freezer not working

i have an amana side by side refrigerator that is nine years old. the freezer temperature is running between 40-45 degrees.

i removed the interior panel to expose the evaporator coils and noticed only the first coil was heavily frosted. i initiated the defrost cycle by manually turning the defrost timer knob. the defrost heater worked properly, melting the frost on the coil. after about 30 minutes, the fans turned back on. the temperature in the freezer, after a few hours, returned to 45 degrees but not colder and the frost on the first evaporator coil returned as well.

i have thoroughly cleaned the condenser coils (from front and back), checked the gaskets around the doors, confirmed the ice dispenser flap in the door is completely closed, confirmed both the freezer fan and condenser fan are running, varied the freezer and refrigerator control knobs from 4 to 7 and turned off the ice maker since it is not producing ice due to high freezer temperature.

what might be causing my freezer to not function properly?

thanks in advance,
letty
amana side by side
model # ars2667aw

Your issue sounds like a loss of freon or a freon restriction in the sealed system. This is not an issue that you would be able to do yourself. Sorry for the bad news.

Cost of repair for this will reach around $200 to $300 dollars depending.

The evaporator coil should be evenly frosted over with light frost. If the whole thing was a block of frost and ice you would be looking at a defrost issue of some sort.

Bill