Shower stopped working

I have an extra bath that was not used for about 4 months. The tub has a shower that is turned on by lifting a knob on the end of the plastic tub spout.

In the past the shower worked, but there was some "blowby" out of the end of the tub spout when the shower was in use. Meaning, not ALL of the water was diverted to the shower.

We have company coming and my wife cleaned the tub and shower and told me the shower was not working as it should.

Now when I lift the knob on the end of the tub spout, I get a LOT of water out of the spout and a little water out of the shower.

This is a plastic tub spout with a plastic "gate" inside that diverts the water. The gate is a pretty loose fit but appears to be working.

There are no screens or clogs in the shower line. I have removed the shower head and still only get a slow stream of water.

Do the tub spouts and diverters just stop working? Is ther supposed to be a rubber gasket inside the gate to seal the opening?

Any ideas?

Thanks!
Ron

Easiest fix is replace the spout.

What is the make of the shower valve (suspects Moen)

Tub spouts generally fall into two attachment methods...screw on and push on. If you look underneath the spout and you see a hole, there's probably a set screw. Loosen that and pull the thing off. Replace with a similar device. If it is a screw-on, then it's a little tougher since the length is critical to get it tight and up to the wall at the same time.

Valve maker

Is's a cheap single handle Delta. It was installed in 1990 and is very cheap. Nothing fancy at all.

Anybody

Any ideas?

Ditto on Ratz' advice.