Thread: Freezer cold / fridge warm (Sears Kenmore model 596.73913200 bottom freezer)

No help needed...just wanted to say thanks for your blog and to post additional pics and info for the next guy.

I diagnosed my freezer-cold / fridge-warm problem based on other posts, particularly these two:
[FIXED] Bottom Freezer (#596) Air Tower Repeatedly Freezing Up
Bottom freezer model 596
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Ours is a Sears Kenmore 19" Bottom Mount Refrigerator, Model 596.73913200. Other models listed on the same instruction and parts manuals are 596.73912200, 596.73914200, and 596.73919200
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Here are some characteristics of the problem: the upper, refrigerator section was not cold, yet the freezer was freezing. The compressor was running and the evaporator (freezer) fan was running (you can tell by the fan noise when you open the freezer door). The upper and lower door seals were OK and the condenser coil at the bottom of the fridge was clean enough and there was decent airflow through the bottom of the unit.
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After calling our regular appliance repair guy on a Friday night and again mid-morning on Saturday and not getting called back, I decided to try my hand at refrigerator repair. Turns out he was away for the weekend, so it was a good thing I didn't wait around for the call!
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I first checked to see that the upper air damper (in the fridge section) was open. I did this by removing the interior light housing, and then snapping out the damper cover on the interior rear panel of upper fridge section. I believe I had to pull out and down to get the piece to snap off. No screws though. Thread 4013 shows a good picture of the open damper. Mine was exactly like the picture shown in that thread, but the orientation was reversed, as if the picture shown is upside-down.
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I then removed the ice maker and the back panel from the interior of the freezer section to find the evaporator coils and the defrost thermostat encased in ice (see photos).
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After defrosting the freezer with a hair dryer I found the defrost thermostat had "bulged" as described in other posts. Sorry, I forgot to get a picture, but you can't miss it though... the plastic "cap" was a bit "popped" off the metal canister and not seating properly to the metal. I didn't test the continuity on the DF t-stat because it needs to be checked while frozen -- which it wasn't because I had to defrost everything to get access to it -- and it had the characteristic bulge anyway, so I knew it was bad.
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For the heck of it I tested the continuity on the heater element which was OK, and since the DF t-stat was obviously bad I didn't bother checking the DF timer.
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After defrosting the freezer, you can put everything back together and use the freezer/refrigerator until the new part comes in. I ordered mine early on a Saturday afternoon and it was in my hands by Tuesday morning. After disassembly, the evaporator coils already showed signs of freezing over, but not enough to cause a warm fridge in that short a time.
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The new defrost thermostat looked different -- it was a sealed, dark brown unit with no plastic cap to pop off. After defrosting everything with a hair dryer again, I had to cut the orange and brown wires, strip the tips, and use wire nuts to install the new DF thermostat.
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I reassembled everything again and the Fridge/freezer has been working fine for a couple of weeks now.
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Thanks again for your blog; you saved me money in repairs, money in ruined food, and a lot of hassle!