We have kenmore freezer on bottom model #59676603600. Freezer very cold fridge very hot. No air blowing out into fridge. Had technician come but felt very uncomfortable with him. After hearing his cost... I thought Id try myself. I followed instructions for defrosting fast by removing back panel and using hair dryer. After defrosted fan is working and it actually appears to be cooling fridge .. But I understand that after 8 hours, if timer doesn't work, or thermometer doesn't work. We will be back in the same boat? I would like to try and replace it myself, but not sure which part is bad, and how difficult it is to check. Can I just use an ohnmeter? And also where do I locate the part number in order to purchase it?

SOURCE: Freezer freezes but fridge does not get cool

DO u have frost build up in the freezer ? If so you have a defrost problem.. defrost thermostat, timmer or heaters. You can by-pass the thermostat cut it and tape the wire together and put it into defrost with the timmer by clicking it to the right until it clicks the heater you need to ohm out .. the defrost timmer will be good most of the time if it comes out of defrost ... ref. will start running again when u test the defrost thermostat here is a diagram that may help
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/retrieveSubComponentPartsAction.action?diagramPageId=00011&componentDescription=AIR%20FLOW%20AND%20CONTROL%20PARTS&documentId=00016472&modelNumber=1068562782&productCategoryId=0160000&brandId=0582&modelName=REFRIGERATOR&backToLink=Return%20to%20Sub%20Components

SOURCE: KENMORE MODEL 596 BOTTOM FREEZER, FRIDGE NOT COOLING

first off unplug ref and melt the ice with a blow dryer.then check your defrost circuit,it is easier to check with the ice gone.

SOURCE: refrigerator/freezer not cooling evenly top to bottom

good then go ahead and ohm out the sensor and the relays to see if the resistance is close to the normat. 70 degrees is roughly 1000 ohms. relay you are lookling for continuity or open. then you can also ohm the fan motor too. let me know what you find;.that will determin whts bad and whats good

SOURCE: KENMORE MODEL 596 BOTTOM FREEZER, FRIDGE NOT COOLING

The freezer will stay cold because a small amount of cold air will be forced through the frost but that will not be enough to make it up to the refrigerator portion. You can defrost the unit by removing the metal panel and allowing the frost to melt. Careful use of a hairdryer can speed up this process. This will likely be a temporary fix. The root cause of excessive frost can be caused by a bad door seal or a defective defrost circuit.

First check that the door seal is good by closing the door on a dollar bill at several points around the door, both on the freezer and refidgerator door. If you can pull the bill out with no resistance, the door is not making a good seal. Inspect the seal and make sure there isn't anything stopping the door from closing such as food, or a shelf not pushed in all the way.

If the door seal is good, the defrost system is likely defective. The defrost system has three main parts, the defrost heater, thermostat, and timer. None of these parts are particularly expensive, or difficult to replace you feel comfortable with repairing it yourself. If you can troubleshoot this by manually starting the defrost cycle. Let me know if you would like this procedure.

SOURCE: defrost timer location on Kenmore model 106.56542400

carry control board part#2149705