Kohler toilet seat replacement for one-piece.

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Ramon Leigh

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Thanks for the info - Kohler is now off my list of suppliers for anything. Never thought much of their designs anyway.
 

jtlapal

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OK, I think I may have found something....

Yes, I have been looking for over two years off and on. However, I think I may have found something that will work.
(I tried Home Depot's in Orange County, CA and they don't have the normal expansion plugs. In fact, they were quite rude when I showed them a printout from an earlier post saying Home Depot had them.)

What about these?

Part Description:
TOT THU651N TOP MOUNT SEAT HARDWARE FOR SKIRTED TOILET | THU599; THU615; THU510; THU651S

http://www.guillens.com/index.jsp?path=product&part=144056&process=search&ds=dept&text=THU651N#

TOTTHU651N.jpg

It looks like something that might work. Although I can't seem to find the actual specs on the pieces.
 

AnotherJason

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HD has them - part # 83978 (trust me it took me two trips and me digging around in the speciality drawers) - still figuring out this works but looks good. I also saw a blog that if you complain to Kohler enough they will send you the repair kit for free.

Thanks very much for sharing the detailed info, I was able to get that part from HD and install the toilet seat.
 

MBH

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Replacement Kit

I just called Kohler and spoke to Amber. She immediately knew the problem I was referring to and quickly informed me it was a design used by many manufacturers. She assured me it was not a Kohler flaw. I calmly told her two times that I thought Kohler should do the right thing and send me the kit free of charge. When I told her I could not afford the kit to simply replace a toilet seat, she agreed that Kohler would offer me a one time courtesy and send the kit free of charge. Don't take no for an answer, just ask two or three times. Here's to buying a Toto on the next round.
 

ritmaz

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FIXED! Just replaced the seat with a new standard seat using drywall screws. They are called "Sharkies" 5/16" and cost about $2 for a 6 pack. (Use the plastic sleeve ones so you don't crack the porcelain.) Replace the screw that comes in the package with a much shorter screw, just long enough to push on the plastic and snap the wings out. (Had a couple laying around the bottom of the junk drawer). Use pliers to hold the plastic sleeve and insert the screw all the way in. The wings will expand but that's ok. Gently, pull the wings back together and insert into seat and bowl hole. Wiggle and use screwdriver to gently push all the way in. The wings will expand again and keep it snug. If it comes loose down the road, I have 4 more of these in the package. Good luck.
 

ht4loans

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I have spent 3 days on this but the solution turned out to be simple once I got what was left of the anchor out of the toilet. This requires some patience, wihtout brute strength.
Called Kholer, gave them the product number for the toilet, they gave me the product number for the item, anchor nut #85040. Even has a picture of it on line. Kholer wanted $8.90 for the part, and $7.95 for shipping plus tax.
I got the list of local Kholer parts dealers, called the nearest one on the list. Not in stock but they ordered it for me after e-mailing me an authorization form which I sent back with payment. They had the part sent directly to me from Kholer. Cost: $7.67 TOTAL.
 

getirdone

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Thank you for this thread posting.
This thread gave me some guidance on how to deal with Kohler. I experienced the same treatment from Kohler as you guys had posted. As posted, they wanted to charge ~$50 for the anchor kit but insisted I only need the anchor nuts. They mailed 2x anchor nuts (molly-type) part # 85040 and 2x screws part # 84741 which took 30days; I called them back after one week and was told the anchor nut were back-ordered.

Here is the picture of the anchor nut, Kohler PN 85040
kohler-anchornut.jpg

Timeline: seat cover broke last week of April. Called my local Kohler Distributor and ordered a seat cover and delivered on May 2. I realized that the new seat cover did not have the correct fastener. So the wifey called and yelled at Kohler so they sent another incorrect hardware set with plastic cone-shaped wing nuts. In the meantime I scoured the WWW and found this thread. I called Kohler May 28 to demand the anchor nuts. Received the correct anchor nuts and screws July2! July 4th new seat cover installed.

Materials:
a) 2x anchor (molly-type) nuts part # 85040 from Kohler
b) 2x 1/4-20x1.5inch screws part # 84741 from Kohler
c) Bought from local hardware store: 1x 1/4-20x1.25in HEX top bolt and several flat washers ~$1.00.
( For nuts/bolts and specialty hardware, I always waste time at HD or Lowes so I go to my favorite neighborhood hardware store. Thank God I have one in my neighborhood. In the Silicon Valley we have one of their store there http://www.olander.com/ )

1)Extract the old seat cover bolts by cutting them off with a hacksaw. Use duck tape to protect the procelain. The lower portion of the bolts will drop into the recess of the toilet that is not part of the water way.

