Hi,

I recently replaced all the valves on a three stem shower system, a hot, cold and a central diverter stem. They are SAYCO stems, specifically, part number 9B-3H and 9B-3C for hot and cold, and 9B-5D for the diverter. All readily available at Home Depot or Lowe's.

After struggling to get out the diverter for an hour or so due to the main hex "nut" on the stem body being stripped, all valves were in and the job looked done, but now the diverter seems to turn only a half revolution, less than before, and only partially diverts the water to the shower.

I removed the new diverter again and compared with the old and they appear identical. The new diverter stem screws smoothly in and out when not installed. I did notice that the little diverter element at the end of the stem -- the piece with two open slots that I assume redirects the water -- will also thread onto the little worm gear of the stem shaft, but by doing so this would prevent the stem from fully threading back through the valve body. Is there some special pre-alignment of the shaft or this diverter element necessary before installing? Anything else I could have missed? Maybe there is an old piece of washer or something that I didn't remove and it is clogging things up but it looks clear to me, and when the diverter stops after a half turn it stops hard and firm, not as if a little piece of old washer or dirt is stopping the movement. Any hints would be appreciated, otherwise I will pull it out and tinker around until I figure it out.

Hey also, I noticed the cold stem (9B-3C) seems to turn the oppositt direction of what I expected. In other words, it turns clockwise to open the valve and counterclockwise to close it. Is this a standard convention or something for a cold stem? Seems strange.

Thanks,
Greg

Hi Greg,

Click on; http://www.hatcreekoutfit.com/xcart/...bstring=Sayco+
And tell me if the if the diverter stem shown looks liike yours. Also what is the model number of your tub/shower valve. Regards, Tom

HI Tom,

Thanks. Yes, that's the diverter. This is essentially the only Sayco diverter that you can commonly find at a Home Depot or Lowe's, but they all have them.

I can't say I know the exact model of the shower valve. I have only worked with the stems, which I actually thought were the valves. The part numbers for the hot and cold stems are 9B-3C and 9B-3H at Home Depot or Lowe's but on the Hat Creek Outfit site they are #HC2842H and #HC2842C. Is this the model you are looking for or is there a way to determine the model from an old installation? My house was built years ago.

You can see these online at http://plumbing.hardwarestore.com/51...em-600785.aspx

I did not replace the small seat that screws into the valve body that receives the stem though.

Thanks,
Greg

Hey Greg, The best advice I can give is to go back and read the instructions that came with the stems. They did come with instructions didn't they? I am not familiar with your faucet but I think the problem lies with the part the stem threads into. Is it possible to pull the cold water stem and reverse the part the stem threads into? Clockwise= close Counterclockwise= open.
Also play with the placement of the part the stem threads into on the diverter stem. Remember, with the stem held in your hand the stem should move in when you turn it clockwise. Let me know how you make out. Tom

Hi Tom,

Problem solved.

The Sayco diverter (9B-5D) has three o-rings, a #7, a #40, and a #35. Unfortunately, the diverter I purchased was missing one; the one over the slotted diverter mechanism itself; the #35.

I worked on this for quite a while, trying everything, not being aware this o-ring was missing. No instructions or drawings were included. I then found a post on another site that mentioned this o-ring as the problem, and that it was not documented anywhere. I went back to Lowe's and sure enough other diverters in their boxes had this additional #35 o-ring. To make matters even more confusing, the Danco part book that shows you each stem and describes each part included, did not show a #35 o-ring either. Nice.

So I bought a #35 o-ring, went home and put it on and it worked perfectly. No need for special attention to aligning the diverter that was described as the reason for th ebehavior I and other have reported. I just screwed it in with the new o-ring in place and all water was diverted to the shower.

Thanks for trying to help.

Thanks for letting us know Greg. Tom

Adding the 3rd oring against the slotted part did the job, thanks