Thetford 42070 aqua magic 2 toilet parts

[deerislandbrew]

I recently went to replace my bowl seal using this model toilet, the thetford aqua magic 2 42070. I heard people mention just buying a new base. No cleaning and your foot flush and water seals would be new. Great idea. I bought the listed replacement base, model 42137. It would NOT mate with the ceramic bowl due to the four locking tabs being to short. I have no idea why these tabs were manufactured to have a smaller profile. My other significant issue is a part not shown in any thetford literature. There is a plug part that fits into the waste hole just above the ball valve that provides a flat surface for the seal to sit on. If it wasn't there. I imagine the bowl seal would fall into the waste hole when flushing the toilet. Anyone encountered this problem?

 

[Stormin' Norm]

I happened to replace this exact toilet model base last week. I had a devil of a time getting them to mate, exactly as you described. However, I was eventually successful, only by placing porcelain bowl upside down on edge of a picnic table so that the rear lip would hang over the edge, and then installing new base on it that way. You get much better visibility to allow you to align the two holes where the screws go after rotating the base onto those maddeningly tight four lugs. Plus, you can exert more force pressing down the base in this manner.
The part you describe in the new base that mates to the new seal ring ((part P2 in the awful instruction sheet) was very difficult to keep in place as well, due to possibly being a tad out of round. I added extra silicone compound to the O-ring and got it to stay in place just long enough the press the new base down and hold it in place.
No leaks after a week of use. It can be done, but it's a frustrating job. Good luck!

 

[deerislandbrew]

I happened to replace this exact toilet model base last week. I had a devil of a time getting them to mate, exactly as you described. However, I was eventually successful, only by placing porcelain bowl upside down on edge of a picnic table so that the rear lip would hang over the edge, and then installing new base on it that way. You get much better visibility to allow you to align the two holes where the screws go after rotating the base onto those maddeningly tight four lugs. Plus, you can exert more force pressing down the base in this manner.
The part you describe in the new base that mates to the new seal ring ((part P2 in the awful instruction sheet) was very difficult to keep in place as well, due to possibly being a tad out of round. I added extra silicone compound to the O-ring and got it to stay in place just long enough the press the new base down and hold it in place.
No leaks after a week of use. It can be done, but it's a frustrating job. Good luck!

Please let me know,after a couple of weeks, if it holds water after replacing the seal. Mine is good for only about a week before it leaks out dry. I run a scrub brush through the seal and its good for several days, then leaks again. Frustrating. I replaced a used seal after cleaning once and it was good for two years. It sounds like you had the same base I did, where the locking tabs are too short and the opening not wide enough. Can you tell me the model number of the original and the number of the lower base you bought? Thetford is still not much help. They suggested squeezing the tabs to fit. I was pretty clear about the issue being the tabs need to be opened, not tighter. After 4 emails they still have not given me a part number for the retainer seal that the bowl seal sits on.