2)Be careful not to damage the porcelain and drill out the remaining part of the old anchor (hard plastic in my case).

3) Insert the anchor nut and gently tapped them into the holes with the butt handle of a hammer.

4) Take the 1/4-20 x 1.25 HEX top bolt and wrap it with teflon tape just in case you want to remove it again in the future. Insert the flat washers onto the bolt. Place the bolt into the anchor nut. The shoulder of the bolt maybe about 0.5inch above the anchor nut

5) Using the socket/rachet, start compressing the anchor (molly-type) nut. As you turn the rachet, the anchor may turn a bit but make sure it stays flush onto the porcelain. The rachet turns should be smooth and with consistent torque until you are to the compression point. Remove the 1/4-20 x 1.25 HEX bolt.
NOTE: if you need to hold the anchor nut from spinning, you can use 1/2in or 13mm thin open-wrench.[/I][/I]

6) Do similar steps with the second anchor nut.

7) Install the new seat cover.....a happy wife is a happy life :)
 
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quinten

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thanks

I found this posting concerning the same issue.How to repair/replace a Kohler seat that has the anchor bolts

If you have a Kohler toilet that requires the Kohler seat anchor kit 84999, here is an inexpensive alternative
Step 1

If you have one of the Kohlers with the Kohler anchor bolts holding the seat, do not buy the $46 anchor bolt kit 84999.

Step 2

Instead, remove the old anchors and bolts which have an aluminum end which the stainless bolt screws into and over time become corroded together. Use a 1/8" drill and drill around the bolt removing the anchor material until the bolt can be pulled out.

Step 3

Carefully clean the hole with a 11/32" drill to remove all the remaining anchor material.

Step 4

Then go to your local hardware store and buy a 10-32 3/8"x3/4" rubber expansion plug (check to be certain the threaded part is brass and it has a shoulder on one end), a 10-32x1.5" Phillips bolt and a couple of small fender washers to fit the seat. Total cost under $4.00 for two.
5.
Step 5

Assemble being careful to not tighten too much and crack the porcelain.

hope this helps. remember be careful not to chip the porcelain

Thanks for this Alan and TerryLove for giving him a place to say it.

After looking at the pic of the $50 kit I figured they were giving me a tool to pry the broken anchor out. So I used my trusty nail puller with some padding and slowly pried the bad boy out.

The expansion plug I bought was 10-32 3/8"x1.25" easy to find at the local hardware.

Worked like a charm and I didn't have to go all confrontational on Kohler's butt or wait a while.
 

orthoake

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kohler seat replacement

The Kohler toilet seat attaches with screws that insert into a hidden metal nut that corrodes making
removal impossible.
The company is of no help.
I solved the problem by sawing off the screw, drilling out the 5/16 inch opening of debries then
purchased nylon wall hanger screws costing 45 cents each. The threads have to be trimmed quite
a bit, but afterwards can be gently pounded into the opening. I added household glue before
driving them in for good measure.
The nylon screw heads accept a metal screw that secures the adapters that come
with the toilet seat replacement.
Total cost 90 cents. Plus personal time and cussing

Orthoake
 

dcross

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I have the same problem trying to replace the Kohler one piece toilet seating. There is no access to the anchor from underneath, in the tank or in the bowl. It is solidly encased. I just bought a fat flat head screw driver and while one of the darn bolts spins,the other is frozen completely. I called Kohler and this model is the Gabrielle with french curve. The attendant at Kohler told me I have to buy a special kit for $49 to hold the anchor still. I said that there is no way to access the anchor. If I call a plumber, it will be a very expensive change out of a simple, inexpensive item. I can see why this model is dicontinued. The quality of this Kohler product sucks. I have to replace the seat because of poor quality plastic seating and replacing it is a nightmare. Thank goodness it is a rental property and the property manager can deal with it, but it does pose a major inconvenience and I cannot even quickly fix something that should have been so simple and not have to bother anyone...not even the HomeDepot people.
 

