Cooling coil in freezer compartment froze up

What is the model number of the unit?

this fan needs to run when the compressor runs,check fan blade for being jammed by ice if you have this much ice on back wall as ice will stall motor,if no fan there will be no cool air to refrige compartment also the defrost drain tray will fill with water then freeze over which in turn floods the freezer floor and refrige compartments cause it cannot drain to the pan in the bottom

Greetings,
The first thing to check is are all the fans running? there is one in the freezer and usually one in the rear compressor compartment...the next thing to check if fans are operating is: remove rear freezer panel and see if ice or frost is blocking the air thru the freezer coil...if there is ice blocking the airflow. defrost the coil using a hair dryer.. the fresh food section gets cold air from the freezer..its blown over into top of refrigeration via a fan...it goes thru a baffle into refrigerator...this baffle sometimes will not open...This is one place you check for air coming into refrigerator...so, check here also before you take it apart. there should be a noticable amount of airflow....if not, remove the cover and work a small wooden dowel or skewer into the slot and open the vent..this will allow air to go into refrig section...the skewer can be left in there to keep it working if this is it...getting back to a frosted evap...if it is froze up..there is a derfost problem and defrosting will give you temp service until you can get it repaired......Bruce Denton

There is likely a problem with the defrost circuit or cold air circulating fan (but could be a low freon charge or other problem). The freezer compartment has the cooling coil with defrost heater and a fan that pulls cold air from the freezer and blows it into the fresh food compartment; based on the setting of the thermostat in the fresh food compartment.

When the defrost heater fails, the area that the cooling coil is located in eventually turns into a solid block of frost and ice. It becomes impossible for air to be drawn across the cold coil, cooled and blown into the fresh food compartment. The result is a rising temperature in the fresh food compartment - and eventually in the freezer section, too. Since the fresh food compartment contains the thermostat and the temperature never gets low enough to satisfy it - the compressor runs non-stop. That is, until the defrost timer kicks in to shut it off for 20 minutes or so.

The first thing to do is to manually defrost the freezer by accessing the cooling coil after emptying the contents of the freezer. This can be a pain in the neck to remove racks, shelves, ice maker, etc. to get to the back wall of the freezer, behind which the cooling coil is found. If you expose the cooling coil and it is encased in frost and ice it is a problem with the defrost circuit. If it is not - the fan is suspect. If the fan spins, check for a blocked path between the fan and the fresh food compartment. Defrost by placing a heat source in the freezer or directing the output of a blow dryer at the coil. If you're unable to access the cooling coil, you can simply empty the freezer and defrost it with a heat source. it will take longer to melt all the frost and ice, but it will work.

If it is a defrost circuit problem, you'll need to check voltages and continuity on the defrost terminator & timer and defrost heating element, fans, etc. after completely thawing the ice & frost.

This job isn't a good first time DIY job due to the danger of freezing skin, etc. due to possible exposure to freon in the system and the tight spaces you'll be working in with live voltages. You might want to call a pro after you've defrosted or put up another fixya request if you decide to dig in on your own and need specific help with procedures, locating parts, wiring diagrams, etc.

I hope this was a good starting point to help you decide whether to go forward or not on your own. Good luck!

You may notice frost on the panel that covers the evaporator coil in the freezer. This is a tell tale sign of the coil being frozen up blocking air flow.
Inside the freezer compartment is where the evaporator coil is located. It is behind a cover that allows air to enter the bottom and then forced out the top by a small fan. You should be able to feel the air flow coming out the top. If no air flow the evaporator coil may be frozen and needs to be defrosted. There is a heater at the bottom of the coils which aids in this and may need to be replaced. A couple of screws usually holds the cover in place. Remove the cover and place a small fan in the door to aid in melting the ice. Do not apply heat of any kind ie hot water, blow dryer etc because this can over pressurize the coils and damage the system. The heater may look like a small light bulb. It can be checked with an ohm meter for continuity to see if it needs to be replaced.

There is likely a problem with the defrost circuit or fan (but could be a low freon charge or other problem). The freezer compartment has the cooling coil with defrost heater and a fan that pulls cold air from the freezer into the fresh food compartment, based on the setting of the thermostat in the fresh food compartment. Before you dig into that, you should vacuum the condensor coil to remove dirt and dust that always collects on it. It that solves it - you're done. Otherwise, continue.

