Frigidaire S XS wont' cool freezer or fridge. Condesor fan is moving, coils are clear and frost on back of freezer door. how do i determine what is going wrong?

Fan in freezer working? Any frost build up on inside back freezer wall?

Remember that most all refrigerators only have cooling to the freezer... the refrigerator depends on stealing some of that cold to be cool, so here's my top 3 guesses...
Cause 1 The defrost heater is defective, so frost accumulates on the evaporator coils, and the coils will become plugged with frost causing the airflow through the coils to be restricted, and the refrigerator not to cool. Check the evaporator coils to determine if they are frosted over. If the evaporator coils are frosted over, test each component of the defrost system after clearing any restrictions to the cooling fan and defrosting with a hair dryer.
Cause 2
The evaporator fan motor draws cold air over the evaporator coils and circulates it throughout the freezer. If the evaporator fan is not working, the freezer or refrigerator will not cool adequately. To determine if the evaporator fan motor is defective, try turning the fan blade by hand. If the fan blade does not turn freely, bench test it for function and use a multimeter to test the motor windings for continuity. If the windings do not have continuity, (very odd) replace the evaporator fan motor.
Cause 3
Damper Control Assembly The air damper control opens and closes to let the proper amount of cold air into the refrigerator compartment. If the damper does not open properly, it won't let enough cold air into the refrigerator. Check the damper control to determine if it is broken or stuck closed or that an inadvertent bump has shut it off to the refrigerator compartment

Depending how long the power was off you may have an ice blockage in the freezer. Normal cooling causes the freezer coils to build up frost and snow coating all over the coils. A normal defrost cycle melts that frost/snow off and keeps the coils clear so the fans can move air through the coils.During the power outage the frost may have started to melt wetting the snow. If the refrigerator then came on and re-froze the wet frost/snow into a solid block of ice, the normal defrost cycle would not be able to clear that solid ice out. So it may be blocking the air flow. Remove freezer back panel and see if there is ice back there. If yes--use something like a hair dryer to melt everything out until it is completely clear. Make sure the fans are running also.

Good day to you sir John,


A refrigerator or freezer that doesn't cool well enough may have a problem with its evaporator coils, condenser, or condenser fan motor. Frost build-up on evaporator coils, or condenser coils that are covered with dirt, dust, or lint can reduce how well a refrigerator can cool. If you notice ice getting thicker on the inside walls, inside bottom, or inside ceiling of the freezer, you have what is called a frost build-up. The problem is either with warm, moist air getting in through an old inefficient door gasket or the defrost system. Self-defrosting refrigerators have coils and a cooling fan that need to be cleaned regularly. If the coils get coated with any contaminants, they may not cool the refrigerator properly. The coils are usually thin and black and they go through fins that dissipate heat, just like a car's radiator. They are located behind the lower kick-panel or on the back of the refrigerator. To clean them, turn the power off and use this condenser coil cleaning brush, or this condenser coil cleaning brush, and your vacuum cleaner. Even if your coils are below the refrigerator, you won't be able to get to all the condenser coils from the front, so it's a good idea to pull the refrigerator out and clean the coils from the front and the rear of the refrigerator. Give the fan a dusting as well. Sometimes other things can be the reason behind poor cooling, like the condenser fan motor. Anytime the freezer fan is running, the condenser fan should also be running.
A frost build-up inside the refrigerator usually means that there is a problem in the self-defrost system. You may even have damaged door gaskets. When you open the refrigerator door, you also let in a blast of warm, often humid air. This moisture usually freezes onto the evaporator coils immediately. Self-defrost refrigerators are supposed to self-defrost between two and four times out of every 24 hour time-frame. They basically turn off for a few minutes several times a day. A defrost heater kicks on to melt any frost build-up on these coils, which allows the frost and ice to melt, then it drains off to the pan underneath most refrigerators. Unfortunately, when a defrost component fails, too much frost builds up on the evaporator coils. When this happens, the circulating fan can't draw air over these coils. With no air flow over the evaporator coils, the refrigerator compartment will lose its cool.
To determine if the self defrost system is faulty, it's best to remove all the food from the refrigerator and freezer, turn your thermostat to the Off setting, and just leave the doors open for 24 to 48 hours, and let the refrigerator defrost. Keep an eye out for an overflow of water from the drip pan on the bottom of the refrigerator.
After everything has completely melted away, set the thermostat back to a regular setting. If your refrigerator starts operating properly, the symptoms lead to there being a problem with one of three other components in the self-defrosting system, the defrost heater, the defrost timer, or the defrost thermostat.
If, after testing these components, the refrigerator still doesn't get your foods cool, there may be a problem with the refrigerant level and you will need to contact a professional appliance repair person.

