Old stuck bathtub drain shoe/ gasket, and downstairs leak

[bi0hazard]

All,

I am an amateur, but like to do my own stuff.

I believe my bathtub on second floor is leaking, as I see a rusty colored spot show up downstairs in the kitchen ceiling underneath the bathtub area.

The plastic drain shoe and associated gasket underneath the bathtub is not almost completely stuck to the bottom of the bathtub drain opening BUT it's also off-center! I need to replace the gasket AND somehow center the shoe.

I got some of the old gasket peeled off (trying to pry off the shoe), but cannot get a portion of it unstuck (from the back end of the bathtub hole -see pic). It won't budge. I've peeled off about 200 degrees of it (shoe is now a little loose).. As seen from pics, part of the shoe opening is (off center) flush with the bathtub opening (along the back end of the hole) and I cannot get a screw driver under there.

As mentioned above, I think the biggest problem is that the shoe is NOT aligned with the bathtub opening and even if I was able to put the gasket in there (which I cannot since there isn't enough space), the drain flange will be off-center and not seat properly into the bathtub indentation. Can these things move forward/backward?? If not, I may be wasting my time.

I'm afraid of breaking the piping underneath the tub and/or tub opening. EVEN if I can get it unstuck, I'm not even sure if the drain shoe will move forward to properly align with the bathtub drain cutout... It is sooo frustrating!

(As an aside, I thought about just applying a wad of silicone around the remaining gasket/shoe, but that's just a temporary solution, as the drain flange won't seat properly (has been like this for years). Also, the overflow pipe is loose, but unfortunately that doesn't translate to the drain).

Appreciate any thoughts!!!

 

[mike fiore]

its tricky but if you have no accesss from underneath you can push slightly down into shoe and slide gasket out. use same procedure to install new gasket. looks like the adapter inside shoe is for toe tap... make sure you putty the new toe tap on top. only other option is to open wall behind or underneath and replace trip waste assembly.

 

[bi0hazard]

its tricky but if you have no accesss from underneath you can push slightly down into shoe and slide gasket out. use same procedure to install new gasket. looks like the adapter inside shoe is for toe tap... make sure you putty the new toe tap on top. only other option is to open wall behind or underneath and replace trip waste assembly.

Mike,
Thank you for the response. The problem is that the shoe/old gasket combo is STUCK to the bottom of the tub drain opening, no matter what I do (I mean, I haven't tried brute force). But the biggest problem is that the shoe is off center in relation to the tub opening. Any other tricks besides wall tear down?

thanks!!!

B=-

 

[Geofd]

can you get a utility knife between the tub and the gasket??????

 

[bi0hazard]

can you get a utility knife between the tub and the gasket??????

Good idea! I did that, cut circumstantially, and the shoe wobbles a little. But it still doesn't want to move forward (at all, not one millimeter) to align with bathtub hole! I have this bad feeling that the shoe was installed incorrectly (off center). When I press on the shoe (or over flow pipe), it can move down/left/right ~1 mm, but immediately returns back to same position (again, won't budge front/back). Thanks again.

 

[Geofd]

try putting something in the drain maybe even a wooden dowel and move it back and forth it may free it up enough to move it to were you need it