#refrigerator

A warm freezer with a cold fridge sounds backwards. In most modern refrigerators a single evaporator coil sits in the freezer and cools both sections, so the freezer should be the coldest part. When it goes warm, you are usually looking at freezer airflow or the defrost system, not a dead compressor.

Start with the free checks: do not pack the freezer wall to wall, test the door gasket with a dollar bill, and confirm no quick-cool or demo mode is on.

Then the common failures. A dead evaporator fan stops circulating cold air off the coil. A failed defrost system lets frost build into a block of ice that insulates the coil; pull the rear panel and a thick wall of frost is the tell. Add a leaking gasket, an overpacked freezer blocking vents, and dirty condenser coils.

A couple more to check: a stuck air damper can unbalance the two compartments on models that have one, and a manual thaw (unplug the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, doors open) will temporarily restore cooling and confirm a defrost problem, though the frost returns until the failed part is replaced.

Save the sealed refrigerant system for last. If the compressor runs constantly and cools nothing, that is an EPA 608 tech's job, not a DIY fix. On cost, clearing vents and cleaning coils is basically free, an evaporator fan runs roughly $120 to $350, defrost parts $150 to $400, and a sealed-system repair $400 to $1,000. Work cheapest to hardest.