Need Help Replacing Faucet Stem

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bluebutterfly

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The hot water side on my bathroom faucet has been leaking, so I took off the handle and now don't know what the next step should be (I've never done a leaky faucet before). The sink itself is a Kohler but the faucet has no brand name on it, although someone at another forum said it might be a Delta (although nowhere does it say Delta). Looking at the photo, you can see there's a white plastic/nylon ring surrounding the rim. That rim is making it very difficult to get any sort of wrench or tool around the brass nut/bolt that needs to be turned to get this stem out. How you would appoach this? I have a socket wrench, but it's not deep enough to get far enough over the stem that sticks up to grab onto the bolt. Am I going at this correctly? Thanks for any help or advice on this! (and is this a Delta faucet? or some other brand?)

faucet.jpg
 
That is Price Pfister. Unscrew the brass nut and the stem will pull out.
Delta does not make a stem that looks remotely close to that.

View attachment 12668

How do you know this is Price Pfister? The faucet has absolutely no brand name markings on it anywhere. I've looked carefully and see nothing. Also, unscrewing the brass nut is the problem. I can't get at it due to the raised plastic/nylon insert or whatever it is surrounding the rim. If this were totally exposed, it would be easy to get at it and get a wrench to grip the base of the brass nut and get it turning, but as you can see from the photo, it's in a very difficult position to work on. Any suggestions? thanks for the info!
 
Cut the splines off the stem so you can get your socket on it. Or get a deep socket to fit. Pick up the stems at a local supply house before doing this so you'll have them on hand and can do it all at once.
 
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Cut the splines off the stem so you can get your socket on it. Or get a deep socket to fit. Pick up the stems at a local supply house before doing this so you'll have them on hand and can do it all at once.

That's a thought (cutting off the splines from the stem). I'll consider doing that rather than buying a special deep socket wrench to get over the top of the stem. But as you say, I should buy the new stem first and know for sure what I'm buying before cutting off the splines, or at least I should keep and not discard the cut portion for I.D. purposes if needed. I should be able to cut through the splines pretty easy, it's just plastic, I have a big bolt cutter with a lot of torque that should be able to go right through it.
 
someone on another repair forum suggested that this was a Delta faucet (although I have no idea why, because nowhere on the faucet does it say Delta or any brand name), and they suggested that I purchase a Delta repair kit that contains the attached tool, apparently to remove the white plastic/nylon rim that comes up around the lower area (it's like an insert according to this person). Does any of that make sense?

delta-rp1974-wrench.jpg
 
How do you know this is Price Pfister?

Experience.

If the spanner wrench won't work on the nylon insert, you will most likely need a THIN-WALL DEEP WELL SOCKET to remove the stem. Even if you cut the old stem you will need to install a new one without damaging the stem.

218cddc6-ebef-4e10-85c4-7030413c2ae4_1000.jpg


The faucet has absolutely no brand name markings on it anywhere. I've looked carefully and see nothing.

Many will not have ID as they are universal and many makers sell them as a low cost alternative.
 
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Experience.

If the spanner wrench won't work on the nylon insert, you will most likely need a THIN-WALL DEEP WELL SOCKET to remove the stem. Even if you cut the old stem you will need to install a new one without damaging the stem.

218cddc6-ebef-4e10-85c4-7030413c2ae4_1000.jpg




Many will not have ID as they are universal and many makers sell them as a low cost alternative.

Thanks for the info about the brand names on faucets. Is there a way I can find out exactly what model Price Pfister to maybe download repair information? Also, the spanner wrench shown is a Delta wrench. Would it work for this Price Pfister nylon insert? How does it grip onto the insert? I see some small notches on the insert, does it hook on there or just grip around in some way? Also, if I may need a deep socket wrench, what size do you think the bolt is on this particular stem? For now, I'm a little hesitant to cut the splined stem tip, because I'll need it to grip on and pull out the stem mechanism. I'm afraid if I cut it, I'll have nothing to grip onto.
 
That Delta tool is for their single handle faucets. Not two handle. That is Price Pfister and whoever keeps saying Delta needs to stick to what they know which is not stems. Just take two flat head screwdrivers and take the trim off if it is that concerning. Or call a professional because it shouldn't be this difficult.
 
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Thanks for the info about the brand names on faucets.

Is there a way I can find out exactly what model Price Pfister to maybe download repair information?

The only way I know to ID the assembly (other than being a plumber that works with them everyday) is to try and sight match the faucet @ https://www.google.com/search?q=pri...f-8#q=price+pfister+bathroom+faucets&tbm=shop and if the faucet is found by sight, find the model no and search for the manufacturer's owner's manual.

Also, the spanner wrench shown is a Delta wrench. Would it work for this Price Pfister nylon insert? How does it grip onto the insert? I see some small notches on the insert, does it hook on there or just grip around in some way? Also, if I may need a deep socket wrench, what size do you think the bolt is on this particular stem? For now, I'm a little hesitant to cut the splined stem tip, because I'll need it to grip on and pull out the stem mechanism. I'm afraid if I cut it, I'll have nothing to grip onto.

