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"in my experience, what you describe is often the result of an issue with evaporation. if evaporator coils (in freezer) get covered with ice, freezer temp will warm up. you can check the evaporator coils by removing the cover located in the back of the freezer (interior)compartment, (see a diagram for your model to locate the evaporator area). to do this, the freezer contents and shelves usually must be removed, first. commonly, ice buildup on evaporator coils is due to Defrost timer failure.
Initiate a Defrost Cycle
using owners manual or diagram of your model, locate your defrost timer and manually advance it by very slowly turning the small screw on the timer body until there’s a significant “click”. the compressor should then cut off and the frig will go through a defrost cycle (15-30 minutes). during defrost cycles the icy build up on evap coils is melted away using a defrost heater/element. at the end of the defrost cycle the compressor should restart for another cooling cycle (this cycle should repeat itself a couple of times per day).
Defrost Manually
if you find an icy buildup on the evaporator coils and you can’t locate the timer or otherwise manually initiate a defrost cycle, or if a completed defrost cycle does not remove the ice, you can manually defrost the coils using a hand-held electric hair dryer to melt the ice away. if you have to resort to this, you must first unplug the refrigerator, and make sure you hold the hair dryer above and well out of the way of any water or droplets forming during the process. place a towel in the bottom of the freezer compartment to catch and hold the melt water, and to make clean up easier. carefully direct the hair dryer’s hot air over the coils, from about 8-12 inches away, and using a side to side motion, starting above the top row of coils. work your way downward as the ice buildup melts away. once the ice is gone, remove the towel and wipe up any residual moisture. then plug the frig up.
After Defrosting
the compressor should restart immediately upon plugging the frig back up. you should also be able to see the fan above the evaporator coils turning. close the freezer door and wait. check after a few minutes to see if the air moving inside the freezer is getting colder. recheck after another hour or so, expecting progress closer to normal freezer temperature. if so, reinstall the evaporator cover, then the shelves and your frozen goods. add an ice tray filled with water to check later, if you don’t have an ice-maker.
If you find an ice buildup on evaporator coils, then initiate a defrost cycle or perform a manual defrosting, and your freezer thereafter recovers to perform adequately, then that icy buildup was preventing your freezer from cooling properly. over the next few days ( or longer ) you may experience the same problem again. if so, you must determine why the unit is failing to perform the defrost.
it could be the defrost timer is no longer working reliably, and the defrost cycles simply are not occurring as designed, and the timer needs to be replaced.or, it could be that the defrost timer is ok, the cycles are occurring, but the defrost heater element is defective, and it’s failing to melt the icy buildup from the coils.or, it could be that the evaporator fan blades are not turning, are damaged or broken, or the fan motor itself is defective, thus not circulating the cold air sufficiently. if this is the case, you should be able to identify it quickly, as you can see damaged or broken blades, and you can feel resistance when trying to spin the blades manually, or you will see that the fan is not turning once the system restarts.
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in either case, these are relatively simple repairs for anyone with basic mechanical tools and aptitude, and the cost of these parts is not usually too crazy, either. if you find you do need replacement parts I’d advise to shop around on line, using your manufacturer and model number to perform the search. Sometimes I find quite a variation in these prices from one vendor to the next.Hope this helps."
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