Need advice repairing/replacing Delta single-handle faucet

Hello,

I have a very old Delta single handle bathroom faucet with a steady drip. My intention was to replace the seats and springs, a relatively easy job, but now I fear I might have to replace the whole thing. I’ve replaced a faucet before, but this looks like quite an ordeal, and I have a few questions.

According to the diagram and youtube videos, I need to remove the “Adjusting Ring” to get at the seats and springs. This one is made of plastic, and I can’t get it to move. I know the repair kit comes with a special wrench, but I have a similar wrench that fits, and all it does is mangle the plastic. Does anyone know a special trick for getting it off?



The roundish cap also needs to come off. It looks like someone else years ago tried to remove it as there are plier marks and the body of the faucet body is cracked on both sides. It does not leak from these cracks. Again, is there a good way to get this off?

If not, I’ll need to replace the whole thing. Here’s where the fun begins.

The nuts and washers under the sink are completely rusted over. I can tell just by looking that there’s no way I’ll get a wrench to loosen those nuts. I’ll probably have to flush cut the bolts and pry the old washers off. Would a Dremel tool with a metal cutting wheel be able to do that?





This is a very deep sink, and the pipe extensions under the faucet are about 6 inches long. The model faucet I want to use has lines that are only about 3 inches long. Therefore, I will have to put in new supply lines. No problem, right?



Except, the supply lines have no shutoff valves! The parts are all originals, I think, and the house was built in the early or mid 60’s. The parts are all threaded, but I haven’t tried turning them. Ideally, I would disconnect the compression fitting and install a new 12” braided line. If they are stuck, how much trouble is it to cut the pipes and install actual valves?



This has been dripping for years, but I couldn’t fix it since the main shutoff valve to the house was stuck open. I just had a professional replace it, so I would prefer to tackle this myself to avoid another plumbing bill. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I would like to come up with a good plan before I go out and buy parts / start cutting.

A deep well socket with an extension and ratchet will probably get those mounting nuts off.

It looks like you could remove those reducing compression 90's and replace them with 5/8" x 3/8" compression angle stops.

As old as that faucet is, I would replace it. Not worth the hassle.

Hit those rusted threads with PBlaster a day before doing any removal.

Is Liquid Wrench acceptable? I have plenty of that.

Yep. That will work as well.

It may be easier then it looks. The bolts that the nuts are on, are studs that thread into the faucet body. If your lucky the will unscrew from the faucet body with very little effort.

All right, so here’s what I’ll try to do:

Soak everything in Liquid Wrench the day before.

The supply lines are too short for the new faucet anyway, so I’ll need new 12” ones. I’ll try to undo the vertical (3/8&#8221 compression fittings and attach the new lines. (New stops would be nice, but aren’t absolutely necessary.)

If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to remove the whole 90 degree fitting and replace with new angle stops. If those don’t come off, I’ll cut the copper pipe. Hopefully there’s enough left for compression fittings. Compression fittings are hand-tighten + 1/4 turn with no Teflon tape, right?

Next, I’ll try to remove the old rusted nuts with a deep socket. If they won’t budge, I’ll have to cut them. Then install the new faucet.

Seems about right. Don't cut yourself short on the supply lines. I get them 4-5" longer than needed, then loop it for a nice look with plenty of expansion. Also, for a few pennies more, get the braided stainless flexible supply lines. You are also correct that no teflon tape is needed on compression fittings. I go 1/4 to 1/2 turn past hand tight. Then check for leaks and snudge it up a bit if it is still dripping.

I was going to attempt this repair this morning, but I ran into a problem:

I soaked all the threaded parts in Liquid Wrench yesterday as directed. I was going to first try to undo the mounting nuts under the faucet, but cannot figure out how. The copper supply line from the faucet is so close to the nut, I cannot get a socket around it. The sink has a deep recess that allows little clearance. I cannot get an open-end wrench down low enough in order to turn the nuts. With all of the pipes in the way, I cannot get my Dremel tool oriented correctly in order to cut the nuts off. (I tried an experiment on a test nut/bolt/washer to see if this was possible, and it is, but a whole lot of trouble.) I figured maybe a special shortened 7/16" wrench would clear, but I don't have one, and did not see one at the H.D.







The good news is I tried loosening the compression fittings to the old supply lines, and I was able to do so. The 90 degree fittings can stay, without needing new angle stops.

Any advice on a method for getting at those nuts? Please don't say "rip out the sink."



Update:
OK, I do have couple of short 7/16" wrenches (more like keys) that I can try. After that, I'm stumped.

Not a big deal (yeah, I know, not for us but for you!)

What you need is either a basin wrench, or crow's foot sockets. Both can be found at hardware stores, harbor freight, and big box stores.

Keep in mind that the nut just has to be loosened then the split washer will slide off so then faucet can be removed.

Good eye John. I forgot about the split washer.

Since you are replacing the faucet anyway, I would drive the socket onto the nut with a hammer.

I don't think he has enough room to swing a hammer in there.

Deepwell socket, long extension, and that copper tubing will give pretty easy.

Ok, I got some of those crow's feet sockets (10 bucks at Harbor freight). I'll give those a try tomorrow if my little key wrenches don't work. It never occurred to me that all I have to do is loosen those nuts a little and pull out the split washers. This might be easier than I thought.

Success!

The crow's feet did the trick. I just loosened the nuts a bit and the washers just slid right out. After I got everything disconnected, the water heater for some reason decided to drain itself, so I had a bit of a spill to clean up. Only problem was the drain plug rod for the new faucet doesn't match up with the old hole in the sink, but that's minor.







Thanks everyone for your help and advice. Saved a lot of money.

Most new faucets also come with a new chrome drain. Didn't yours?

Yeah, but why bother. I installed this same faucet before and kept the original drain. Although, the stopper rod was tricky to line up. The sink has a very small hole in-line with the two big holes. The rod needs to be slightly off-set from center.

If I ever want to make the stopper rod work, what do I have to do? Drill through the porcelain? I left the pull rod out when I installed it and didn't think to put it in there to make sure it lined up. I don't really want to take the whole thing apart just for that. Maybe I can bend it.

Just loosen up the two nuts that hold it down. You should be able to move the faucet with out disconnecting the water lines.