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Parts for Whirlpool ED0GTKXMQ00 Refrigerator - AppliancePartsPros.com

Please see the attachment for the tech sheet.
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Is there a way to FORCE a defrost cycle?[/COLOR]
Yes just turn the defrost timer cam with a screwdriver.
It will only turn in one direction.
There is usually a hole in the control cover to let you do this without having to dismantle everything.
When the compressor and fans shut off you are in a defrost cycle.
Note that the defrost thermostat must be frozen for the defrost heater to come on. It opens just above freezing and kills power to the heater.
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Should I manually defrost it to remove all the buildup or will it "catch up" on its own?[/COLOR]
It will catch up but I would defrost it manually.
Taking care that the defrost water does not overfill the drip tray under the unit.

The symptoms you give would not have led me to a defrost problem unless you omitted a couple symptoms.
Defrost problems usually mean that the compartments are too warm not too cold. First it shows up in the fresh food side and later in the freezer. This is because the evaporator/freezer fan cannot pull air through the evaporator coils as they are clogged solid with frost/ice so it cannot cool the air down properly.
Could be the fresh food was to warm at the top of the compartment?

Defrost symptoms are:
1. Compressor and fans run all the time except when the unit goues through a defrost cycle
2. Compartment temperatures are too warm.
3. The evaporator/freezer coils are clogged solid with ice/frost