There could be a number of problems here and you will not be able to fully assess the damage until you have the toilet lifted and you can actually see the floor and closet flange.

Before you begin you should get a new set of Toilet Mount Bolts and a new wax ring. You can get both the bolts and the wax ring at any local hardware store. (The bolts will cost approximately $2 and the wax ring will be another $1 to $2 depending upon whether you select a common wax ring or one with a plastic guide horn.)

Before you begin turn the toilet supply water off at the angle stop, then flush the toilet to drain the water from the tank. (At this point I like to use an old styrofoam coffee cup and a sponge to get the last of the residual water out of the tank.)

Use a toilet plunger to force as much of the water in the bowl down the drain as you can. You can now lift the toilet and set it aside. I like to open a large trash bag and lay it on the floor beside the toilet with the open side up. When you lift the toilet you can then set it down on the trashbag then slip the bag up around the toilet before moving it. The bag will catch any water that may remain in the trap and prevent a mess on the floor. I then set the toilet down on its back in the tub. This will keep the toilet out of the way and any remaining water in the toilet that may leak will go down the tub drain without any mess.

Once you have the toilet moved aside you can now check the floor & subfloor for water damage or dry rot and repair as necessary.

Now take a putty knife and remove as much of the old wax ring wax as you can from the top of the closet flange. Pay particular attention to the inside drain opening to make sure there is not an old wax ring plastic guide horn stuck in there. (I like to open the new wax ring and set it aside, then you can use the box to discard the old wax you remove, again preventing a mess.)

Now check the closet flange carefully to make sure it is tight and there is no broken segments on the bolt slot ring. If the slot ring is broken you can get a two piece repair flange that will fit directly under the existing flange and is bolted into place, then you can install the new toilet mount bolts to the repair flange.

Check the vertical height of the closet flange. Properly the unside of the flange should be flush with the finished floor which leaves the top surface about 1/4" to 3/8" above the finished floor. (The plumbing code prohibits the top surface from being flush with or recessed below the finished floor.) If the top is recessed you can get a buildup flange that sets on top of the existing flange to build it up to the proper height. If the flange is too high you may be able to adjust the pipe hangers to lower it a bit or you may need to make a build up pad under the toilet.

You are correct in how to adjust the tank for level by adjusting the tank to bowl mount bolts however here again the bolts may be too corroded to unscrew. You can get a new set of "Tank to Bowl" bolts at any hardware for about $3. I would also suggest getting a new tank to bowl donut gasket (About $1) and a small tube of clear silicone sealant.

If the bolts are severely corroded you can use the minihacksaw to reach in between the tank and the bowl and cut the old bolts out. You can then lift the tank off the bowl and remove the old tank to bowl donut gasket. Apply a light film of silicone to the upper side (flat side) of the new donut gasket and fit it over the base of the flush valve on the bottom of the tank.

Look on the inside of the tank and make sure the surface around the bolt holes is clean and free of debris or peices of old gasket material. Locate one new mount bolt and a rubber gasket. Apply a thin film of silicone on the underside of the bolt head and slid the bolt throught the gasket until the gasket is tight against the underside of the bolt head. Prepare the second bolt in the same manner. Some tank to bowl bolt sets have two nuts and washers for each bolt. If so, apply a bit of silicone sealer on the underside of the rubber gasket under the bolt head and insert the bolt through the hole from the inside of the tank, then slip a brass washer and a nut on the bolt and tighten the bolt to the tank. This will insure a good seal and prevent any water leaks. ( When i buy the bolts if they do not come with the second washer and nut I buy two brass nuts and washers separately.)

Now apply a light film of silicone on the bottom mating surface of the tank to bowl donut gasket and set the tank in place on the bowl with the tank to bowl bolts protruding through the top of the bowl. On the underside of the bowl you slip a washer on the bolt, then install a nut and run it up finger tight to the underside of the bowl flange. Repeat the process to install the second bolt then you may tighten the bolts carefully to insure the tank to bowl gasket is tight and the tank is level.

