Printable View
I am in the process of trying to remove my Moen stem cartridge for my shower. After fiddling with this thing for quite some time, I can now only get it to move out halfway and it won't fully come out. Any suggestions on why it wouldn't come out the rest of the way?
http://s2.postimage.org/ISu39.jpg
Well, you are past the hard part, and also past the point of no return! My guess is that one of the side rubbers has come out of place. At this point, I think you grab that with some channellocks and twist. Need some common sense in the picture......I think the cartridge will self-destruct, which is what you want at this point. Depending on where it breaks, it will be easy or not so easy to dig out the remnants!. But if you apply enought torque that you sense the valve body connections are at risk....STOP.
You might try to squirt some 3 in one oil ( not WD) onto the body, and then work it back IN about an inch, then back and forth, to see if that helps.
Main thing to keep in mind as you do this, try to do nothing with METAL tools which will scar up the INSIDE of the body.
Thanks, jimbo, that was indeed the problem. The side rubbers were stuck. I knew there was a problem when twisting would go only a little each way, to the right and left. When I started pulling, it got stuck. It was like it was attached to something at the other end. To and fro, back and forth and I actually sprayed some WD before I read your message. Getting the remaining rubber pieces out was another major problem. After removing the cartridge, I have to admit that it looked in great shape minus the rubbers.
The only problem I was having was that the handle kept breaking on the inside where the plastic hooks into the cartridge. After doing some research, my guess was that the handle (stem on the cartridge) was tightening up from age and was more difficult to turn, thereby causing too much pressure on the plastic.
Looking at the construction of the cartridge, I wonder if the rubbers get caught all the time or whether age was a factor. The rubbers even though now broken seemed fairly decent.