KitchenAid oven door gasket replacement

[JackH]

I purchased a new door gasket (3178580) for a KitchenAid (Whirpool-made) double oven unit (KEBS277SBL1), and now realize that I don't know how the thing is supposed to go in... or how the old is supposed to come out, either.

The gasket is attached to a metal rod, and it looks like it's held in place by a retainer at the bottom -- or at least this is the only fastener. Removing this retainer doesn't free the gasket, however. Is it just a friction fit, and am I supposed to wiggle/bend/cajole, etc. it out, or does this require additional disassembly?

Thanks in advance...

[JackH]

Guess I'll answer this myself... maybe it will help someone out in the future.

It is a friction fit, but I had to loosen the front frame to remove it. It might be possible to get it out without doing this, but it would be quite difficult -- the metal rod to which the gasket is attached has to slip between the frame and the oven liner, and it's an awfully tight squeeze with the frame in place.

The frame came out by removing three screws on the top, five on the bottom, and the wood screws that hold the oven in the cabinet. All I had to do was tip the frame out, then swap the gaskets and reverse the process to re-attach the frame.

One thing to note here... the gasket design apparently had changed since the original. The gasket material in the new one has a gap in the bottom which is wider than the original retainer. This meant I had to get a new retainer, too. Wish I'd known that when I ordered the gasket.