[sethcash]

My refridge has gradually gone downhill. It first started as defrosting of the freezer. Now the freezer and fridge do not cool as they should. The evaporator coils were frosted over last night. I defrosted, disconnected and let sit for awhile. I plugged back up and looked as if we were back on track all fans were on and we started to cool. When I awoke this morning both units were not cooling normally and I cannot even get the ice or water to work. Your thoughts or solutions are much appreciated.
seth

[sethcash]

I may have accidentally messed with the defrost timer from the beginning. I am not sure what to set it on now to get it back on track.

[woodchuck]

Your defrost timer will continue to cycle approx. every 8 hours for 20 minutes if it is running. If it's not running it will stay in defrost or will never go into defrost. Does the timer advance. If not lookie here Partselect.com - Maytag Refrigerator Parts And All Brands of Appliance Parts

Is your compressor running and the fan next to it should run when it does.

[denman]

Here is a link to your parts
Kenmore Parts for Models 59658642891

Here is a good link to fridge info
Refrigeration Help Section, Fridges, refrigerators, not cold enough, frost free problems and how to test, noisy fan motors, clicking on and off compressors, door gaskets

And here is one I stole from woodchuck
Refrigerator Repair Guide: How To Fix a Refrigerator - ACME HOW TO.com

As per your Private Message

I usually check defrost as follows
Remove covers from the coils
Rotate timer shaft till fan in freezer shuts off (you are now in defrost mode)
Check that the heater gets hot, don't burn your fingers (the coils must be cold for this to happen. There is a thermostat as part of the defrost circuit it shuts the heater off once the coils are warm)
If you cannot get the fan to go off then the timer is no good
If the fan turns off but the heater does not work then it is timer contacts, heater or thermostat. Best to check these with an ohm meter.
If the unit does go into defrost and operate correctly, I mark the timer's shaft and the timer body with a felt pen. I then come back in an hour to see if the timer has moved, if not the timer is no good.

It is also a good idea to make sure the timer is getting voltage but some people do not like messing with electricity.

[kayakcrzy]

If the fans are running, and you have frost in the freezer, you have a defrost problem. It is either the heaters, or the defrost thermostat or the timer. If you have a meter and need further instruction, I could be reached at my web site at ApplianceEducator.com Tom