As a first time member I posted a reply to another thread and then decided I probably should have created a new posting. I need help with an issue that seems to be scattered throughout the various threads. Here is the text from the reply post:

I have have issues with my 3 year old GE Profile side-by-side twice in the past 4 months. Both times I got a call at work from my wife telling me the temp in the freezer and fridge are rising. Both times I found ice on down the back of the freezer from a melting ice maker bin and the evaporator packed with frost/ice. I also noticed the evaporator fan was not running at the time, but I also noticed that it does not always run anyway. I assume the main controller board determines when circulation is needed, making it more difficult to troubleshoot. Anyway, tried to troubleshoot the main board connections, etc, but very difficult without schematic or other service docs. After exhausting all I could do without service info, I plugged the unit back in (after defrosting the evaporator) and waited. The compressor started up fine, but no evaporator fan initially. After several minutes the fan started up and both sides began to cool down. It worked fine for about 4 months and I assumed the problem was the result of one of our wonderful brown-outs we have so often in Central Florida and the controller had simply got into an unknown state, which resetting fixed. Well, yesterday I got the dreaded call again and went home to find the same issue. Again, the evaporator fan was not running and ice caked the back of the freezer compartment. Also, there was no visible sign of failure on the main controller board. I defrosted the evaporator coils again and restarted the unit. All is well 20 hours later. I did some web surfing looking for parts and found this great web site. I have decided that it is hopefully only one of several things (although I realize it could be multiple issues): main controller board, evaporator heater, defrost thermostat, freezer temp sensor (looks like there are 2). I could order all suspect components, but I would rather figure it out and be confident it is fixed. My background is electronics, so I am capable of troubleshooting the components and main controller - I just need more info. It would be great if I could test these components from the wiring harness or test points on the main controller board rather than disassembling the freezer again. Any procedure or guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Are you talking about the evaporator thermister clipped to the top of the evaporator?

I did several hours of searching and finally pieced together enough service documentation to begin diagnosing my apparent defrost problem. Here is what I have found so far.
With the fridge running normally, temp displays at 0° and 38°:
FF thermister #1 13.5K ~ 39° (connects to J1-1)
FF thermister #2 17.2K ~ 30° (connects to J1-2)
FZ thermister 36.8K ~ 5° (connects to J1-3)
Evap thermister 69.3K ~ -15° (connects to J1-4)
Evaporator fan running on high ~9.75V
Condenser fan running normal
MAIN BOARD
+5VDC and +12VDC supply voltages normal
J11 (Line L1) = 122VAC
J8 (Compressor) = 122VAC
J9 (Defrost Heater) = 0VAC

This all looks normal to me.

I then turned the system off at the temp control inside the FF compartment. I verified no AC at J8 and J9 on the main board. I then jumped J11 (AC Line) to J9 through an amp meter. The heater operated at about 5 amps and could be felt and seen at the bottom of the evaporator cover. Without power applied and cold, the resistance of the heater is about 23 ohms. This also seems to be operating normally.

Unless I have missed something, it looks like the controller may be bad, or at least intermittent. As I have stated before, I see no signs of damage on the PCB or compenents.

A few questions now come to mind:
[LIST=1]

Does this model (GE PSS26MSTESS) have a diagnostic mode? I tried to hold down all four temp adjust buttons, but the display did not change.

Without self diagnostics, is there a way to force the system into a defrost cycle? Maybe leaving the door open to drive up the "total equivalent compressor run time" to complete the normal cooling cycle.

Anything I have missed before I spend $130 on a controller board?[/LIST]

Thanks for the advice. Is this a common problem with later model GE fridges? What about the diagnostic mode? I thought all adaptive defrost models had a self diagnostic mode? Again, I could not find the service manual for this specific model. Thanks again for your help and advice.

Thanks for the advice. I moved to FL three years ago and should know better than to not have surge protectors on the appliances. I have a "whole house" version in my main load panel, but I am not sure it is worth the space it occupies. Fridge is still working okay for the moment. I let some frost build up by leaving the freezer door open a few minutes on Wednesday evening. Thursday evening I checked and the frost was gone, so I am assuming it went through a successful defrost cycle.