Good morning all.
I have the above referenced Kenmore refrigerator, and this morning I noticed it was lukewarm.
I checked the freezer, and it's fine. I called the local service center, and they said it sounds like I might have a defrost problem.
He asked me to check the back of the freezer for frost. There is a little bit of frost on the back wall of the freezer-- like one would see on a windshield on a cold morning.
2 summers ago we had the compressor replaced.

Any thoughts here would be appreciated.
TYIA.

Morning D.
No frost on the coils (beneath the freezer). I'll check inside later when I return from my morning errands. Just a little bit on the back wall of the freezer-- just above the ventilation slots, and then only on the left side, behind the ice maker.
No, the compressor not working all the time.
There is a fan, to the left of the compressor-- in a different, isolated space. It seems to work "normally." I emphasize the normally part, because it comes on for a few, then turns off, comes one for a few, and then turns off again.

I am assuming that you did not find a wiring diagram in the machine compartment. I again tried to find it on the net but had no luck.

To check the fan you could monitor the voltage across it. If it is getting 120 volts and is stopping then it needs replacing.
If I am correct and it is wired in parallel with the compressor then if the compressor is running then the fan should also be running.

Looking at the defrost thermostat it does look like it is hard wired into the harness. You have a couple ways to check it.
1. Use a couple needles to penetrate the wires and then measure across them. Try to pick area where water is unlikely to get into the pin holes. Also put a couple wraps of tape over the pin holes when you are done.
2. Actually cut the wires and do the measurement. Then when done strip back the wires and use a couple wire nuts to reconnect the thermostat.
do the cuts away from the heater and face the open ends of the wire nuts down so that water cannot enter them. Some folks even seal the open ends with some sealant just to be sure water does not get in.

One your unit gets down to set point recheck the evaporator coils. Frost in one area may be a symptom of a sealed system problem.
Take a look at the example pictures part way down the following link.
http://www.applianceaid.com/ref...ator-not-cold-enough.php
Be sure that the compressor has run for a couple hours, if you do the check shortly after/during a defrost cycle you will come to the wrong conclusion.
This is just an extra check as normally a sealed system problem would cause the compressor to run all the time.

As the unit tries to get back to it's set point temperature after your manual defrost is the compressor and it's fan running all the time?

OK, I was able to check the incoming plug for the fan motor. I get 121 volts, steady.
I then removed the fan assembly, and applied voltage to it (I used to be a sign-man, and had made a number of tools for checking sign ballasts for voltage/amperage). It would not spin on its own, so I gave it a finger spin, and it only spun in what I'm going to call a "jumping" motion. I.e., it looked like it was a limping along kind of spin that really needed a lot of help to do a normal fan-spin/rotation. Sorry for the weak description, but that's how it looks.

Any thoughts?

On the damper/duct.
I stuck my hand as far as it would allow me-- about to the end of my fingers-- and I felt no damper, just a doglegged/offset ducting.