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Hello,

Let's start by diagnosing the freezer;

Fan problem is one of the most common reasons for the freezer to start failing, this is called "frost free failure." Ice can build up on the evaporator coils over time, and this ice builds up until it starts blocking the fan. The fan is responsible for circulating cold air throughout the freezer, so if it is blocked the freezer will not be able to freeze any food. You can usually check this by removing an access panel in the back of the freezer to inspect the coils. If ice is built up on the coils, a hairdryer can assist in defrosting them.

It's also possible that the fan is not running at all. If the fan is burned out or the motor isn't running, cold air can't circulate through the freezer and everything will melt. You can normally hear the fan motor switch on and off from time to time. Listen for it and if you can't hear it coming on for an extended period of time, the motor may need repair or replacement. The wires connecting to the fan may be the problem, preventing the fan from receiving electricity.

Several other problems could be keeping your freezer from freezing:

There could be leaks in one or several of the hoses in the refrigerator, which results in the cold air being lost instead of circulating properly throughout the fridge and freezer.

If you have the freezer so full that the cold air can't circulate, your food will thaw even though the freezer isn't malfunctioning. Always leave some space open in the freezer and try to not store food right up against the cooling vents.

The thermostat might have shorted out, which means the freezer can't accurately determine how cold it is. If this is the case, the refrigerator would probably not be working, either.

If your defrost drain becomes clogged, the water in the line will just refreeze over and over again, which could damage the lines as well as the fan. Always check the drain and make sure no sludge is building up in it if you have a self-defrosting refrigerator.

Always try to keep the freezer door closed for long periods of time. The more the door is opened, the more warm air is let in and cold air is released. If the door is opened frequently, the freezer could be warming faster than the fridge can cool it, which will thaw your food.

I hope this helps.

Regards.

You have a refrigerant leak. Your coil in the freezer should be frosted. You're looking at 600 dollars minumum for repair.

In turning it off you may have only closed the air damper. Set it to 1/2 way.
If ice or frost in the air damper area on refrigerator side you may not be defrosting the freezer coil.

Inspect from bottom looking up with a mirror and flashlight. You should have no Ice buildup frost that is even and white is normal. Feel Check the back wall mid way down to 1/4 way to bottom. Push on the wall slightly. Crunching like frost or snow behind wall is not normal. I suspect non defrosting here.
Next eliminate the inside fan motor. It has to run to push air all over the freezer and refrigerator. If this fan doesn't run the results will be only the area with the refrigeration evaporator coil will cool and it may get too cold and resemble a non defrosting situation where the air is not able to circulate because of frost build up.

Next eliminate the Ice maker and light as a source of heat. Unscrew and unplug them
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Next eliminate the door gaskets from not sealing. A piece of paper set tween the door and frame and pulled across it and you feel resistance all the way and the gaskets are smooth and not warped they are OK

Next inspect the condenser fan and coil by the compressor underneath. A dirty coil here will cause diminished heat removal and possible for a partial cooling of some of the freezer.

Only after inspecting all these items and determining they are OK should you proceed with refrigerant checking. Also a person with out the ability to measure the actual amount of refrigerant being put in should be shown the door. Even with topping off (adding some) refrigerant I use a scale to determine that I do not put in too much. So if you have a friend that does this and no way to tell how much is too much.... well with all due respect your getting what you pay for.

If this helps you understand your problem and need more information please post back, I will follow up. If it helped you determine your trouble please rate me as high as you can. Thank You for using fixya and good luck.
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sounds like the defrost clock may be going bad and or a door switch. Look for a hole that has whatr looks like a big screw that you can turn.

when you removed the back panel inside refrig was there any sign of cooling, perhaps only top 1 pass of the coil was frosted, or completly warm no signd of frost at all?

Sounds like an air flow problem to the lower unit. Take the sheetmetal or plastic rear cover off the freezer back wall and make sure the coils are frosted up good and even but NOT a block of ice inches thick (air needs to circulate and a blocked coil won't let air move over it efficiently). Make sure the fan is running to move the air around. In the fridge area make sure the air dampers are letting the cold air from the freezer down to the fridge compartment. Depending on what you find will determine the next steps so let us know.