I made that mistake.
Packing nut washer for shut off valve.
Clean out any debris or hard water buildup.
Locate and shut off water supply to the line that feeds the leaking valve.
Pry off the faulty packing washer inside the packing nut.
Remove the handle from the stem and then fully loosen the packing nut and remove it.
The packing nut holds the hood packing washer in place and compresses it to seal the valve.
Over time though this packing material can harden or disintegrate.
Slide off the washer and put on a new one.
Next remove the handle from the stem and then loosen and remove the packing nut.
Remove the old washer and slide on the new one.
The stem will fit but do not attempt to replace the packing.
The likely culprit is the packing nut right below the.
When you turn the handle of this kind of faucet clockwise a threaded valve closes onto the water inlet to stop water flow.
Shut off valves can last for many years without working.
I wish i had only replaced the stem and not the packing.
First shut off the water to the leaking water valve.
You may need to shut off water to the entire house if there is no cut off.
A seat washer on the end of the valve makes the seal and on some models.
Replacing it with the 3 32 quot.
When tightened the packing nut on your main water shut off valve binds down the packing material against the washer to seal off water.
Place the new packing washer on the scrubbed surface inside the packing nut and slide it back over the valve stem.
If you develop a leak on one of the shutoff valves on your washing machine s water supply lines you may not need to replace the shutoff valve.
Use a socket wrench to remove the retainer nut and carefully lift off the faucet handle.
White teflon packing string is preferred.
Reinstall the packing nut tighten lightly with a wrench don t over tighten at this or any other point and reattach the handle.
You ll need to shut off the water running to this valve and that means going further down the line possibly to the water main for the house.
If it doesn t you can replace the washer or the packing nut.
And yes if your faucet has a washer under the packing nut it should be taken to the store and matched up to a replacement.
And when this happens it won t form a solid seal and will cause leaking.