If the spring clamp broke, congratulations! You just saved yourself a ton of time and effort. Just replace the spring clamp and the stopper should work just fine. Spring clamps look like this. Find one for your faucet brand.
Depending on how much stuff you have under the sink, you may want to clear everything out and set it aside to make room to work.
If there’s nothing wrong with your lift rod, leave it in place. You can probably reuse it. A sink stopper replacement kit will come with a new extension bar and lift rod if there is something wrong with the lift rod.
You may be able to reuse the drain stopper, but it’s probably going to be extremely dirty. Soak it in a bowl of vinegar for 30 minutes and then rinse it off if you want to reuse it. Scrub it with an old toothbrush if necessary. [5] X Research source
If you’re only replacing the stopper mechanism components, skip down to the third section. You don’t have to take the drain out so long as it appears to be in good working order and your replacement kit matches the opening of the sink. However, you may want to replace the whole thing if it’s especially old or you can’t find a kit that fits the sink’s collar.
You should be able to gently slide the pipes apart without damaging anything, but don’t be too aggressive. If you’re worried about breaking something, undo the other end of the trap where it connects to the pipe leading into the wall.
If the whole sink drain spins when you try to turn the locknut, hold the drain pipe with one hand while twisting with the other. Some sink drain locknuts have screws that need to be removed first. Remove the screws and then pull off the housing to access the compression fitting.
Clear away the old putty residue in the sink bowl with a plastic putty knife and a wet rag.
If your other pipes are PVC, get a PVC drain pipe kit. If the pipes are metal, go with a metal kit. Don’t mix and match. Unless your setup is on the older side, the sink opening is probably 1. 25 inches (3. 2 cm) in diameter and the pipes will be 1. 5 inches (3. 8 cm).
Make sure you’ve removed any old putty from the sink with wet rags and a plastic putty knife first.
Use as much pressure as necessary until the rim around the sink opening is flush with the basin around it. Don’t be shy about pushing and pulling down on the pipe! It can take a fair bit of pressure. You won’t break anything.
If you have a bell washer strainer, slide the bell housing over the sink drain and wrench-tighten the nut that fits onto the exposed sink drain threads at the bottom.
You can also wrap Teflon tape around the threads, but pipe joint compound provides superior leak protection. If your sink drain kit has a metal tailpipe, the exposed threads may be on the P-trap instead of the sink drain. If so, smear the pipe joint compound on the exposed P-trap threads instead.
If you need help picturing this, drop the lift handle down through the opening in the faucet fixture. If necessary, you can also temporarily attach the extension bar with the screw that connects them at the clevis.
If the pipe is too long, use a hacksaw or pipe cutter to trim off some of the pipe.
Once the rod is connected, lifting the stopper behind the faucet will pull down on the stopper.
Don’t tighten the clamp as hard as you can; just apply enough pressure to hold the rod and bar in place. This is the hardest part of the process—getting the rod and bar to the right height where the stopper will open and close correctly.
Don’t get frustrated. It can be annoying trying to line the rod up at the right height, but you will eventually get it right. Once you’ve got the rod configured right, tighten the clamp completely to close the connection.
