troubleshooting a propane range oven pilot

[geoffash]

So...this isn't really an RV specific question, as I've turned my TT into essentially a permanent tiny home, but I figured this was a good a place as any for a general knowledge base on propane appliances.

I swapped in an older model 20" Danby range - D545 W - which I cannot find any info for online, except for a handwritten pdf parts list. Called Danby, they were no help.

It's completely propane, no electrical connections.
The issue I'm having is that the oven has become very finicky, which I've narrowed down to either an issue with the heater pilot or the oven control dial itself.
It used to be that when I turned the dial to "oven", the heater pilot would engage to heat the thermocouple, so I'd leave it there for a minute or so, turn it to the desired temp and the oven burner would light.
Now the heater pilot doesn't engage until the oven dial is turned to 170, then the burner won't light unless the dial is then turned up to "Broil", and takes about 5 min.

The heater pilot is definitely not hitting the end of the thermocouple in it's current setting.

By turning the only adjustment screw I can find (on the oven dial mechanism) I can turn up the heater pilot, and the oven lights within 30s which leads me to believe the thermocouple itself is fine. However...I can't find a setting on that screw which will increase the burner pilot without the standing pilot going out once the oven is turned off. Some pics of the oven dial and mechanism, and pilot assembly. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks


https://drive.google.com/file/d/14EyRVGgjVUH9oZwqO-7f-f25yQGOBrC9/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18FZzZtLQy82XP8KGkShWfRl5qwfSnudz/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jO4PpzzA7aTQgEquYBeJpqRlaAbo5GVd/view?usp=sharing

[geoffash]

I also might just need to adjust the pilot more. To get it off from the wall enough to work through the back, I can't connect the gas...so I have to adjust it, hook it back up, turn gas back on, test, then reverse and repeat...so that got old fast and I ran out of patience. 🙂

[geoffash]

Finally got a chance to pull it off the wall, cleaned and adjusted, and the normal pilot difinitely seems better, but still having the same issue where the burner pilot doesn't engage until the oven thermostat is turned up to 200ish, and is still taking a long time to actually light the burner.
So that plate thing could be the culprit of why it takes so long for the burner to actually fire. I didn't move it but the stove is second-hand so it could have been I guess. I'll have to pull it out again and see if I can adjust the position. I still can't figure out why the burner pilot isn't coming on now until the oven thermostat is turned up to 200ish.

Ironically, turning that adjuster for LP or NG fixes the issue with oven...by making the burner pilot much larger. It doesn't seem to have any other negative effect, the main pilots are all the same, top burners run the same, oven burner pilot engages and lights the burner when it needs to heat up, and shuts off once up to temp. I ran it like that for a few days just to see (keeping an eye on everything), and it also seems like the oven comes up to temp a lot faster than it did. Which I guess makes sense if the unit is supplying more gas?

[Old-Biscuit]

Bessie-Hunter wrote:
The screw your turning converts the pilot setting from Nat gas to LP. Leave it on LP. Disassemble the pilot assembly and clean the orifice and the entire pilot assembly. The screw on the pilot line on the back side of the valve is the adjustment for the high pilot adjustment.

Totally agree^^^^^^^^^^

One other point
That 'spreader plate assembly' for pilot flame...it appears to be pointing pilot flame onto 'barrel' of thermocouple not the tip and in that position is short of the pilot flame ignition slot for main burner flame

Has it been moved...can it be moved???

[Bessie-Hunter]

The screw your turning converts the pilot setting from Nat gas to LP. Leave it on LP. Disassemble the pilot assembly and clean the orifice and the entire pilot assembly. The screw on the pilot line on the back side of the valve is the adjustment for the high pilot adjustment.