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Built-In Oven Fan Repair

Bob Jackson
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by Bob Jackson

Built-in oven fan repair by cleaning the clogged oven fan screen and install a new fan motor. This project is continued from How to Replace a Built-In Oven Fan.

Clogged Oven Fan Screen Causes Overheating

Important! The electricity was shutoff at the circuit breaker panel. Do not work on the oven if the electricity is On.

After the old and noisy electric oven fan was removed from my GE TrueTemp wall oven model #JTP27BA1BB, I got a good look at the fan screen and saw that it was almost completely clogged with dust and dirt after 10 plus years of service. The fan pulls air through the screen and the dirt is stuck to the far side.

GE Built-In Electric Oven Fan Repair: Clogged Fan Screen
GE Built-In Electric Oven Fan Repair: Clogged Fan Screen

The clogged fan screen could have been the root cause of the noisy oven fan motor. The fan motor couldn’t pull enough cool air causing it to overheat and wear out the motor bearings. The screen must be cleaned before installing the repair motor to prevent the control panel and new fan from overheating. I’m surprised the oven over-temperature safety shutdown didn’t activate with an F2 or F20 error code.

Clean the Oven Fan Screen

I tried cleaning the fan screen with an old toothbrush. Because the dirt is on the far side, I had to push the toothbrush bristles through the screen and wiggle it back and forth. I was making progress but it was slow and tedious work. I’m shining a high intensity flashlight through the screen here:

Cleaning a Wall Oven Clogged Fan Screen
Cleaning a Wall Oven Clogged Fan Screen

I thought there’s got to be a better way to clean the oven fan screen… with power tools! I grabbed my portable electric air compressor and attached the blow gun nozzle to blow the dirt off the screen. It worked great!

Clean the Oven Fan Screen: Air Compressor Blow Gun
Clean the Oven Fan Screen: Air Compressor Blow Gun

The oven fan screen is now so clean I can see the electrical conduit and cabinet wall through the screen. Note the red/orange color air compressor hose and blow gun nozzle at the left side of the photo:

Built-In Oven Fan Repair: Clean the Fan Screen
Built-In Oven Fan Repair: Clean the Fan Screen

Where did the dirt go? It fell in back of the cabinet with all the other dust bunnies.

If you don’t have a portable air compressor, try a compressed air duster as used for blowing dust off computer keyboards, cooling fans and such:

Install the New Oven Fan Motor

Additional photos of the old and new oven fan motor I ordered from AppliancePartsPros.com:

GE Oven Fan Assembly Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761) - Back View
GE Oven Fan Assembly Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761) – Back View

The new fan does not include the mounting bracket screws, so keep the screws from the old fan.

Side view of the fan motors:

GE Oven Fan Assembly Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761) - Side View
GE Oven Fan Assembly Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761) – Side View

A socket wrench extension is needed for clearance with the fan mounting bracket legs to set the fan screws. A simple trick to hold the screw in the socket is to wedge a piece of plastic (torn from the box shipping label) or tape:

Oven Fan Motor Install: Plastic in Socket to Hold the Fan Screw
Oven Fan Motor Install: Plastic in Socket to Hold the Fan Screw

The new oven fan is installed by:

  • Mount the fan to the control pan housing with the four screws from the old fan.
    Remember to orient the fan the same as the old unit; motor electric terminals are on the right in my case.
  • Reconnect the fan motor wires.
    Connect the colored wires to the fan identically as the old fan. It was much easier pressing-on the wire terminals compared to pulling them off the old motor. The fit is quite snug.
GE Oven Repair: New Fan Installed Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761)
GE Oven Repair: New Fan Installed Part # WB26K5061 (AP2024761)

Reinstall the Oven Control Panel

Check the oven control panel for any loose wires – most wire connections are the press-on type – then carefully set the panel back on the oven mounting tabs and reinstall the control panel screws. Do not force the panel – it will install easily if there are no obstructions and the alignment is correct. See Part 1 of this project for removing the control panel.

Turn on the Electricity

I turned on the two 40 Amp circuit breakers to restore power to the GE built-in oven. The clock was flashing and I reset the time. The oven light worked when I opened the door. I set the oven to 350 degrees F and waited for it to heat up. After 10 or 15 minutes the oven fan turned on… and it was quiet! What a difference compared to the rattling old fan.

Hope this project saves you money,

Bob Jackson

Built-In Electric Oven Fanclogged fan screenGE Oven JTP27BA1BBJTP27B0A1BBoven cooling fan
Bob Jackson
Bob Jackson
Technology product manager by day and a prolific handyman in the evenings and over the weekends. Bob was the founder of the original Handyman How To website and that tradition continues on this site with excellent new handyman content into the future.
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