Kenmore Refrigerator Warm, Freezer Cold

[dmayou]

As the title says, the freezer is ice cold, and the fridge won't get below about 45 degrees. I can make ice in the freezer, but my beer in the fridge is warm.

There is NO ice buildup in the freezer. I've had that happen many times, but there is no ice there this time. The fins are very clean and the internal drip pan and drain hole are clear. The two air return holes between the fridge and freezer are open. I can put my fingers through from either side.

The condenser fan is blowing, and the passage to the fridge seems to be open. To be sure, I poured a pint of hot water down it to be sure into a pile of rags I put in the fridge. A temp probe at the fridge end of that outlet reads about 10 degrees. Cold air is getting there. I even removed the plastic damper just to be sure.

I've cycled the defrost timer just to be sure. I can get the heater to go on (steaming) with the fan off, and then back to cooling. I don't think that this is a problem unless I really don't understand my refrigerator since the freezer has been ice cold the whole time.

The only puzzle for me (other than that the fridge is warm) is that the front midsection of the crossbar between the fridge and freezer is warm to the touch. What function (or junction) is there? Is there another defroster somewhere in the fridge?

Can someone tell me what I am missing? Thanks.

[dmayou]

Forgot to add that it's Kenmore model 106.60282990 with freezer on top.

[SANTA]

The fan in the freezer is the evaporator fan. Is that the one that's blowing? The fan located down by the compressor is the condenser fan. The crossbar is the mullion and has a heater in it to prevent moisture buildup. If the condenser fan isn't blowing or the condenser coils are clogged with hair, lint and dirt the mullion will be extra warm and affect the cooling of the refrigerator. It's also possible that the light in the frig is staying on when you close the door or maybe the thermostat is faulty causing the frig to not run long enough.

[Lighthouse]

As Santa said: check condenser fan & clean the coils. See if the light is staying on with the door shut. Light can be check by putting your phone on video, putting it in fridge & shutting door for a few seconds then watch video.

If all that checks out then you evaporator fan may not be turning fast enough.

[dmayou]

Yes, it is the evaporator fan that is blowing, thanks.

I verified that the lights are turning off.

I put the defrost timer into defrost and let it get out of the cycle on its own, and now the temperature goes down to 37 degrees. There must have been something that wasn't defrosted, but I couldn't tell you where; every place that I know of was completely free of ice or gunk.

This implied to me that the defrost timer may not be advancing or was intermittent. The plastic case was opaque, so I couldn't observer if it moved or not. I bought a new timer, the universal kind with the extra wire and clear top. (The only difference is that most come with poor instructions, but mine came with none. I think I have it hooked up right.) I think it started in defrost because the compressor didn't turn on immediately, but I came back later and it was cooling.

When I put the new defrost timer in, I also went around back and cleaned out around the condenser fan, etc. It wasn't blocked or really that dirty, really.

So, thanks for your answers above.

Two questions:

- if my refrigerator has a mullion heater, why doesn't it show up on wiring diagram or parts lists?

- why would the operation of the condenser fan or the cleanliness of coils affect the operation of the mullion heater?

Thanks again.

[certified tech group 51]

The mullion heater is located in the stile, the wall inbetween the freezer and the fresh food sections...It is located there to keep the stile from "sweating".. I. E.  the difference in temperatures...One of a decent technicians diagnostic tools...(Kinda like when a doctor tells you to turn your head and cough)......When I get the model number, when I lean in, rest my arm on the stile....Hot, warm, cool......Each will tell the technician  of the sealed system condition.......I have leaned my arm on a stile and almost got a tattoo from the stile being so hot....You know to go directly to the condenser motor....If cool, go to the evaporator coil......Non replaceable  part....But I do like Frigidaire's repair...Remove from sealed system   and run a wire heater in thru the mullion loop.....