I have a whirlpool RF315PXKQ0 range/oven I was cooking on the back right burner and there was a LOUD POP as obviously the element shorted out and the circuit for the range tripped. Disconnected and reconnected everything and threw the circuit breaker to ON and it stayed on OK. All burners, oven, broiler, and oven light and timer work fine. BUT the 'surface heating' light on the console--which normally would be lit if either a burner is turned on or if the oven is pre-heating--stays lit no matter what. We have turned everything on and off and can prove that none of the units are in fact heating, but the light staying on worries me, Any repairmen out there have a clue as to what's wrong?

The burner control has a light control circuit that makes contact when the burner is turned on. The loud pop as you call it might have caused the control to short out internally so the light stays lit. The control might work OK for controlling the burner but the light circuit in the burner control is defective. If you are any good with electric you might try disconnecting the Surface heating light wire from the control for the burner that went POP. That should stop the light from working through that control and will answer the question (Is that part bad?)