You need a spanner wrench of the correct size. Correct on the gripping the small notches. You should be able to lay a ruler across the stem and eyeball the nut size.

This type/line of faucet(s) is sold by name brand manufacturers to compete price-wise with off-shore junk.
 
Take it easy. The last time I checked, this was a self-help board, not a parade field.


I was not being harsh I was just being honest. This faucet in particular is very simple to work on. I'm all for people trying things themselves and saving a dollar but there comes a point when it's time to hire a professional. These stems are also notorious for breaking when trying to get them out which can freak some people out.
 
I was not being harsh I was just being honest. This faucet in particular is very simple to work on. I'm all for people trying things themselves and saving a dollar but there comes a point when it's time to hire a professional. These stems are also notorious for breaking when trying to get them out which can freak some people out.
 
The only way I know to ID the assembly (other than being a plumber that works with them everyday) is to try and sight match the faucet @ https://www.google.com/search?q=pri...f-8#q=price+pfister+bathroom+faucets&tbm=shop and if the faucet is found by sight, find the model no and search for the manufacturer's owner's manual.



You need a spanner wrench of the correct size. Correct on the gripping the small notches. You should be able to lay a ruler across the stem and eyeball the nut size.

This type/line of faucet(s) is sold by name brand manufacturers to compete price-wise with off-shore junk.

Thank you for all your great help! I went to Price Pfister site and found my faucet! It's the Treviso, 8 inch spread, brushed nickel. Attached is a pic. I read some of the online reviews and one person posting in 2013 said they never could find the correct cartridge for this, that Price Pfister sent them one that was too small and never worked so they ended up replacing their entire faucet because of a leak. ugh! They said they had put the sink in about 6 years prior (which would be about the same time the previous owner of my house probably put this faucet in, maybe around 2008), so I'm hoping I don't run into the same problem with no cartridge that will fit it. I am going to try to find the repair manual for this model and see what it looks like. I'll let you know how it goes! But your help has been GREAT, without it I would never have been able to get this far with this project!

myfaucet4a.jpg
 

Success! I got the valve out. I went ahead and decided to pry the white plastic/nylon rim up, being very careful and using a small flat head screw driver. As soon as I put any pressure on it at all, it cracked and broke, but I was at least able to get it up which gave me access to the main bolt holding the valve. The white rim was so brittle, I don't think it could have survived anyway. The only way I could have avoided it was to not touch it at all, but that would have meant using a deep socket wrench (which I don't have), so at least the valve is now out. I'll send photos tomorrow of how things looked like underneath the eschucheon (rust). and also a photo of the valve. Hopefully I can order the white plastic rim from Price Pfister. I'll call them and ask what the replacement valve is for this model.
 
As promised, here's a few pics of how it looks now that I've removed the valve. As you can see, there's a lot of rust or something around the base in the first photo. Should I remove that? Or leave it alone? There was no leaking from the base of the faucet, so it had been okay in that area. Looking down into the pipe, I can see a small white thing, which I guess is a ceramic piece that I need to fish out of there?

The second photo shows the white plastic/nylon ring that broke when I pried it up from around the rim. It broke into two pieces, so it had been a somewhat higher collar/rim than it looks now As indicated, hopefully I can order a new one from Price Pfister.

Finally, the valve itself. It looks like it has two O rings...one higher and the smaller O ringer around the base. They look okay to me, but I'm going to replace the whole valve if I can. If I can't get a proper size replacement valve, then I would just try replacing these rings and maybe it would fix the leak?

faucetstem8a.jpg

faucetstem14a.jpg

faucetstem12.jpg
 
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I have found what appears to be an exact match for this valve. It is made by Brasscraft (for Price Pfister). The one made by Price Pfister for this Treviso faucet does not look like mine, it is a bit different. Maybe it would work fine, but I would think getting an exact match is a better idea, and this Brasscraft hot water stem valve looks like an exact match. Now all I need is a replacement for the white nylon/rim part that broke and I can hopefully proceed on with the project..

brasscraft faucet stem.jpg
 
Just wanted to update everyone on this thread, because I know it's important to let people know how things went. I successfully replaced the stem and fixed the leaking faucet. So, mission accomplished! Total cost: - $22 -- $16 for the valve (ordered online, $10 plus $6 shipping), and $6 for the white nylon part which I also ordered online and maybe could have found cheaper if I'd run around town all over to hardware stores. If the white part hadn't broken, it would have been cheaper. I wanted to make sure I had the exact right parts that fit my sink, so didn't want to waste time buying wrong things, returning them, etc. I gained a lot of confidence and now know I can definitely do this type of job without calling a plumber. Thank you to everyone who gave advice.. I know it was a little frustrating at times lol...some things that look simple to the pros look difficult to us DIY'ers but that's the way to learn!
 

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