GE WB2X9998 Flat Oven Ignitor

by General Electric

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

General Electric WB2X9998 Flat Oven Ignitor is common to gas ranges and ovens made by GE and other brands. This is a genuine GE factory part and comes with GE's 1 year warranty.

Product Description

This gas oven ignitor (bake ignitor) will replace most rectangular ignitors including the 12400035 Maytag ignitor and the GR412 Gemline number.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B003BIGDEU
• Item model number: WB2X9998
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,396 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #2 in Home Improvement > Appliances > Large Appliance Accessories > Oven Parts & Accessories

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to install and worked perfectly., January 18, 2011

By 

T. Ng - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GE WB2X9998 Flat Oven Ignitor (Tools & Home Improvement)

When my GE oven would not turn on this past Sunday night, I needed a quick replacement. I knew nothing about ovens, but I dreaded calling for a technician. A little internet research showed that my ignitor was likely the culprit. After identifying my original ignitor as a Norton 501A, I found this product on Amazon. As others have mentioned, this is an genuine Norton 501A GE replacement part. After replacing the ignitor, the oven worked perfectly and the flames came on within a minute. I had everything up and working by Tuesday. It was a very simple repair and only requires a screwdriver (to unmount/mount the ignitor) and a set of pliers (to cut, strip and splice the wires). Here's a few notes for others who may have never had experience with this type of repair.

- You may notice that no gas flows and believe it's an issue with gas and not an issue with the ignitor. But the gas valve is connected in series with the ignitor. If the current through the ignitor is not sufficient, the gas valve will not turn on. This is a safety feature that prevents gas build-up without an ignition source. This means that if your ignitor does not glow or only glows dimly, the current will not be sufficient to release gas.
- You can measure the current if you have a current clamp or if you can insert an ammeter in series with your circuit. But do this only if you absolutely know what you are doing, as it requires a live current and, remember, you are working in an oven! A working ignitor will draw around 3.2 amps. If you don't have one, don't worry. Just replace the ignitor anyway as it's the most likely point of failure in many cases and is cheap to replace.
- Flat/square ignitors (like this one, with the metal rectangular cage) are generally not compatible with the round ignitors. They draw different currents. Make sure to get the right type. Brands generally don't matter, as most square ignitors draw the same current, but my vary slightly in size. This happens to be the cheapest one I could find.
- Your old ignitor may have come with a plastic plug at the end. This model (GE WB2X9998) is a bare wire at the end and comes with 2 ceramic wire nuts. The easiest way to use this is to cut the plug off the old ignitor and splice it onto the new ignitor. Wire polarity is not an issue. If you are not comfortable with this, you may want to look into GE WB13K21, which has a plug.
- The current photo doesn't show it, but there are mounting tabs (for the two screws that will hold the ignitor in place) coming from both sides. Just bend down the side you don't need.
- When you remove your old ignitor, don't throw away the screws. This does not come with screws.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cheap, fairly easy fix., December 12, 2010

By 

Iamaguy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GE WB2X9998 Flat Oven Ignitor (Tools & Home Improvement)

Our Maytag oven had been working erratically for a while. After you set the baking temperature it would take several minutes for the burner to light, then as long as 45 minutes to pre-heat. While the burner was on, you could hear it pulsing, (Hiss.. Hiss.. Hiss.. Hiss.. etc). After talking with a local appliance repair man, we determined the ignitor was the problem. He said the part would cost $75-80. I thought this seemed expensive. [...] wanted $45 for an OEM part. The GE ignitor seemed like it was worth a shot for $18 with shipping. All I needed was a screwdriver to remove the old ignitor and a panel, and a pair of wire strippers to cut the plug off the old ignitor and splice it to the new. Within 15 minutes I was finished and our oven works great. If you have some mechanical ability, this is a definite do-it-yourself job.

12/6/2011 Update.

Almost a year after installing this, our oven still works great!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fits the Thermador cooktop grill!, August 30, 2011

By 

Dallas Dude (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: GE WB2X9998 Flat Oven Ignitor (Tools & Home Improvement)

The gas ignitor quit working on my Thermador cooktop grill which after doing a little research was easy to replace. When I found out the cost of the Thermador replacement ignitor I almost fell over which prompted me to search for a alternative. When I found this ignitor it looked like a match so I bought it. It's about a 1/4 inch shorter, but other than that it's the same. I popped it in and it works great! There isn't any noticeable difference in the way that it operates and the GE is a 10th the price! More money in my pocket to buy steaks for the grill! I've been using it for a couple months and it works great!