The oven relay on my viking electric oven is overheating-

@quixote ,

Overheating is a sign of excessive current flow in the wiring.

If the insulation on the wiring is getting hot to the point of melting, trace where the wires are going to, to get an idea of what component is connected to it. e.g. if it is to the element it may have less resistance than it should due to a fault etc.

What is the exact model date information as looking at the parts list there are several VDSC367 models but the exact date seems to be the difference for 2006

Thanks all- I will try again with a new relay, good idea to check amps - could it vary within the part number? There are three overheating wires, so much so that I will have to re crimp new connectors- electrical tape on them has baked on . The two in back of the relay presumably power the stove ignitor and fan and they are fine, the bake coil and the and the broiler element are all in play as culprits here. When I take off the control panel all wires are clean- the dial for temp though seems very loose, could this be the problem?. Adding up al the repairs for this would put me in contention for a new oven- and put me out of my misery - what do you think?

@quixote ,

The loose connection on the temp dial may be a factor. If the control doesn't know what the set temp is then it may, stress may, keep heating the elements up not knowing when to stop until something gives, perhaps a hi temp thermostat cut out may come into play to prevent any disasters from happening. I'm not sure that this is how it works though. Just my thinking..

You can only try to ensure that the connection is secure. Assuming it is a push on type connector onto a blade then ensure that the blade connector is clean and bright and shiny and also the the cable connector is the same and then crimp it so that it is a tight fit.

Then try it and see what happens.

Other than that the decision to replace is up to you.

It may be that the problem has caused more problems in the oven such as deteriorated wiring insulation due to the excessive heat etc which may, again stress may, come into play in the future but maybe not.

@jayeff,

Well reasoned- I will investigate the dial end of things and give it another go- Thank you so much

I cleaned up all connectors on the relay end and investigated the dial and control panel for any signs of wear- turned oven on and it was fine for about 10 minutes and then then three wires on the relay end were hot to the touch. Does not seem to have the same issues when on broil- which leads me to the question: could the bake element be creating that condition even though it functions? Hate to go down the rabbit hole of replacing parts two hundred at a time and have no better result? Appreciate some feedback as to what could be causing this- thanks all

John