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Replacement of Seat on Kohler one piece toilets: Applies to toilets with NO access to the underside for nut application
1. Don't bother calling Kohler 2. Don't buy the 84999 replacement expansion bolt set from Kohler ($47 + shipping) 3. Get the appropriate replacement seat from a supplier (I went to Lowes) 4. Remove the stainless bolt and aluminum anchor from the existing seat and toilet. The anchor is a soft metal which expands when tightened ("molly bolt"). This is the only hard part. You may have to use a Dremel tool with a reinforced abrasive disc to cut the bolt head off, or you may choose to use a hacksaw. I grasped the screw head with a pair of pointed vice grips and turned and pulled (after loosening them a bit with a screwdriver, so I could get ahold of them) until the aluminum expansion bolt broke off from the inside. If you saw off the head of the bolt, you'll have to drill the hole out to 11/32", the original size of the hole in the toilet. 5. Go to a hardware store and get the following: Two 14x1" or 14x1 1/4" stainless metal screws with pan head. Two large Pop-toggle screw anchors (or other nylon anchors of your choice that can fit tightly in a 11/32" or 3/8" hole). Two stainless (or nylon) washers appropriate to the size of your size 14 screws. Ace hardware had these in KC. Tap the pop-toggle anchors gently in the holes in the toilet until flush. Place the seat replacement on the toilet over the anchors. Place the washers over the holes in the seat, put the screws through the washers and the new seat, in the anchors. Tighten with a screwdriver and you are done. Total cost around $1.50, but the best part is that you can now replace the seat without removing the metal anchors if you wish, and the anchor is nice and tight.
 

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Replacing the toilet seat - another method

Replacement of Seat on Kohler one piece toilets: Applies to toilets with NO access to the underside for nut application
1. Don't bother calling Kohler 2. Don't buy the 84999 replacement expansion bolt set from Kohler ($47 + shipping) 3. Get the appropriate replacement seat from a supplier (I went to Lowes) 4. Remove the stainless bolt and aluminum anchor from the existing seat and toilet. The anchor is a soft metal which expands when tightened ("molly bolt"). This is the only hard part. You may have to use a Dremel tool with a reinforced abrasive disc to cut the bolt head off, or you may choose to use a hacksaw. I grasped the screw head with a pair of pointed vice grips and turned and pulled (after loosening them a bit with a screwdriver, so I could get ahold of them) until the aluminum expansion bolt broke off from the inside. If you saw off the head of the bolt, you'll have to drill the hole out to 11/32", the original size of the hole in the toilet. 5. Go to a hardware store and get the following: Two 14x1" or 14x1 1/4" stainless metal screws with pan head. Two large Pop-toggle screw anchors (or other nylon anchors of your choice that can fit tightly in a 11/32" or 3/8" hole). Two stainless (or nylon) washers appropriate to the size of your size 14 screws. Ace hardware had these in KC. Tap the pop-toggle anchors gently in the holes in the toilet until flush. Place the seat replacement on the toilet over the anchors. Place the washers over the holes in the seat, put the screws through the washers and the new seat, in the anchors. Tighten with a screwdriver and you are done. Total cost around $1.50, but the best part is that you can now replace the seat without removing the metal anchors if you wish, and the anchor is nice and tight.


Thanks to everyone posting on this forum. Here were my steps:
Removing the Old Seat

  1. Tools to remove the bolt head: Dremel tool, extra cutting blades. I used a model 200 Dremel tool and "420" cutoff wheels.
  2. Tools to remove the bolt and mounting hw: Electric drill, 3/8" hole saw. I happened to have the hole saw from a different job. hole saw.jpg Eleven bucks for the set
  3. Tear off the old seat, use the dremel tool and blades to cut away the plastic, including the plastic under the bolt head. The washer should spin/move freely. This goes through the blades pretty quickly; a different type of blade might be better.
  4. Use the blade to cut off the head of the bolt. Use light pressure and high speed. After the bolt head flies off, do NOT pick it up right away. It is HOT.
  5. It will now look like this:
  6. bolt head gone.jpg
  7. Use a small screwdriver or knife or whatever to chip away the grunge, now like:
  8. crap chipped away.jpg
  9. The magic step. Use the hole drill, and in 30 seconds you will be through the mounting stuff; the bolt etc. will have fallen inside, and the hole will be clean:
  10. drill.jpg

