Kitchen Large Electric Appliances - Ge firdge cool but not cold

I have a GE TBXPAYERBB fridge that is 8 years old. Has worked fine until now. It still makes ice, but ice cream is mush. Milk is not cold enough. Appears to be off by 8 degrees or so. I found the usual dust and lint on the coils underneath and cleaned them. No change. Removed the back wall of freezer and found a light coating of frost on about half of the coil there, nothing like I have seen on other models in the past. Both fans appear to run constant. Air coming from underneath is slightly warm. Any suggestions? I am fairly competent with auto A/C and electricity. Is there a way to check the freon level? or maybe I am stuck on defrost all the time???

If compressor is running, its not stuck in defrost mode. Sounds like its low on freon if only half the coils have frost on them. Only real way to tell is to put a line tap on the low side & check the pressure with a set of gauges. Dave

If compressor is running, its not stuck in defrost mode. Sounds like its low on freon if only half the coils have frost on them. Only real way to tell is to put a line tap on the low side & check the pressure with a set of gauges. Dave
What do you think the pressure should be? Does this use r30?

Look at the plate inside your fridge where the model # is located. At the bottom of the plate it will say what type of freon it has. If its an older fridge it will have R-12. Newer ones use R-134a. Pressure is usually around 5 on gauge on low side when first starting to run. Will get lower as fridge freezer temp. gets colder. If you put a line tap & gauges on low side & it is running in a vacuum, it needs freon. Dave

Could you tell if this problem happened suddenly, or do you feel it has been slowly getting warmer and warmer over time?

Dave - from your experience, for a refrigerator this age (it seems like the old refrigerators like those old Coldspots lasted forever), is the service charge, test where leak is, recharge, usually worth it? - or no? Do most service guys try to find the leak -first? I know that that refrigerant is pricey and around here it can cost over $100 for that and the service call, and that doesn't include what it might entail to stop the leak. The landlord that I work for usually doesn't want to chance it and just goes out and gets another (say Gibson 18cu.ft. for like $350?). This is one area of appliances I have really never gotten into because I was never licensed to do that work, myself. So I just diagnose and tell the landlord if it is a freon and/or compresssor problem, and then let him decide what to do.

Good point ecman1. It would be a good idea to get an estimate first on a re-charge. Especially if its the older R12 freon. No longer made & quite expensive. I still have a 30 lb. cylinder of R12 so I still only charge what it cost me years ago to buy. Probably not the case for another repair shop. As far as leaks go, unless its an obvious leak around the compressor, its almost impossible to find because its so small a leak. I give the customer the choice of charging the unit & hoping it lasts a long time or buying a new fridge. Dave

I think it has been happening over time. It is charged with 5.5 oz of r134. I paid over $900.00 for this thing in 97. It was a top of the line "freezer on the top" model when we got it. It is still making ice, ice cream is still mush, and the food in the bottom is ok, milk doesn't last as long. I am hoping it will make it past the holidays, Santa is about broke. I won't mind so much in January. Already bought a new water heater and dishwasher in the last 30 days.

I guess the only good news is the R134a freon is the replacement for R12 & is pretty reasonably priced. Call around for the best price on charging your fridge. Less than half a pound of freon shouldn't cost an arm & leg. Dave