Sticking shower valve

I have a shower valve that is meant to be pulled out for water, then turned for either hot or cold water. Well, the pull out is sticking so much that my wife cannot get it pulled out so I have to help her (oooohh yeahhhh).
I've tried a silicone spray as well as wd40 but they don't last very long.
Any suggestions other than replacing the whole valve?

Take it apart, clean all the sliding surfaces(may need to use vinegar or TSP if its calsified), lube them with silicone grease and
reassemble. Should help. If not its new valve time.

You need to take it all apart and grease it with something like Dow Corning 111, or any Stop-cock grease. The bathroom
faucet at our cabin is like that, I have to grease it every year.

Take it apart. It is full of lime deposits.

A bit of an off topic response but here goes.

Years ago, most of the single- handle control shower valves were a more complex system. First, you had control of the water on - water off
feature by pulling the handle out or pushing it back in. But you also had spray pressure control, in other words as you pulled the control
handle out towards you fruther, the pressure of the water spray changed (stronger the further out the control was pulled). Then, there was
the 3rd control by turning the handle right or left to control the temperature.

Today, most of these are just really have the on-off control and the temperature control. The pull-out part simply opens or closes the
valve to a pre-set pressure (not sure if that can be adjusted somehow at the valve body itself). In other words, you have no real control
over the pressure of the water stream. Then, you still have the temperature control though by turning the handle left or right.

I installed one of the newer ones (a Moen) that was relatively inexpensive a few years back and found out to my disappointment that it
didn't have the water pressure control feature. Most of them were like that. I searched around and found a replacement that was like the
older types. They are more expensive of course but I like that feature.

If you're lucky, it's a Moen, with an easy to replace cartridge.
How to

There is such a thing as waterproof plumbing grease...

(quoted from post at 11:10:38 04/05/17) If you're lucky, it's a Moen, with an easy to replace cartridge.
How to

Click to expand...

Thanks Bob for the video. That is the exact same shower valve that I'm dealing with. I shall replace the cartridge and clean out any debris inside and hopefully don't have to replace the valve.

Moen has free lifetime replacement cartridges. Go to their website and fill out info and
they send them to you

Valve and Faucet Grease, in a tube, made for just that. Any hardware store, any Walmart. It lubes O-rings perfectly. I've used it for decades.

Mineral deposits. Vinegar.

Explain to me again why you want to fix it?

(quoted from post at 09:52:58 04/06/17) Explain to me again why you want to fix it?

Click to expand...

eah, if I could help my wife like that I wouldn't fix it!

wonder how I can get mine to stick...