Need help with refridgerator

Is there is anything I can or should do about a 12 year old refridgerator in my workshop. It is a medium size house appliance that I bought used for $200. It has worked well, but has recently quit cooling to some extent.
The freezer (separate compartment on top), will barely keep ice and. I can put Cokes of beer in the freezer and they will not freeze. Nice and cold to drink though.
In the refrigerator part, the temp runs about 50 to 55 degrees.
I cleaned the dirt off the fan located at the bottom back of the unit. Didn't think it would help, and it didn't.
I doubt that the unit is worth the $50 for a service call, + any parts. Not even sure someone could fix it. Is there anything I can or should do to see if I can fix it.
Thanks in advance for advice,
Bob-tx

Cool but not cold is typically one of several problems:
Dirty condensor coils Bad fan Low freon

The evapoator coil is probably frozen up. Check it and see. If it is, unplug the box and let it sit with the doors open for a day or so until it is all thawed out, the plug it back in and see if it starts working. If so, you probably have a problem with the defrost timer, defrost thermostat, or heater. You may get also lucky and find that the drain from the evaporator is plugged, causing the coil to ice up, depending n the design of the box. Good luck Larry

Bob-tx wrote:
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Did *someone* bump the temperature control knob to 'low' whilst parking the beer?
--Winston <-- Just asking a question

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After you have tried everything and you decided it was low on Freon you could try shooting in about a half a can of R134 via a piercing valve. I know it is the wrong gas and a dozen other things but I have seen people squeak another year or two out of a dead one that way. If you do have a dusty can of R12 you could use that but it is worth more than a running fridge.

Check the nameplate. Might be a 134a fridge.
The can tap things for 134a have a quick connect fitting, won't help with a piercing valve. I did use an old can of 12 to juice up a fridge, one time, for a friend.

> Is there is anything I can or should do about a 12 year old > refridgerator in my workshop. It is a medium size house appliance > that I bought used for $200. It has worked well, but has recently > quit cooling to some extent. > > The freezer (separate compartment on top), will barely keep ice and. > I can put Cokes of beer in the freezer and they will not freeze. > Nice and cold to drink though. > > In the refrigerator part, the temp runs about 50 to 55 degrees. > > I cleaned the dirt off the fan located at the bottom back of the > unit. Didn't think it would help, and it didn't. > > I doubt that the unit is worth the $50 for a service call, + any > parts. Not even sure someone could fix it. Is there anything I can > or should do to see if I can fix it. > > Thanks in advance for advice, > > Bob-tx > Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't have any freon and wouldn't know how to put it in if I did. I had a 30 pound bottle of R12, used it for years to top off the units in our two vehicles. Sold it last year - half gone, for three times what I paid for the whole thing.
I am good with tools, mechanics, etc, but don't know a darn thing about refridgeration so don't have any confidence in trying anything. Don't know where the the condenser coills are located, but will try to find them.
Other than that, I think it is time to junk it and get another one - if I can find something on Craigslist.
Thanks again for the info.
Bob-tx

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Does tx mean Texas? Anywhere near Houston?
In with the new...
http://houston.craigslist.org/app/1303223358.html
Out with the old...
http://houston.craigslist.org/hsh/1303618056.html

Sounds like someone got a good deal on a half jug of R-12. I'm in NYS, near Rochester. Are we any where close?

Bob-tx wrote:
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It could be a bad evaporator fan. If you open the freezer and don't hear a fan running, that could be your problem. If you're a tinkerer, you could remove the fan and lubricate it if it's the bearings.
TDD

Yep, just put a dead pidgeon in your refridgerator.
Carl
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