Sayco Diverter Problem

[Kiko]

My Sayco tub faucet diverts about 80% of the water through the shower head, and 20% remains undiverted through the tub spout. As a result, the tub drains slowly while showering.

I replaced the bibb washer in the diverter stem and the seat. I also flushed out the diverter pipe, which dislodged a large piece of rubber (most likely from an old bibb washer).

Unfortunately, after all of this, 20% of the water still does not get diverted up to the shower.

Is this normal for a Sayco or is there something I haven't thought of?

[jimbo]

The front bibb washer on a diverter stem is not the problem. There is some kind of washer BEHIND the nose of the stem, and this is what back-seats and stops water from the tub. Look on alfano or some other website for pictures of your stem to see what part is missing from yours. It is probalby that piece you found!

[hj]

Diverter stem are "double seated" so it not only has to seal where it screws in, but also has to contact the inner seat to block bypassing water to the shower. IF the front seal gasket is too thick, the stem will be too short to make contact, and if it is too thin, it will make contact but cause a leak at the surface.

[Kiko]

Well, I installed a brand new diverter stem, but a lot of water is still not being diverted.

I guess, I'll just have to live with this, because I can't afford to put in a new shower manifold.

[jadnashua]

Are you using generic parts, or OEM ones? Some of the aftermarket parts are junk.

[Kiko]

I used a Danco generic diverter stem, which cost about $13.00.
Do they still make OEM parts for Sayco?

[Kiko]

It turned out that my old diverter stem was missing one of the o-rings, and the brand new diverter stem was missing the exact same o-ring, right out of the box.

It was only by chance that I was in the hardware store and noticed a different diverter stem with the missing o-ring. I put on this o-ring and voilà, every drop is now being diverted.

In case someone else has this same problem, there should be four seals on this diverter: a rubber washer (at the end) and three o-rings. One of the o-rings is hidden and two are visible.