Frozen peas in freezer are soft and sodas are warm. Freezer temp = 58 degrees and Fridge = 60 degrees.
1. Compressor vibrating and warm to touch.
2. Condeser fan running and clear of debris.
3. Condenser coils have been cleaned.
4. Panel in freezer removed. Ice seen accumulating around upper evaporator assembly, not coils. This could be due to time lapsed. I took off the upper freezer panel first. I went to this website, then took off the bottom panel that revealed the evap coils.
5. Heating element was cold. Some entries say one could force defrost by turning a head with a screwdriver. I couldn't find how to do this. By this time, the coils were pretty clean.
6. Evaporator fan was running.

I saw that the defrosting mechanism consisted of three parts. The defrost thermostat, the heating element, and the control unit.

I laid my eyes on the thermostat and the heating element, but not the control unit. I read somewhere that it could be found by removing the kick plate. There was nothing but the collection pan for water and the water line behind the kick plate. Where does the control unit go????

Am I on the right track? What parts do I really need? Thanks in advance.
LC

You have a refrigeration problem for a pro to look at. Most probably bad compressor and/or refrigerant leak.