Tub is about 50 years old, and I have a vague recollection of maybe adjusting the trip lever (which has no pop-up stopper) 5+ years ago. The lever is now stuck, water just barely drains.

Took off the 2 screws and plate and tried to pull up the assy. but minimal if any movement. Using pliers to pull might have increased the drainage slightly but I couldn't tell I was moving the plug any.

Thought I'd try spraying lubricant down the overflow, tomorrow, but if that doesn't work wondered about the next step.

Drain line is copper. Looks like brass (?) shoe could be removed from the "T" by loosening a large nut, but the other 2 lines to the T are screwed and sweated. Will taking off the shoe likely just show me the side of the drain plug and not really give me a way to move it?

If that's not a good idea, or doesn't work, is the next step cutting out the copper P trap, for access to the plug, from below?

Thanks.

Spray copious amounts of WD-40 down the drain, lubricants will probably do nothing, and let it set for a few hours then do it again. Tomorrow, grab the mechanism and try to pull it out. IF you had "moved it a little" it would have come out, because that is all you have to do the free it up.

depending on what you have available, I have found that if you can make a strong, long slender and flexible hook/pulling apparatus you can feed it down past the trip lever rods and grab the much stronger brass of the actual stopper across the center bar. Clothes hangers can work, but are kinda a pain unless it is good and heavy. make a V about 4 inches from the bottom of the wire or whatever and bend it closed. then open the V about a half to three quarters of an inch across the opening, making a barb shape like an arrow tip, or fish hook barb. roughly measure from the 'point' of the barb to the overflow and add about 6 inches and bend the wire or whatever 90 degrees. feed the wire down the overflow until about 2 inches from the 90 degree bend and pull up to try to catch it. If you don't grab it, turn it about 90 degrees and try again, if nothing grabs, go an inch deeper and repeat, etc. Once you have the stopper caught, the wire will be your pulling force, and you can make short hard tugs on the trip lever to see if the added force or vibration will break it loose. I have wrapped the wire around a crescent wrench handle to allow me to grip it firmly, and have had to stand up and pull with both hands, but it usually breaks free with little other effort. I don't recommend pulling that hard on the trip lever assembly as the metals are usually substandard on the lever, and often have plastic where the rod sections meet.



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A heavy wire bent as you described worked beautifully. Took a pretty hefty pull.

I've cleaned the corrosion/junk off the side of the brass plug and it now seems to slide easily in the pipe. Do you recommend lubing it with anything? Maybe silicone grease?

Thanks again.

a bi-annual 'pulling' and cleaning is good

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Silicone plumbers grease should keep it in good working order.

Ive just repaired that issue last week. It was very similar brass waste kit w plug stuck and broke away from linkage. I had to cut sheetrock wall remove upper part / overflow side of waste and then take long needle nose stick down and turn left and right to free up then it pulled out and I put back together less plug ! The house was a rental and it owner insisted no new stopper even lift and turn style so there is now a rubber piece for tub baths. Tub drains now though great.