You stated that the existing bolts are severely rusted so it is very unlikely that you will be able to unscrew them. The easy solution would be to rock the bowl to the opposite side as much as the bolts will permit then insert the blade of a MINI-HACKSAW between the underside of the toilet base and the floor and cut the bolt off then repeat this on the opposite side.

thanks!

I will pick up everything and fix this later this week. My son will be out of town starting Saturday, so i can take this bathroom out of service for a day or so if needed.

I will post back if i need further assistance.

Today we are replacing a disabled toilet. It leaks and it also leaks down at the base where it's cracked at, so we're just going to replace the whole entire thing. If you buy a toilet that is- it's called a toilet in a box. It has everything you need to replace it, the seat, and the bolts and everything. Most important to remember is you want to clean around the toilet and the toilet with disinfectant or just pure bleach. And you want to remember to clean the whole entire three feet around it because you don't want to cut yourself.

And then, while that's doing its job you want to drain out all the water in the toilet. So you want to turn off the valve right here. If your valve doesn't turn off, you can either turn it off at the street or call a plumber. If you flush it and then hold it, hold the handle up until it stops draining water. And then you're going to fill up any bucket or anything with about two gallons of water because the toilet always retains some water. You want to pour it into the bottom of the toilet and it will flush the rest of the water out. It will however keep about a gallon in the pee trap. So when you carry it out you want to make sure that you have it level. Because if you don't have it level, it's going to spill out the rest of the water. And that's how you would prepare the area to remove a broken toilet.

Here is a link that might be useful: toilet repair help

Regardless of your needs, installing a new toilet or replacing one that has seen better days is relatively easy. There are just a few steps and it can all be completed in one day.

Selecting a new toilet

In most states across the Untied States, new toilets must allow for only one and a half gallons of water to flush at one time. This not only saves the environment with every flush, it also saves you each month with your water bill. You will find that most community building codes also require these new toilets. It is always best to check with your local community before installing the new toilet. The only thing left is to choose a style or color that best suits your family, needs and interior design scheme of your bathroom.

Getting started

If you are installing a new toilet in a new location where one did not exist before you can skip this part. Replacing an old toilet has only a couple of extra steps from installing a toilet in a new location.

Before you try to remove the old toilet, you need to be sure the water has been shut off. Behind the toilet (and sometimes hidden in the base cabinet adjacent to the toilet) is the water shut off valve. If you remember the old phrase, "Lefty Lucy Righty Tighty", you will be able to know which way to turn the valve to cut off the water supply. Turn to the right to close the valve. You will need to be sure the water is turned off and you will need to empty the tank, so flush the toilet twice. This helps to ensure you got most of the water out. There will be a bit of remaining water in the tank so have towels or news paper on the floor to help mop up the water when the tank is removed.

Removing the old tank

Follow the water supply cut off valve to the tank of the toilet. Take an adjustable wrench and clamp it onto the outside supply tubing on the coupling nut. With a pair of rib joint pliers, inside the tank, grab the other nut and turn left to loosen. You may need to hold the outside nut and adjustable wrench with your other hand to stabilize.

Once you have the water supply disconnected, it is time to remove the tank. With the same technique you just used to remove the supply line, you need to hold the mounting bolt nut under the tank, while inside the tank you unscrew the mounting bolt from the main body of the toilet. This will release the tank. Simply set the tank on the floor with some form of cushion to protect your flooring. Newspaper or old towels will do just fine.

Next you will need to remove the floor bolts that hold the main toilet body to the floor. Once you have these off, it is time to pull the toilet off the floor. The toilet is attached not only by the floor bolts, but also by adhesive. You will need to rock the toilet back and forth while leaning it forward to pry it loose.

Once the old toilet has been removed stuff a rag into the exposed pipe. This helps keep the sewer gasses from entering the room and keeps objects from falling into it. You can use a paint scraper or any flat tool to scrape the old adhesive remains from the floor and pipe gasket. Try to clean as well as possible as this will help with better adhesion for the new toilet.

