Shower valve diverts little water to shower head

[Thad]

Brand new owner of a 1979 house in Florida. I have changed valves on plumbing in the past. This one baffles me. When the valve is filly open, only ~20% of the water comes out the shower head. So I remove the handle and the grommet. The brass piece in the back is TIGHT that I wonder if that hex piece (in the back) can actually be turned. Aside from WD-40, any hints on how to get it loose without breaking anything else. I should be able to loosen it, right?

 

[Terry]

How about a picture of the handles?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Sylvan]

gerber?

 

[Sylvan]

Put the hex nut back in place so you do not damage (crush) the female fitting then buy a socket remover
Looks like Gerber

 

[Thad]

Yes. I re-assembled and managed to remove the divert valve with some WD40. I found a replacement valve. However, I still have the same result (minimal shower water) with the new valve. The new valve has 2 additional white seals, but the extra seals don't seem to help any to divert all the water to the shower head. I removed the shower head in case there was blockage there. Now, about 40% of the water goes through the shower pipe with the divert valve trying to shower at 100%.

 

[Terry]

The loose white washer on the diverter is what helps to divert water upward. At least for Price Phister three handle faucets.

 

[Sylvan]

Did you check the shower head for debris or a flow restrictor

 

[Thad]

@Terry , I clamped the smaller white washer by snugging the valve before I inserted it. I centered it as much as I could. This seems like an unusual design unless the white washer against another surface. The larger washer was placed on the seating surface. Please see attached picture for the new valve that was installed. Both white washers were not present when the old valve was removed.

@Sylvan I removed the shower head completely, but I have not run a snake down the shower pipe.

UPDATE: Now that I know the terms to search, I found another thread that had a similar experience. I will obtain a second nylon washer (or thicker one)

https://terrylove.com/forums/index....x-the-price-pfister-bath-diverter-stem.44702/