Community Forums

Rick Coleman · 04-21-2008, 05:43 AM

I am in the market for a new towd and many of the cars that interest me are not approved to be towed 4-down. I'm particularly interested in a Lexus RX350 or an equivalent. I had a friend a few years back that towed a Lexus RX300 with a Remco pump and shortly after the 1-year warranty the transmission fried...and no warranty. A VERY expensive problem. What kind of success have you had with the pumps and what do you do for peace of mind after the year?

Thanks

Rick Coleman · 04-21-2008, 05:43 AM

I am in the market for a new towd and many of the cars that interest me are not approved to be towed 4-down. I'm particularly interested in a Lexus RX350 or an equivalent. I had a friend a few years back that towed a Lexus RX300 with a Remco pump and shortly after the 1-year warranty the transmission fried...and no warranty. A VERY expensive problem. What kind of success have you had with the pumps and what do you do for peace of mind after the year?

Thanks

OC-RV · 04-21-2008, 08:48 AM

Rick - we used to tow a small Chevy Cobalt but found that it was cramped and not comfortable. We have had an 04 Yukon Denali (all wheel drive) that was not towable without a Remco pump. We have now towed 11,000 miles almost trouble free. On two occasions the Remco's idiot light indicated a problem. Both instances were a poor electrical connection - easily corrected with WD-40. We stop freqently to stretch our legs and walk around the vehicles including listen to hear the Remco pump. We're happy with the versatility from the Remco pump. John

Davestoy · 04-21-2008, 01:38 PM

I have run the Remco pump since 2002. Has about 20,000 miles on it now. The only problem was a few years ago. The screws in the pump worked loose and was noisy, My installer used lock tite and the problem was solved

76dc · 04-22-2008, 01:29 AM

I towed with the Remco pump for over seven years and over 50,000 miles and never had a problem. I have been pulling Jeeps since 05 and put the pump in storage incase I purchase a non towable vehicle in futher.

Beabop · 04-22-2008, 05:20 PM

We have about 20,000 on the van with the pump.

Marv · 05-02-2008, 01:42 PM

We towed for about 30,000 miles over 3 years without any problems.
We thought we did at one time. Turned out that we had driven the car for several hours, than hooked up and immediately the warning sounded. Turned out the transmission fluid was hot from the drive and then immediately hooking up to motorhome triggered the alarm.
Marv

sparetire · 05-02-2008, 08:04 PM

I bought a 2006 Grand Caravan and installed a Remco Pump system on it in March of 2007. Just this past January the pump failed to produce the proper pressure in temperatures below 30 degrees, on the first trip of the day. The red light was on and I had to start the van to heat it up enough to get the fluid flowing well and get a stable green light. I called Remco and they had me test the pump. Sure enough it was bad and was told to send it in and they would send another out. They sent the new unit in a few days and charged my Visa account about $170.00 until they could check my pump out to see if I had tested it correctly, fine enough by me. My complaint is that it took over a month for someone to test the pump and then I had to gripe about getting my refund. It took about 6 weeks and I feel that if I'd not pushed it, it may have been "forgotten" altogether. The other thing I didn't get a great feeling about is when I initially called, they were adamant that if the pump was even just out of warranty (I originally thought I bought it in late February, which waould have been a few days out of warranty, but thankfully I was wrong about that) the pump would not be covered.
Now I know there are rules, but THAT just smacked of cheap and not customer oriented to me. They knew I had spent over $1,800 for my entire system including towbar, baseplate, light kit, etc, and were still horsey about it! My advice is this, I think it is a great system. Evidently they have had some problems with pumps. I got the feeling the way I was treated that they had cash flow problems. Do not purchase this unit until you are not only ready to install, but are ready to give the thing a good workout. Our pump had only about 900 actual miles on it when it failed. The new pump has over 5,000 miles on it and is working well.

Happy travels,
Sparetire

Tom N · 05-03-2008, 04:57 AM

Is the Remco pump model specific??

How much does a Remco pump cost??

Will it run down the battery??

-Tom

Our Time · 05-03-2008, 05:18 AM

The Remco pump is not model specific. One size fits all. As for cost, I believe the pump itself is about $190.00 but it is usually sold as a kit so the price varies. The pump gets the power from the harness to the coach. It is not connected to the toad electrical system in any way. I happenen to live at the Remco main office and factory, and as previously stated they can really be hard to get a refund from. I had to physcially stand in the office to get any results. Phone calls often went ignored. The general manager is NOT a customer friendly guy, to say the least. I have towed over 12000 miles with the Remco system and it has worked well.

Tom N · 05-03-2008, 08:44 AM

Remco's online Product List has been down for a long time.

I asked because my friend has a Remco pump he used ~10 years ago.

I see from Remco's website the pump is powered from the towing vehicle.

I know the pump goes in the line between the trany and the cooler. Which line, the output or the return??

When driving the towed vehicle does the fluid just pass through the pump??

-Tom

Our Time · 05-03-2008, 09:55 AM

The pump picks up fluid from the drain plug or tap they put in the tanny pan and pumps it back through the oil cooler line. A valve closes when the pump is not powered which basically takes it out of the loop. So when driving the toad, the pump does not run therefore stopping the fluid flow. Good questions!

ctcamper · 05-08-2008, 04:30 AM

I used one for about 12000 miles with no problems.
There is a control box that mounts under the dashboard and is connected to the chassis battery in the front of the coach. When activated it sends power back through a pair of wires to the two vehicle and that will energize a solenoid operated valve that directs the transmission fluid through the pump. It also powers the 12 volt fluid pump.
I did have one problem with the buzzer in the control box. It failed and they did not have any parts so they wanted to charge me for a new unit. Apparently, they have the control box built for them from another outfit. Useing the numerical codes on the pc board I was able to track down the firm that made the controller but I was unable to obtain a part. I did find and exact buzzer but it was a chinese factory and they required a bulk purchase of the product. I ended up using a generic buzzer from a local electronics supply house.
The second problem with Remco was at the initial purchase point. I ordered the pump through Camping World and they had it shipped from Remco. It was missing the hardware bag that contained the screws and hose fittings. I called Remco and had an extremely difficult time getting them to send new hardware. Then they mailed the wrong bag They sent me one for the driveshaft disconnect instead of the lube pump. More hassle on the phone and two weeks later I finally had the appropriate hardware.
But when all was said and done it did do it's job. When I replaced the toad recently I refused to buy one that would require a pump or disconnect. If you have an older car or a very cost effective used one, I would say the pump is a good solution, but there are too many towable cars out there otherwise.

moisheh · 05-08-2008, 01:27 PM

The pumps ARE model specific. I think they make about 4 different pumps. Their customer service is horrible. Doent matter what goes wrong it is not their fault. If your tranny fails while the pump is inder warranty you have to send the tranny to Remco before they will pay!!!!

Moisheh