When the defrost heater fails, the area that the coil is in turns into a solid block of frost and ice. It becomes impossible for air to be drawn across the cold coil, cooled and blown into the fresh food compartment. The result is a rising temperature in the fresh food compartment - and eventually in the freezer section, too. Since the fresh food compartment contains the thermostat and the temperature never gets low enough to satisfy it - the compressor runs non-stop. That is, until the defrost timer kicks in to shut it off for 20 minutes or so.

The first thing to do is to manually defrost the freezer by accessing the cooling coil after emptying the contents of the freezer. This can be a pain in the neck to remove racks, shelves, ice maker, etc. to get to the back wall of the freezer, behind which the coil is protected. If you expose the cooling coil and it is encased in frost and ice it is a problem with the defrost circuit. If it is not - the fan is suspect. If the fan spins, check for a blocked path between the fan and the fresh food compartment.

If it is a defrost circuit problem, you'll need to check voltages and continuity on the defrost terminator & timer and defrost heating element, fans, etc. after completely thawing the ice & frost. This job isn't a good first time DIY job due to the danger of freezing skin, etc. due to possible exposure to freon in the system and the tight spaces you'll be working in with live voltages. You might want to call a pro after you've defrosted or put up another fixya request if you decide to dig in on your own and need specific help with procedures, locating parts, wiring diagrams, etc.

I hope this was a good starting point to help you decide whether to go forward or not on your own. Good luck!

First, I think it’s important to know that the Ref side has no cooling coils, it’s basically a box and the cold air in the freezer is blown over by a fan through a channel into the Ref side. This channel has a door which regulates how much cold air goes through. You probably have two control knobs in the Ref side, one controls the temp with numbers 1-9, 9 being the coldest. This temp control tells the compressor how long to run. The other control is for that little door and it may have letters A-E, E being the coldest. If you set it on E (coldest) then this will close that little door and keep most the cold air in the freezer.

Now, why is that cold air not getting over to the Ref side?
1. The little door is not open.
check your control setting. You can't see the door but, you should be able to feel air coming through the channel on the Ref side.

2. The fan in the freezer is not working.
You can hear this fan running when you open the freezer.

3. The coils on the freezer side are clogged with ice which won't let the fan circulate the air over to the Ref side.
This is a failure of the defrost system which consist of the defrost timer, heater, and thermo disc.

Also, If you replaced the evaporator fan then you got a good look at the cooling coils. Look at these coils while it is running. There should be a light coat of frost on all the coils. If this frost line is only 3/4 or 1/2 or any amount less than full coverage of the coils then the system has a coolant leak.

Directly under these coils is the drain pan and drain hole in the middle. This area should be clear of any ice or debris.

If the frozen side is colder than normal and some extra frost is forming where the fan blows,and there is ice in the bottom of freezer compartment, and the cool side is not cool enough, their is a good possability the defrosting unit is not removing all the frost and ice . the defrosting unit has a timer (usually near thermostat) that turns off the cooling fan and compressor and turns on a small heater around the evaporator ( about 20 minutes every 2 days) (evaporaror is cold heat exchanger coil inside the back wall behind a cover near the recirculating fan0, the fan circulates air to both compartments through two small openings, if these openeing are closed by ice buildup cool air can not circulate to the cool side. cure 1. remove all food and leave fridge off for 24 hours with doors open (take precautions to ensure children can't get locked in side and suffocate, if you get a qt of water in bottom of unit (may leak on floor) ice buildup that the defrost heater can not remove melted and was your problem . turn frig on replace food on unit. cure 2. turn frig off, remove food from both sides, remove shelves that block access to evaporator, remove cover over evaporator if you see the evaporator coils free of ice look at openings (2) to other side, one may be blocked with ice the other with frost, carefully melt ice with hair dryer.
If the evaporator coil is solid ice heater or timer or fan has failed. good luck

If you have determined that the evaporator fan in back of the freezer compartment is running, then you might have a stuck or broken air diffuser. The diffuser acts like a damper to divert air into the refrigerator compartment. Sometimes they jam or break due to frost buildup.

the unit is loosing the freon supply to the evaporator.you either have a leakage,a blockage or the compressor is not pumping to full capacity.