Installing a new toilet

If you are installing a new fixture where there was no fixture before, supply line pipes will need to be installed. You will need to call a professional plumber to do this for you as it is very involved and dangerous. Once you have the pipes installed, installing the new fixture is a snap!

Lay some newspaper or old towels on the floor. Flip the new fixture over and lay down on the paper or towel to protect your flooring and to expose the underside. The underside of the toilet will have a hole, called a horn. This is where the water leaves the toilet to the sewer. You need to place a new wax gasket on this horn. Most new toilets come with this wax gasket.

Flip the bowl back over and place the horn of the toilet into the floor pipe. Rocking it back and forth will help insure of a good fit. Once you have the toilet bowl in place, you will need to level it while attaching the floor bolts at the same time. To do this, place the bolts through the holes into the floor loosely. With a level on top of the bowl, slowly tighten the floor bolts. You want the bowl to be tight to the floor, but not too tight as to crack the porcelain of the bowl. If you are unable to level the bowl and have the floor bolts tight at the same time, you may need small plastic shims to level the bow.

Attaching the tank

Some new toilets are one piece, meaning the tank and the bowl are not separated into two parts. However traditionally toilets do have a separate tank. Attaching the tank is even easier than the bowl.

Your new toilet will come with a flush valve, this is the mechanical contraption that fits inside your tank that attaches to the handle outside of the tank, and flushes the water. Assemble this according to the manufacturer instructions and attach inside your tank before installing the tank.

Your tank should come with a mounting cushion. This is a rubber piece that is laid under the tank to protect the tank from rubbing against the bowl, subsequently cracking either one. Lay the tank onto the bowl, being careful to position the two bolt holes over the matching holes underneath. Insert the mounting bolts and tighten. There may be gaps where your mounting bolts are, so you will need to fill any gaps with plumberÂs putty, available at any hardware store.

The only thing left is to hook up the water supply. Take the water supply line and screw to the bottom of the tank. Turn the water supply valve back on and flush! Congratulations! You have just installed your first toilet!

What am I missing here? It been a year since the OP queried.

I just want to say again: low flow toilets required by the Congress of the United States of America are stupid. No; damned stupid. You arent doing a thing for the environment on every flush. In fact, you are taxing it.

Sewer systems thrive on water. People who want less of it used are wrong, wrong, wrong. And some of them are a year late.

Worse yet, they may be a year early. You heard how the elections turned out didnt you? Well get ready. A lot of crap that works in D.C. wont make in it fly-over country. The notion that a 1.6 gal. /flush toilet is good overlooks that fact that the sewer it drains into needs a heck of lot more water.

Those of you who run several minutes of water to get to HOT: Thanks. Youre making the world a better place to live. You are the folk who make our sewage systems work the way they must.

If you are afraid of the world running out of water, relax. You need to visit New Orleans. But dont stay too long. Theyre still trying to separate the bodies from the waste water.

A little irreverent and unfeeling, I admit. The real message is, water always wins every contest. When Congress goes up against that and it becomes law, it just means that more lawyers than ever before need diapers.

Pinoke

In the 1935 brick house there is an "old" toilet with "BOLTON" name on it. I'm not sure how OLD the toilet "commode" is, but I can't seem to find anything on "BOLTON" toilets, commodes or bathrooms. I wonder why? Is it a British equipment that's been for some weird reason imported to South Carolina? The plumber suggested replacing it with a new toilet. Is this BOLTON toilet a valuable "commodeity"? It looks nice, kind of on the expensive end and recently it started giving trouble. Is there a reselling value to such "old" toilets? The plumber says the handle is odd and they can't repair it, but I really ike the toilet style and the fact that it could be 30 to 70 years old. The toilet looks modern as if it was just 5-10 years old. But my search for "BOLTON" (toilets) has brought zero results. Weird.....

If you want parts, you might try a salvage place. They come in several varieties in the DC/Baltimore area, including one's with old toilets and other fixtures all over the place.