[elbee]

Our refrigerator had been collecting water on the top shelf and not cooling well. In reading answers on this site, I found the blocked drain in the top of the fridge and cleared it. After turning it back on, everything seemed fine. It's a Kenmore, top freezer, 6 years old.

Two days later, and the refrigerator is not as cold as it should be. Changing the setting after 24 hours has not helped. My food isn't spoiling, but it doesn't have the "cold" feeling when you pick up containers. The freezer is at the right temperature on the normal setting.

Also, the ice maker worked for 3 or 4 cycles after turning the frig/freezer back on. It now has stopped. There is ice in it, but it's not pushing it out to the bin. I've read the information about the water line being frozen, but I'm not clear where this is. Do I need to take the ice maker out to see it?

Finally, there are two square openings under the false floor of the freezer at the back. These had two pieces of styrofoam in them--blocking 3/4 of the opening. The remaining 1/4 was blocked with ice. Are these supposed to be there?

[shunned]

From what you describe it sounds like your defrost thermostat is bad and your evaporator in your freezer compartment has iced up. It is a "frost free", right?

[elbee]

Yes, it's a frost-free. Is replacing this part something a wannabe DIYer could do?

[shunned]

Yes, it's doable. You have to remove all contents and defrost the freezer naturally.
Be prepared for about a half gallon of water at the bottom of the fridge. You have to remove the inner panels of the freezer to access the evaporator coil, where the defrost thermostat resides.
If you take your make and model number info to a parts store and buy a thermostat, you'll know what it looks like when you take off the panels. (Sometimes the insulation under the panels are styrofoam and might need replacing also.)

If you provide make and model number here I could be more detailed.

[elbee]

It's a:

Kenmore "Cold Spot"
Model 70102000
Series EK3134305

[shunned]

It's a:

Kenmore "Cold Spot"
model 70102000
series EK3134305

I am not able to find a schematic of your fridge on the web.
You may just have a clogged defrost drain.
This link may help:
http://www.applianceblog.com/mainfor...php/t-308.html

If you find a schematic drawing of your freezer compartment, post the link here.

[elbee]

I tried finding a picture before without any luck, and I unfortunately can't really tell from the book that came with it. I think I can figure it out without breaking it.

The link you posted is the same problem, with it seeming to work fine and then the water dripping/drain freezing all over again. I've thawed it and used air from an electric tire inflater we own. I should probably try a real compressor.

Thanks for your help.

[elbee]

Just wanted to do a final follow up. I couldn't find a problem with the thermostat, and finally called in a technician because I got spooked that I was going to break the whole thing. The problem was actually the evaporator fan, which wasn't running. So, the compressor was cooling the air but there was no fan pushing it around. According to the tech, this would explain the frozen drain, the ice-maker not working, and the lack of cool in the fridge while the freezer was staying pretty cold.

The fan started running as soon as it was open to the air and touched lightly. I ended up deciding to just put it all back together and see. If the fan stops again, I'll know what to do to check it, and am confident I can replace the motor if needed. I'll save money even with paying the service call fee by buying the part myself if it does stop running--and the tech was great, showed me where I'd need to unscrew another piece of plastic to get the fan out, etc.

[shunned]

Good deal! It's rare, but those fans can go bad.