Bowl Wax Ring Seal

Stupid me... i should have checked the level before putting on the wax ring and setting it down. When I slid a couple of shims after setting the bowl down I heard a pop which I imagine was the wax ring seal.

How do I know if I broke the seal? Should I play it safe, remove the toilet and change the wax ring or does the wax reseal when i put tighten the bolts?

Also there is still a slight wobble. I could tighten the bolts more but I don't want to break the china so not sure what to do here.

I would pull the toilet. There is a good chance that the pop you heard was the flange breaking, if it's all plastic.

John

John, the flange is metal (but old)

i should mention that i have poured 5 buckets worth of water down and see no water leaking under the toilet

A toilet can not leak water but leak sewer gases if the seal is compromised. Wax isn't springy...if the toilet rocks, the seal will be compromised. If the drain was clogged, it would leak out underneath the toilet if it is compromised. You need to set the thing first without wax to determine where shims are required, then mush it down onto the wax with the shims in place so once on the floor, you can then snug up the bolts. Do NOT use the bolts to pull the toilet down onto the wax...just use your weight. Again, if the toilet rocks, the seal IS broken.

i decided it wasn't worth the risk, pulled up the bowl and changed the wax ring.

thanks for the responses.