[Cold_Comfort_Sage]

I noticed frost on my freezer items last night and by this morning, it was obvious the freezer and fridge were no longer cooling at all. The evaporator fan is still working and was running continuously. I checked the back bottom condenser coil unit and it was covered in a thick blanket of dust. I cleaned this up as well as the door seals which seemed dirty and not as tight as they were once. I think the fridge was made in 2000 or 2001.

I let everything 'defrost' but it was mostly all warm already. It was dry everywhere, no drips. However, upon cleaning it out, I noticed some build up under the produce drawers which makes me wonder if there could have been leaks I was not aware of. It could also have been a spill. I don't remember. It was not terrible.

I turned everything on again and the condenser fan works. I can't tell if the compressor works because I don't know what they sound like normally. I don't hear anything, but I'm not sure what to listen for. I also poked inside the drain tube with a ziptie to find if there were any blockages. There was water in there but I didn't feel any resistance.

Turning the dial for the freezer to "0" made the evaporator fan stop. So with that off, the fridge is pretty quiet except for the almost noiseless condenser fan.

From the above, is there anything that stands out as a tell tale sign of what is wrong? I have not pulled apart the freezer yet, mostly because it is not trivial to do so. What should I do next?

Thanks for your help!