bathroomsink
I unscrewed the nut holding on the pivot rod assembly under my bathroom sink and noticed what you see in the picture. It appears that the rod is encased in some kind of cork substance.
I am not sure if it can be replaced. Is it possible that the rod can be moved forward so I can reattach it to the stopper. I'm doing all of this because it rusted through and won't attach to the stopper as of now.
Hesitant to move forward without some guidance.
Don't bother with all that, just remove the U shaped pipe (The Trap) which should be a pressure fitting that can be easily unscrewed without any tools. Most of the crap will be in that U part of the pipe, the rest you can get out by sticking something like a toilet brush or pipe cleaner up the exposed pipe.
BTW: Be sure to put a bucket under the pipe before you unscrew it, some nasty water will likely leak out.
As for that pivot nut, if you really want to remove it, it USUALLY is easy enough to unscrew with your bare fingers, but if it is rusted you can use a pair of channel lock pliers. If it is just spinning however, it may be all the way off the threads and you just need to pull it back. It is attached to a rod that pivots in the middle of the pipe. You might need to shake it a little to get it loose, it will also probably help to detach the rod that goes from the sink stopper pull to that nut since it will get in the way.
If you have actually snapped the rod but have enough length to spare you should be able to move it forwards, however are you sure this has happened?
The reason I ask is that I had similar symptoms, but all that had happened is that the rod had slipped back through the clevis strap so it no longer connected with the stopper. The clip holding it to the strap made it look like it was just broken, but I eventually figured it out.
Admittedly, on mine there is no hook holding the rod to the stopper, it simply pushes the stopper up, and gravity lets it fall again when you pull the plunger up.
Best Answer
What you're looking at is corrosion, not a packing substance. You want to pull the rod out and if it's reusable clean it up with a decalcifying agent. Try vinegar but you might need something stronger like Kaboom or Limeaway. Since it's not engaging the stopper it might be beyond repair in which case you'll need to replace the rod assembly and depending what you find when you open the drain the entire stopper assembly might need replacing.