Vanity Pop-Up Waste Outlet jammed shut

I have exactly the same thing at home and exactly the same problem. I used a bit of silicone grease...not more worries. I think the rubber seal on mine was getting stuck to the sides. Give it a good clean...maybe some metho and an old toothbrush (to clean off soap scum), rinse, grease, screw back on. Bang!

Well its fixed !! Success at long last
Heres what I did. I went down to the plumbers supply shop and asked to see one "in the flesh". He explained all the bits and how they assemble together , which once you know that, it makes life a little easier. I learnt that the whole inside brass assembly comes out by unscrewing the pole itself. Thats after you have unscrewed the chrome cap.
Sprayed more RP7 everywhere and filled the inside with boating grease. Next I put the spring inside and then screwed the small keyway screw back in.

Now the next part was tricky. There is a shaped, small wire "guide" about an inch long on the bottom end of the assembly which is held on to the pole by a small hole and a round wire circlip. You have to compress the whole assembly right down and put this wire up through the bottom hole untill it finds the groove which it is meant to go into. Not easy. After an hour or so, I come up with the idea of using the pedestal drill's vice to hold the assembly compressed while you have more free fingers to put the wire back in. Then put the circlip back on. Checked to make sure it all works and for once in weeks something finally went right. Installed the assembly back into the vanity and all is sweet again

SWMBO is out at the moment so she doesnt know it is fixed. When she comes home the first thing she'll do is visit the bathroom. She will no doubt use the vanity and tell me, hey look, it has fixed itself. derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.!!!!!!!!!
Neil.