Closing a toaster oven door is important, but we need to open it whenever we want to place something in its rack for preparation. If your Oster toaster oven door won’t open all the way, you cannot use it until its door will start working fine again.
However, fixing this issue is not hard when you know what causes it and how you can fix it. It is a rare problem that can occur in old and new units.
The roller guide of your Oster toaster oven is dealing with a problem that prevents it from opening. Sometimes hinges also face rust and lack of lubricant in their rotating parts which make them tight and lose their smoothness. You may have to open the left side cover to check if the breaker is working and if the hinges seem fine.
Let’s understand what you should do to fix the Oster toaster oven door not opening problem.
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Why won’t the Oster Toaster Oven Door Open All the Way?
If the toaster oven door is not opening, there is a hardware-related issue. As Oster toaster ovens can come in different designs and door mechanisms, they may have unique door systems.
It means depending on your Oster toaster oven, the problem may be created by a spring or roller guide. Because their toaster oven models have different door mechanisms, some have spring+clip parts to open and close doors and some have roller guides without springs. There could be one or another cause for this problem. Let’s see what causes it.
- Choked roller guide parts:
You may not know what a roller guide is in a toaster oven as it is a hidden part located under the left side cover of the toaster oven. It helps the door to be closed and opened properly.
If you have an old Oster toaster oven, this issue may have been because of choked roller guides.
Technically, when the metal roller guide becomes too old, it creates rust on it and once the rust develops stops much it makes the roller guide choke. In case your unit is new, this is not the cause of this door problem in your toaster oven.
- Something is lost in the roller guide mechanism:
The roller guide has properly engineered machines that allow it to move forward and back. It contains metal clips and some screws that hold it in its place.
If any of its parts is not working fine and is loose, it can prevent the roller guide main clip from moving all the way. Technically, you cannot look at this part as it is invisible from the outer side. You can check it by disassembling the left side cover of your unit.
- Hinges need to be lubricated:
Lubricant on hinges and all door moving parts is necessary. We have seen many people who fixed unopened doors by just applying lubricant on the door hinges.
Don’t use oil or grease as these may be flammable. Non-flammable silicone spray is used by companies to lubricate the hinges of heat-generating appliances.
When we use an appliance for years, its door hinges can lose lubricant on them because of enough use. However, it is quite simple to lubricate toaster oven door hinges.
- Something is preventing the spring clip to move:
We found a door problem in mostly Oster toaster oven TSSTTVXLDG-002 models. A toaster oven can also come without a roller guide and has a spring mechanism for the door.
This spring contains a clip connected to it and the door. When you open the door this spring located on the left side cover expands its shape and when you close it, it covers in its original shape.
It also has a small metal clip down to it which maintains its flexibility. In case that clip gets stuck in the spring when it is in its original state, it will prevent the door from being opened. You can only access this spring after disassembling the cover.
How to Fix an Oster Toaster Oven Door that won’t Open?
We cannot guess what issue is causing the door problem in the Oster toaster oven. So we have to first disassemble the side cover of the toaster oven, where are the parts of the machine that help the door to open and close. This fixing procedure takes 15 to 20 minutes. Tools required are a screwdriver and a suitable lubricant to lubricate hinges.
Here’s the procedure to fix the toaster oven door that won’t open all the way:
- First, take the screwdriver and open the left side cover of the toaster oven. Now you have access to roller guides or springs that move the door forward and back.
- Keep an eye on the parts that move. You will now find some part that is the barrier between door movement. If it is a clip that is holding the machines to move, fix that. Just make it far from the moving machines.
- If the roller guides’ side clips have dust or rust, remove them. You should apply a small amount of lubricant on the roller guide moving part. If there is a spring machine, no need to lubricate them.
- In case you find the hinges are choked, you must clean them and apply a small amount of non-flammable silicone spray on the hinges of all the moving and rolling parts.
- After fixing the issue, reassemble all the parts back, and just do the steps in reverse. Now, the door starts to open. You can also follow the same producer if the Oster toaster door is not closing.