Kohler Genuine Parts GP77759 Rite-Temp Mixer Cap Kit for Pressure Balance 1/2-in Shower Valve

Needed part for my plumbing needs

I replaced the old mixer cap and the o-rings on the pressure balancer and it fixed my slow shower drip. I did not replace the old pressure balancer unit. I had some trouble replacing the mixer cap however, which I'll now describe in case it helps someone else. The two machine screws that hold the white plastic retainer (part # 1006026) thread into both the metal flange on the mixer cap and also the brass valve housing that is in the wall. This is a no-no in mechanical engineering. It causes the two machine screws to bind as you tighten them to hold the retainer on. In my case, the 6 o'clock screw had also corroded/rusted a little over the years as any drip of water or condensation behind the faucet plate will find it's way down to the bottom where this screw is. I could not remove the screw (it was stuck). The Philips head kept slipping and stripped out some. I tried a screw-out bit in my drill, but could not get a good perpendicular angle with the drill because of interference from the mixer cap and white retainer, so all this did was strip out the rest of the screw head. I should have tried the impact screw driver I have instead of the screw-out bit, but I didn't think to try this at the time and also have some hindsight concerns now about impact hitting this screw in the brass valve housing unit in the wall and possibly breaking a pipe or something that would cost big bucks to repair. I then tried grabbing the screw head with needle-nose vice grip pliers but couldn't turn the screw and the pliers kept slipping off. Tried all sorts of pliers with no luck. Eventually I just broke off the remains of the screw head (there was not much left of it by this point), thinking I'd then be able to remove the white plastic retainer (part # 1006026) and get a better grip on the remains of the machine screw with pliers. Nope. The retainer ring doesn't come off easily as other reviewers have commented. I was worried about prying it off in the wall and breaking something that would leave my house without water (my shower has no separate shutoffs, so I had the main water valve shut off when doing the work). I ended up having to cut the metal flange tab off of the cap using a rotary tool and a cutting disc. This took some effort and multiple cutting discs (as the discs kept fracturing - a common problem when working with these discs). The white retainer that I couldn't remove also interfered with the rotary tool and made the cutting process more difficult. Once the tab for the stuck screw was off, I could remove the mixer cap from the wall. This exposed a good 1/4+ inch of the broken machine screw, and I was able to grab it with regular small vice grips. Much to my relief, with the binding pressure on the screw from the now removed mixer cap flange gone, the screw turned with little effort and I was able to get it out. I had bought a new retainer on Amazon for 6 bucks before cutting off the old metal flange and reaching the point of no return on the work, and installed it along with the new mixer cap and o-rings (which Kohler had sent me at no charge under the lifetime warranty - thank you Kohler!). I also bought two new stainless steel machine screws at the hardware store for the retainer ring instead of the original zinc plated screws that kohler uses. Before installing the new mixer cap, I considered drilling out the threaded holes on the.flange for the two screws that hold the white retainer in place, but I don't know what weird design kohler may have done so I was afraid something might leak (even though the mixer cap itself is held in place by two stainless steel screws at 3 and 9 o'clock). I just left it as is, and hopefully the stainless steel machine screws won't corrode and get stuck the way it did on me this time. Actually I hope I don't need to replace the mixer cap again! Anyway, the shower drip is fixed, and I fortunately didn't need to call a plumber and have drywall removed to expose and replace the entire shower control unit in the wall.

Had a old shower assembly and I was worried if I will get a perfect match of parts. It was easy and the was able to fix the shower. Really suggest Kohler to provide videos of these which will help!

Ecaxtly match and good quality.my customer is happy now

This is the 5th time I have replaced this valve. So far it has been holding but let's see how it holds six months from now. I am disappointed on the performance of this valve. Let's hope it is better than the last four (4) I have replaced for leaks.