Mounting the New Seat

  1. Parts needed (I used what I could find at Home Depot): Triple Grip Anchor, Cobra 173s. 2 Stainless steel pan head (look at the picture, the head is flat on the bottom) sheet metal screws, #12 x 2". Pack of stainless steel washers, 1/4". I was paranoid about corrosion so I got stainless. parts.jpg
  2. Gently tap in the anchors. They will just barely fit.
  3. Put on the seat
  4. Put a washer on each screw, put in the anchor, and tighten
 
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kupe

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Then go to your local hardware store and buy a 10-32 3/8"x3/4" rubber expansion plug (check to be certain the threaded part is brass and it has a shoulder on one end)

Hi Alan and everyone-

This thread spans quite a few years- hope everyone is well and your Kohler seat is fixed! We discovered this thread this week when we too tried to replace the broken seat on our Kohler Rialto toilet. I've spent the past two days removing the old inserts. Mostly brute force..but it's done and no damage to the toilet. Rather than fight with Kohler, I went in search of the rubber expansion plugs. Surprisingly it stumped our normally unbeatable neighborhood ACE Hardware. Home Depot did have 10-32 plugs, but only in the lengths of 5/8" or 1 1/16". I bought a pair of each to try.

So I guess my question is, now that quite a few posters have tried the expansion plugs, did they prove to work over the long term?

I'm thinking of still calling Kohler for the factory pieces, but I certainly am not going to pay for the $50 kit when all I would need is the inserts and screws.

Thanks gang for this great thread!

Kupe
 
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kupe

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Hey gang-

Toilet Seat...day 4 :mad:

Since I am a natural born sucker, we ordered a factory replacement Kohler seat- Item K-4662 for $60 for our Kohler Rialto toilet. I hoped that it might include the anchors and screws, in which case it would be an okay deal. Alas it does not. In fact, the entire seat mounting system has changed. It now uses a nylon quick-release system, but the quick release nuts won't work on these one-piece Kohlers since as we all know, you have no access to the nut end. Grrrrrr.

So, I proceeded to do the install using the rubber expansion plugs discussed above. They are the exact 3/8" diameter that Alan and everyone used, but they are too loose in the porcelain to grip. So, when trying to tighten them, all they do is spin. Tried the long and short ones. No help. I tried building up their outer diameter with plumbers tape, but no joy.

So, I surrendered. I just got off the phone and ordered the kit from Kohler. I explained that I had just purchased a full-price factory Kohler seat when I could as easily have bought a much cheaper replacement from Home Depot. Anyhow, they agreed to give me a discount for that and threw in expedited FedEx shipping. So about $43 all told. She would have sold me the anchors and screws alone, but she pointed out that I'd need the anchor setting tool to seat and expand the anchor, so I ordered the full kit.

I'll take consolation in the fact that I'll have the anchor removal-and-installation tool for the next time this happens...which I'm sure it will. :eek:

Or I'll rent it out for $20/day to anyone here in the Atlanta area LOL! ;)

Cheers,

Kupe
 
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kupe

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Just had to share this. After going through all the hoops to reinstall the new seat, got this unexpected surprise. The authentic Kohler replacement toilet seat that we purchased- item K4662- is junk. After just one week of use, the hinge pins fell out and the seat came off in my hand. This has nothing to do with the mounting bolts or inserts. It's a whole new thing. Would be laughable if this hadn't been so time consuming and expensive. :mad:
 

SJN

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Thanks for the advice on this from everyone in the thread, a big help in repairing this terribly designed toilet.

One suggestion. Home Depot does carry these, but they are hard to find. I went to the store and hunted, and asked several employees walking the floor. They said they didn't carry them, and they couldn't use the part number to locate it as they use a different number to look items up in the store.

When I got home I went on-line, and found it. You can order parts on-line and then pick them up at the store. Makes it easier and faster as they hunt them down for you. You can check inventory stock as different HD stores on the web as well.

Go to homedepot.com, and search for "expansion nut". As of now (9/2/13) they carry 6 different kinds. I used the #10-32 x 5/8" mentioned above. Model #83978, Store SKU #597800, Internet #202210204.

The first time i put them in one slid out. I eventually got it to work, but it might have been better to go with a slightly longer version to have a better grip. They have a #10-24 x 1 1/16" as well, might work better. Model #83988, Store SKU #597831, Internet #202210205. A #12 might work, but they don't seem to carry them. I'd say the #10 is the best bet, but wanted to mention that it did slide out at least once.

