Items in my freezer recently started thawing, as evidenced by water leaking out of the ice dispenser. The fresh food side was warm. Upon investigation, it appeared that the evap fan was not working in the freezer (it never turns on). I thawed the coils, which were more heavily frosted near the top, with a hair dryer. I checked the condenser fan which is fine and the compressor appears to be working as well. The condenser coils are clean. The fridge does get cold (icy cold) in the lower crisper section. This has been the status for the past four days, but yesterday the water dispenser stopped operating.

1) Am I correct in assuming my problem is a broken freezer fan?

2) Is the water dispenser issue due to frozen tubes in the lower part of the fridge (see icy cold crisper)?

3) I received the replacement part for the freezer fan motor today. The replacement has a ground wire connection whereas the existing part does not. Part Details - WHIRLPOOL MOTOR KIT, part number: AP4009649. How do I handle this connection?

Thanks for your help!

David