You should still be able to get the cartridge out. In your bottom left picture, there's a little copper-colored tab sticking out (between 12 and 1 O'Clock, to the left of the threaded hole.) You pull that out straight up and then the cartridge pulls out toward you. I would think a pair of pliers would work for that. Then what I do is take it to the hardware store and compare side-to-side and find the match.
Answer from Duston on Stack ExchangeVideos
I turned the water off (!), removed the handle, sheath, etc. I managed to get the cartridge clip (?) out from the top.
I’m now trying to pull the cartridge straight out, but I can’t get it to budge.
The whole system of pipes is moving, and I feel like I’m going to create a catastrophic problem if I keep pulling.
Am I missing something that needs to be done first? Am I just weak? 🥺
Thanks in advance!
I have a Moen bathroom sink faucet Model Number 4570. It has been in place for about 25 years. I am the original owner. The cold water faucet finally failed and I ordered new parts from Moen (the cartridge plus various adapters and also their tool to aid in removing a cartridge nut. After removing the faucet handle and the cartridge nut, I then tried to extract the cartridge using needle nosed pliers as per the Moen instructions. After being in place for 25 years, it did not want to budge (not surprising).
I then looked on the internet to see if anyone else had experienced this problem and it looks like it has been a common problem. I read all the suggestions and tried putting vinegar on it to no avail. I was impressed with one proposal from an engineer in which he suggested attacking it from the underside by disconnecting the tubing and inserting a 5/8” rod and tapping it with a hammer.
I am 82 years old (also a retired engineer) and I did not feel like getting under the sink. I then tried to attack it from the top. I fashioned a loop out of some old pipe strap I had and I was able to attach the loop to the top of the cartridge with the screw that is used to attach the top extension to the cartridge. I then fashioned a lever arrangement using a block of wood and the lever that goes on my floor jack. See the attached photos. With this arrangement, the cartridge just popped out with very little effort.
Here is a photo of the Pipe Strap loop that I attached to the top of the cartridge. This photo shows the cartridge after extraction.
This photo shows the arrangement of the lever with the cartridge still in the housing.
I added some extra silicone to the two “O” rings on the new cartridge and then inserted the cartridge and finished the job. The valve turns extremely easily – maybe I did not need the extra silicone. Moen was very helpful in sending the parts (at no charge since I was the original owner).
There is a cartridge removal tool you can use, I have never failed to get a cartridge out when resorting to it:
You can often borrow or rent this tool from a reputable plumbing shop (note importance of "plumbing shop", don't even waste your time at the big-box stores). There are other tools you will see, but they do not work as well as the one pictured.