Top fridge will not keep cold,and no air flow is present when compressor is running.The bottom freezer chest stays cold. I cleaned the coils....what should I try next?

Some older upright freezers and all chest freezers are hot to touch on exterior surfaces since imbedded coils dump heat outside to keep inside cold. Be sure space is enough to allow air flow. 6" is minimum clearence. Newer upright freezers use blowers over hot side coils in bottom to get rid of heat. Similar to newer refrigerators.

http://www.partselect.com/Schematics/GE/00113789i02.gif
look at number 304. Ice more than likely has formed and not letting air flow from the freezer to the fridge.

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jason_4570d45317834dd3

try changing the control with the letters. that controls how much cold air flows from freeze to ref. try that. ok

Hi,

Many times a freezer and/or refrigeratordo not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...there are also many otherthings that can go wrong. If you are hearing a clicking or buzzing then check out thelast two tips.

If your refrigerator is running but warm, then...

Check out this tip that I wrote about that... it is a great place to starttrouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then callinga repair person to do a simple thing for you...

Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Refrigerator Repair

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay
Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

This sounds like an air flow issue, If your freezer fan is running still you may have a defrost problem starting in the freezer cooling coils. This will cause the cold from the freezer to back flow into the bottom of the fridge and only the lower half of the freezer to keep very cold.
Most likely culprit for defrost issues would be the terminating thermostat (inside freezer behind back wall and clips to top of coils).
Good luck and let me know if you need more help!

if the freezer is getting cold the problem is due to the cold air from the freezer not getting into the refrigerator. There are several things that can cause this problem. The coils in the freezer icing up and not defrosting properly is one of the things that can cause the refrigerator not to get cold enough. Another problem is the fan that blows the cold air from the freezer compartment into the refrigerator, not working. When the compressor is running open the refrigerator's door and push the switch that makes the light go out. You should hear the fan blowing the cold air from the freezer into the refrigerator, when this switch is pushed in. If the fan is working then you will need to find what is blocking the air flow. Iced up coils are a common problem. The icing problem can be due to a defective defrost timer or something defective in the defrost circuit. Click here for more information. Check for these problems and let me know what you have found.
REFRIGERATOR TROUBLESHOOTING
#1 Refrigerator side getting warm Freezer still cold
Evaporator fan motor not running.
Defective defrost timer. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Defrost heater defective. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Defrost thermostat defective. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Airflow blocked from freezer compartment.
Freezer control turned to "coldest" setting blocking air flow to refrigerator side. On most refrigerator/freezers, the freezer control closes a baffle when turned to coldest setting, and this blocks off the air flow to the fresh food compartment.
Fan blade broken.
Defective door switch on older models.
Light staying on with door closed.
2 Refrigerator & freezer compartments both are getting warm
Make sure refrigerator is plugged in and has power.
Condenser fan motor on bottom under refrigerator not running.
Condenser coil clogged.
Defective defrost timer. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Defective defrost heater. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Defective defrost thermostat. See Defrost Diagnosis Procedure
Evaporator fan motor not running.
Cold control defective.
Compressor overload defective.
Compressor relay defective.
Light staying on with door closed.
Compressor defective.
Low on refrigerant. #3 Freezer compartment getting hot.
Defrost timer stuck in defrost cycle.(replace)
Defrost thermostat stuck.(replace)
Ice maker stuck in harvest cycle
Light staying on with door closed. 4 Ice maker not making ice
Defective inlet water valve.
Freezer temperature not cold enough. (see problem # 2 & 3 above)
Defective thermostat in ice maker.
Defective drive motor.
Water inlet tube clogged with ice.
Defective module in newer style icemaker. 5 Refrigerator sweating around door edges
Door gaskets leaking air.
Defective case heaters.
Energy saver switch not set to reduce exterior moisture
also if require more help click the link http://www.applianceaid.com/refrigerator.html please do rate the solution .thanks in advance.thank you for using fixya.

Sounds like you're low on gas...assuming that the condenser coils are clean.

IF THE COMPRESSOR IS COMING ON AND OFF IN A MATTER OF SECONDS, YOU MAY HAVE A BAD START DEVICE(RELAY) ON THE COMPRESSOR. IF THE COMPRESSOR RUNS FOR FIVE MINUTES OR MORE, CHECK THE FAN NEAR THE COMPRESSOR AND THE COILS
UNDER THE REFRIGERATOR. IF THINGS SEEM EXTREMELY
HOT, CLEAN THE COILS AND MAKE SURE THE FAN IS RUNNING. IF IT IS ALL O.K. YOU MAY HAVE A LEAK IN THE SEALED SYSTEM( TUBING WHERE THE FREON FLOWS).
THAT WOULD REQUIRE A CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN LICENSED TO HANDLE FREON TO MAKE REPAIRS.

Sounds like there's an airflow problem to the top section. Things that cause no cold air to the top fridge section are... frozen up coils completely blocking most of air flow (defrost cycle not working), evap fan not working to blow air up to fridge, air control dampers in fridge closed or not working properly, or frozen air ducts supply/return. Pull the whole drawer out the bottom and take the rear inside back off to expose the coils. If they are frozen solid the defrost t-stat or defrost timer could be bad (heat element not usually bad). If there is a nice white frost all over evenly then that's OK. Check that the fan is running when the compressor is running to blow the air up and that there are no blocked air ducts, etc. If all that is good, check if you can feel good air flow from the upper vents with the lower door closed (that shows there is no blockage and the fan is running).

You likely have a defrost cycle failure. The freezer's cooling coils need to be frosty and cold so the air that the fan pulls over them can cool the fridge section. If the defrost cycle fails, the coils freeze up to a block of ice and air flow suffers (fridge is about 55 degrees F). The freezer stays cold only because there's a block of ice in there now... sometimes that cold "sinks" to the bottom and only the food at the bottom stays frozen (and can even freeze food at the bottom of the fridge compartment while the rest is warm). To be sure, you'll need to take the rear interior panel off the freezer back wall and check the coils to see if they are frozen solid. If they are then there's a defrost cycle failure. If they are showing a nice white frosty pattern evenly all over the coils then that's normal and maybe the evap fan (right above the coils) is not blowing air up properly or is not working at all. That fan should run if the compressor is running, etc. the only time it doesn't run is during an actual defrost cycle. Once you find out what condition the coils are in it should be simple to direct you further on the problem.