OK, some other comments. I'd really advise doing the above and buying on-line from HD, you will save a lot of time. I went to 2 local hardware stores first as I generally find them better at off the beaten path parts. Neither had it. Since i struck out 3 times (including the first time at HD), i bought the Triple Grip Anchor Cobra 173s mentioned in this thread instead. For me, they didn't work. Started off ok, but then ended up just spinning in place so no luck. But obviously worked for someone else so may be worth a shot if you can't find the expansion nuts - only issue is if the anchor starts spinning it can be tricky to get the screw back out.

Also, was tricky to get the seat off initally. One side was completely stuck. I tried cutting it off with a dremel tool (couldn't get an angle with the hacksaw), but the bolt kept spinning and i was also worried about scratching the porcelain. In the end i needed to drill off the head of the screw. As others said, the remainder just drops down.

Lastly, I got the Kohler kit (for free after complaining) a couple years ago. Completely worthless. I ended up just leaving it with a single anchor working (and dealing with the seat sliding around a bit) until the seat broke and I didn't have a choice. Which lead me to this thread.

Anyway, mainly wanted to say thanks for saving me from having to replace the whole toilet due to a terrible seat anchor design.
 

Dj2

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My simple $1 solution:
1. Cut off the existing bolts with a hacksaw.
2. Toggle bolts and washers.

No need to call Kohler.
 

sgordon25

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What about these?

Part Description:
TOT THU651N TOP MOUNT SEAT HARDWARE FOR SKIRTED TOILET | THU599; THU615; THU510; THU651S

http://www.guillens.com/index.jsp?path=product&part=144056&process=search&ds=dept&text=THU651N#

It looks like something that might work. Although I can't seem to find the actual specs on the pieces.


NOOOO!!! DON'T DO IT! I just spent EIGHT hours trying to remove the THU651N and ended up having to cut the screw heads off to get them out. They are intended to top mount and "never loosen", but they did loosen for me and getting them out was a nightmare.
 
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gfhauser

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I've got the same seat replacement problem with a Roasario Lite one-piece, K-3434-**-BB toilet. The hardware is removed, but the holes are roughly 5/8" in diameter. The 84999 piece just falls through to the floor, and it doesn't seem like a 10-32 plug would be big enough either. Anyone else ever encountered this? Thanks!
 

foo

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Replacing the toilet seat - another method




Thanks to everyone posting on this forum. Here were my steps:
Removing the Old Seat

  1. Tools to remove the bolt head: Dremel tool, extra cutting blades. I used a model 200 Dremel tool and "420" cutoff wheels.
  2. Tools to remove the bolt and mounting hw: Electric drill, 3/8" hole saw. I happened to have the hole saw from a different job. View attachment 20723 Eleven bucks for the set
  3. Tear off the old seat, use the dremel tool and blades to cut away the plastic, including the plastic under the bolt head. The washer should spin/move freely. This goes through the blades pretty quickly; a different type of blade might be better.
  4. Use the blade to cut off the head of the bolt. Use light pressure and high speed. After the bolt head flies off, do NOT pick it up right away. It is HOT.
  5. It will now look like this:
  6. View attachment 20724
  7. Use a small screwdriver or knife or whatever to chip away the grunge, now like:
  8. View attachment 20725
  9. The magic step. Use the hole drill, and in 30 seconds you will be through the mounting stuff; the bolt etc. will have fallen inside, and the hole will be clean:
  10. View attachment 20726

Mounting the New Seat

  1. Parts needed (I used what I could find at Home Depot): Triple Grip Anchor, Cobra 173s. 2 Stainless steel pan head (look at the picture, the head is flat on the bottom) sheet metal screws, #12 x 2". Pack of stainless steel washers, 1/4". I was paranoid about corrosion so I got stainless. View attachment 20727
  2. Gently tap in the anchors. They will just barely fit.
  3. Put on the seat
  4. Put a washer on each screw, put in the anchor, and tighten
Hi, I just wanted to post my experience with this fiasco:

DO NOT BOTHER WITH THE KOHLER KIT.

To remove the old bolts I used brute force. I searched YouTube and found a video (https://goo.gl/rRWSff) where someone uses a piece of plywood and a crowbar to remove the bolts. I did this with a flatbar and cardboard. It wasn't easy but it DID work.

For the new seat I bought the exact parts bposert mentions above and had no problem whatsoever mounting a regular American Standard seat.

Thanks to all in this forum, and I hope the info helps someone else down the road.
 
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