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It's the thermostat. The stem that the oven knob attaches to comes out of the thermostat. A replacement thermostat will have a heat sensor wired to it. The heat sensor is the thing on the roof of the oven compartment that looks like a sparkler, originally attached by clips, now hanging free, waiting to be damaged. GE ranges that I have to maintain have the control knobs in front of the burners. They open like this: Remove both front elements and drip bowls; loosen or remove the bolts that thread toward the front of the stove; raise the front of the stove top (back is hinged with tabs in slots) and prop it up with something about 12" long. Your stove may use a different arrangement, but this would be a reasonable way to start. I figured out the GE system myself, so you shouldn't expect to have any trouble with yours. If the oven control is on the "dashboard" behind the burners, you have to remove something in back to get at it. The thermostat has a threaded shaft at the base of the knob stem. Pull off the knob, undo the nut, and pull the thermostat away from the sheet metal. Be ready to take some good notes or to make a sketch about which wires attach where. I wasn't too impressed with the thinking behind GE's system; three of the six wires that attached to the thermostat were orange. I made what I thought was an informative sketch, then held the new thermostat by the old one and studied the wiring pattern for a few minutes before disconnecting the old one. As soon as I started putting the new one in, I found a couple of places where I might have taken better notes. If the replacement unit has illustrated instructions, study them against the existing configuration until they make sense before you take anything apart. You'll really appreciate getting it right the first time. Good luck, Stan
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