Need help replacing shower diverter valve

magnolia

Hi all, newbie here, help appreciated....

In my shower, when the valve is set to "shower," there's still a lot of water coming out of the tub faucet. After doing some reading, it sounds like I need to replace the diverter valve. Problem is, I can't get to it. The valve lever (not sure if that's the right term) has a screw on the end of it, and I thought when I took out the screw it would just pop out, but no luck. I have pulled as hard as I can and turned it both ways, and it won't come off. Is there some trick to this? There are no other visible screws, except one on the face plate against the wall, and that just frees up the face plate and doesn't affect the lever. I have a couple of pictures in case that helps. Thanks!

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amakarevic

this looks pretty old and i fear that the inner valve inside the hub may be broken/leaking. i am no expert though, just my $0.02. if that is the case, you may have to bust the wall to get to replace it. hopefully, someone else disconfirms me.

magnolia

I think the faucet etc is original with the house, which was built in 1960. If I have to have access to the pipes themselves, I'm going to have to tear through the (plaster) wall on the other side of the shower.

Termite

I would think that it should pull straight outward. Have you tried a penetrating spray like Liquid Wrench? There is probably a lot of mineral build-up and corrosion.

If it is original 1960 vintage, its useful life is waaaay over anyhow. I think that a replacement is probably in order.

Nice caulking job on that tub/tile! That is a lot of caulk!

majakdragon

Purchase a handle puller in the Plumbing section of HD or Lowes. Probably less than $15. They are like a gear puller for automotive work. Calcium deposits are likely the problem since it has been in that many tears.

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Marlin

Quoted for truth.
They make pullers just for getting stuck handles off.

Mike Swearingen

I would just get a puller made for the purpose and repair what's there.
If you choose to replace the faucet, you don't necessarily have to go in from behind. You can remove it through the face tile wall that you show there.
They make faucets with extra large estuchion plates to cover the hole used to remove/replace the faucets from the tile side.
Your call.
Good luck!
Mike

Marlin

I'd say it's a good excuse to loose the pink tile

magnolia

Ain't that the truth! This is just a temporary fix until I feel up to gutting the bathroom and finally getting rid of that 1960's pink.

mstplumber

Ditto on the handle puller. Once you have the handle off, remove the stem and take the whole thing with you to match it up to a new one.

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