room temperature. More than 200 ohms away means the sensor is replaced.
Follow the wire to the control board
ReversibleIf the sensor is sound, compare the circuit reading at the board. A difference between the two ends means a damaged harness, and a matching good reading points to the board.
Switch off the breaker and let the oven cool
ReversibleThe wall oven is hard-wired, so the breaker is the only safe disconnect. Wait until the cavity is cold before you reach in.
Find the probe at the back of the cavity
ReversibleRemove the racks and look at the sensor probe on the back wall. It should be straight and clear of the wall, with no residue on its tip.
Measure the sensor's resistance
ReversibleSet a multimeter to ohms and measure at the sensor's connector. About 1,080 ohms at room temperature is healthy, and a reading more than 200 ohms away means the sensor has failed.
Follow the wire to the control board
ReversibleIf the sensor is good, measure the circuit at the control board end. A different reading at the board means that the harness has a break or a bad connection.
Replace the failed part
ReversibleReplace the sensor, the harness or the control board in that order, according to which test fails, and refit the racks.
Verify with a thermometer
ReversibleBake at 350 degrees with an oven thermometer on the middle rack and compare it with the display after twenty minutes.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- A wall oven sensor in a cabinet
- The sensor wire in a wall oven runs through the back of the cavity and then along the cabinet to the control board. A wall oven that was slid into a tight cabinet can have this wire pinched against the cabinet or the cavity wall, which is a classic cause of an intermittent F3 on a newly installed oven.
- Reading the resistance
- The sensor is a resistance thermometer, so its resistance rises as it warms. At room temperature it should read about 1,080 ohms. Measuring it cold, with the breaker off, gives you a clean reference that you can compare with the table.
- Double ovens
- On a double wall oven, each cavity has its own sensor and its own display. Note which cavity showed F3, since the sensor and the wiring are separate, and a fault in one does not affect the other.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !A built-in wall oven is hard-wired, so switch off its breaker before any wiring is touched
- !Do not bake while the wall oven's sensor reading is wrong
- !A built-in wall oven is hard-wired, so ask an electrician or a technician to do the work if you are not confident
- !Do not bake while the temperature reading is wrong, since the oven cannot regulate itself
- !Switch off the breaker before anyone touches the sensor wiring
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Where the manufacturer's article stops. The 1,080 ohm reading and the 200 ohm tolerance are chart text for the wall oven.
Exact questions
Common questions
What does F3 mean on a Kenmore 790 model manual-cleaning and self-cleaning wall oven?+
Kenmore's service table lists this code as: oven temperature sensor failure.
Why switch off at the breaker?+
A built-in oven is hard-wired and has no plug to pull.
What resistance should the sensor have?+
About 1,080 ohms at room temperature, within 200 ohms either way.
Why does a wall oven need the breaker off?+
Because it is hard-wired and has no plug, so the breaker is the only way to cut the power.
Which cavity does it refer to?+
On a double wall oven, the cavity whose display shows the code.
Can the lower oven work while the upper shows F3?+
Often yes, since each cavity has its own sensor, but follow the manual.