I have a Kohler kitchen faucet that I bought at Home Depot and installed myself a few years ago. It is "Forte single-control kitchen sink faucet with sidespray and lever handle" (model number K-10412). The support page for this faucet is here:

Kohler Plumbing

Clicking on "Kitchen Faucets" gives a detailed diagram of the faucet assembly:

Kohler Plumbing

For some time now, the faucet has leaked water from the bonnet. The leak started a couple months after I installed the faucet. The leak gets worse if I push down on the spout and seems to dissipate if I lift slightly on the spout. I called Kohler to complain (at the time the faucet was still rather new) and they sent me the following parts:

1016515 -- Valve Kit
71117 -- Bearing, Spout (Qty: 2)
71118 -- O-Ring (Qty: 2)
75878 -- Diverter Assembly
1045715-P -- Packet, DC-111 Lube

That was February of 2007. Now it is almost two years later and I am finally getting around to trying to fix this leak.

I have the faucet disassembled now and I'm not sure what the problem might be. Nothing looks broken. I removed the two O-Rings and the two spout bearings and they all look okay. I can replace them with the new parts but will this fix the problem? The valve kit has some dark almost charcoal-like substance on its stem but I'm not convinced that this is the cause of the leak either. Any thoughts?

Separately, the diverter assembly looks like this:

Kohler Plumbing

It is located in the back of the body. I don't have a lot of room to figure out what's going on back there because the body is only a couple of inches from a tile back splash. I can't figure out how to remove the existing diverter to replace it with the part Kohler sent me. The side sprayer works fine so I'm not even sure that this part needs to be replaced.

Any thoughts on what could be causing water to seep up into the bonnet? And if you recommend replacing the diverter, how do I remove it? Thanks.

In most cases replacing the two O-rings that are covered by the spout will stop the leak that you described. If it is a problem with the diverter, the water leaking out of it would still be contained by the two O-rings. Replace the O-rings using some kind of heat proof grease on them, the Kohler company may have sent you some with the kit you got from them.

Let me know if this helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by letmetellu

In most cases replacing the two O-rings that are covered by the spout will stop the leak that you described. If it is a problem with the diverter, the water leaking out of it would still be contained by the two O-rings. Replace the O-rings using some kind of heat proof grease on them, the Kohler company may have sent you some with the kit you got from them.

Let me know if this helps.

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Okay I replaced the valve kit, both spout bearings, and both O-rings. Leak is gone. Yah! That was easy. I should have done it months ago! And to think my wife wanted to call a plumber. :)

Not sure what the defective part was but I really don't care. Thanks.

I would still like to know how to remove the diverter if it ever goes bad and needs to be replaced.

I was able to give my faucet a nice polish while I had it all disassembled. I scraped off all the crud with a toothbrush and used a wet rag to wipe it down. It's nice and shiny now. Best of all, no leak!

I think one of the two O rings was pinched or had "dent" in it. It is a good practice to lubricate the O rings before you slip the column body over it.

How do you get the bonnet off? I have the same problem, trying to change vavle but can't see if bonnet unscrews or just pulls off and I don't want to damage it.

It should unscrew...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jjustinia

how do you get the bonnet off? i have the same problem, trying to change vavle but can't see if bonnet unscrews or just pulls off and i dont want to damage it.

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Use the schematic here:

Kohler Plumbing

The disassembly is pretty straightforward:

1. Remove the handle by exposing the allen socket in the back and unscrewing the screw that holds the handle in place.

2. Lift part 1003662.

3. Use a wrench to loosen 1018336 and then unscrew it by hand.

4. At this point, the spout just lifts right off.

The whole disassembly took me about 15 minutes. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Hope this helps.

Thanks! I got it all off but now when I tried to get the nut off the valve it was so tight and there was nothing to hold back on, that I spun the assembly. It used to stop at a certain point and now it doesn't I have put it back together and it does not drip any more but it is loose and hessitates at the stop points but goes past them with a little push.


Fixed it, the screws under the mount loosened up. I just had to retighten them and it is all solid and stops correctly. Thanks for the quick advice!

I have a kohler K-10411 that occasionally has a drip underneath where the hot,cold and spray hose go into the base. Have not removed from the sink. Could this be caused by something internal or is my problem external.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by terph8r

Use the schematic here:

Kohler Plumbing

The disassembly is pretty straightforward:

1. Remove the handle by exposing the allen socket in the back and unscrewing the screw that holds the handle in place.

2. Lift up part 1003662.

3. Use a wrench to loosen 1018336 and then unscrew it by hand.

4. At this point, the spout just lifts right off.

The whole disassembly took me about 15 minutes. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Hope this helps.

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How do you "expose" this allen socket?. I see what appears to be a cover ( its oval) but do not want to start prying on it unless I know that's the cover?

What size allen wrench is needed?

I got the parts months ago I had problems with a different brand facet but
The Kohler repair was easy and fast I also clean and waxed it so it looks brand new

Russ Danwin
Wheaton IL

"How do you "expose" this allen socket?.. I see what appears to be a cover ( its oval) but do not want to start prying on it unless I know that's the cover?"

Yes, that's a cover. Pop it off using a very thin screwdriver (I used an eyeglass screwdriver). Once off, you can use a small mirror to see the allen screw—if your faucet is up close to a backsplash.

"What size allen wrench is needed?"

1/8"

I just rebuilt the Kohler Forte kitchen faucet. I lifted that little oval cover off the back of the handle with an exacto knife blade. I couldn't get a screw driver thin enough to pry it off and my fingernails were not long or strong enough. BUT my problem was when I had the handle off, the bonnet off, the restraining nut off the valve, I could not just lift the spout assembly. It was really stuck and I had to get a guy with good upper body strength to wiggle and pull at it until it came up. Any idea why that might have been sticking? Or how to lift it up and off if I need to again? Just an FYI, Kohler is really good about sending out free replacement parts multiple times if necessary and also can talk you through how to do it. The woman I spoke to didn't really know what I could do to get the faucet off though. Any thoughts?

I can't get the nut to budge - any suggestions?

Which nut are you talking about... the one that holds the entire faucet to the countertop?

If you are asking about that nut, have you tried using a BASIN WRENCH to remove the nut? If not, go purchase a basin wrench... made for this job... ;)

Mark