How can I repair my toilet

[Michael]

My toilet has given up the ghost and I'm a novice at plumbing so please excuse the lack of proper terminology. To get to the chase I ned to replace the mechanism inside the cistern. Handle and inlet valve are ok but the system is close coupled and I cannot get at the bottom of the cistern to take off the old one and put the new one on. I've disconnected the inlet and overflow pipes, and it' just a matter now of separating the cistern from the toilet pan

TIA

[Dave Liquorice]

Have you tried just lifting the cistern? Flush it first to make it considerably lighter. You'll probably need a new "doughnut" when you have changed the siphon and come to put the cistern back on the pan.