Pump vs disconnect

[T_bone1]

Just got a 2013 Toyota Tacoma double cab,auto trans..am trying to decide best way to tow,,trans pump or driveline disconnect..any input is appreciated..

[brobox]

j-d wrote:
Chuck, I'm sorry this is how your toad worked out. We crossed when I was looking for a towable pickup and you were pleased with your setup at the time. I wanted a manual shift Tacoma and they didn't recommend towing so I went with a Frontier.

I remember us PM'ing a few years ago. The first year the disconnected worked perfect, after that it has been nothing but trouble. I wish it did work, I love towing the Tacoma, but the disconnect has really been a let down. We will be ordering a new Entegra soon, so a new toad to match will be purchased, but this time, factory towable.

[j-d]

Chuck, I'm sorry this is how your toad worked out. We crossed when I was looking for a towable pickup and you were pleased with your setup at the time. I wanted a manual shift Tacoma and they didn't recommend towing so I went with a Frontier.

[brobox]

I have a Tacoma with a drive shaft disconnect and the disconnect is absolute JUNK! I am currently waiting parts to rebuild it for the THIRD time. This is the last time and I will be changing toads. If I didn't need the toad next month, it would be in the trash instead of waiting for a bearing. Save yourself the aggravation and being stuck without a toad and forget about the disconnect.

Forgot to mention....Bumpy is right, you DO have to spray cleaner and silicone spray every time you unhook and hook up. I had to have the drive shaft removed and taken apart to get a pebble out of the disconnect gear. The disconnect is terrible.!! I will be trading my Tacoma for a towable PU very soon. I love the Tacoma...HATE the disconnect.

Edit: I just saw that you have already installed the disconnect. I hope you have better luck with yours than I have with mine. A tip: watch for "Brake and Parts Cleaner" spray cans on sale at the auto parts stores and stock up. I use one or two cans per trip to keep the slide gear clean or it will not work. After the cleaning, spray with silicone so it slides easy or your cable will jam and bend.

[T_bone1]

Got the lite bar built and it works well..I even put a license plate lite on it!!Thanks a gain J Bragg..

[T_bone1]

Am going with the disconnect at DRIVESHAFT KING in Dallas,installed the base plates yesterday and have ran the wiring for tail lights,will install removable tail light bar when lights come in from amazon,how is that for a long sentence?Thanks to J R Bragg for his help!

[j-d]

I'd choose driveshaft disconnect for the reason above. Less $ downside risk. Proper maintenance should let the disconnect work OK.
And, I'm not sure there'll be a choice. When I look this truck up on REMCO, no Pump is offered, and the site says "may need a driveshaft disconnect" then refers to a couple vendors. Drive Shaft King OR Southwest Drivelines.

[willald]

..Having owned, towed a vehicle with a Remco lube pump, and knowing what I now know.....Kind of a tough decision, picking which of the two is the lesser evil.

Bad thing about the lube pump: If it fails or leaks, there is potential for a LOT of damage to be done to the transmission very quickly. In fairness to the Remco pump, Remco's monitor panel and pressure sensor they use (when installed correctly) reduces that risk considerably, but the risk is still there. If a hose springs a leak, for example...Yes, the monitor panel would let you know, but if a hose springs a 'geyser' leak like ours did once in the driveway...I'm not sure if that happened on the highway that you could get the pump shut off and pulled over safely before the transmission would have sustained some expensive damage.

Based on what I've read about the driveshaft disconnect and the issues some folks have with them, the good thing is there's not quite as much damage potential there. There is, however, a lot more overall 'PITA' in everyday use, in having to engage and dis-engage it, and the maintenance (lubbing, cleaning) it requires.

On a brand new vehicle like is the case here, and its too late to get one thats flat towable without one of these devices....I think I'd opt for the driveshaft disconnect as the 'lesser evil', just out of fear for what a transmission repair on a new one like that could cost.

[John_Wayne]

I have a disconnect and very seldom have to do the re-engage when the engine is running. After unhooking just put your shoulder against the door jam and push back wards while pushing the cable to re-engage the driveshaft.
Mine is also a 4X4 and no trouble using the disconnect before or after off-roading. Guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

[Bumpyroad]

I forgot to mention before buying/installing a drive shaft disconnect, find somebody who will let you operate their vehicle to see how they like it. to re-engage it, you have to jam a fixed spline thingy into a rotating splined thingy which sort of sounds like using an osterizer to grind up ice.
and while driving with it engaged, be on the listen for a ping/ping/ping sound which you will hear shortly before it disengages on you.
I traded my S-10 in on my Dakota PU and later saw somebody driving it around town. I had an urge to ask him if he had ever been surprised with it jumping out of mesh. 🙂
bumpy

[FIRE_UP]

Bumpyroad wrote:
I had a drive shaft disconnect on my S-10 pu, hated it. would be ok if you are willing to continuously crawl underneath to clean, oil, etc. the darn thing. IMHO you made a horrible decision to buy a potential toad that needs such modification, but that was your decision.
every time I post this somebody claims that they don't have to crawl beneath theirs to service it. I would like to see them some times cause their arms have to be at least 5 feet long.
bumpy

This is the issue that was/is reported by many, many users of the disconnect. I've never owned one and never will but, if you tow on completely clean, vacuumed roads with no mud, rain, debris, and any other possible contaminate that can get onto and into those splines, then you may have had some better luck with actually "reconnecting" them after a long days towing.

But, many have had to do what Bumpyroad has had to do and that's get under the toad and clean the splines so that the unit will engage and you can then drive it away from the coach. As for the pump, well, I just don't feel like taking a chance on them either. I don't know what, if any failure rate there is on those pumps but, I personally just don't feel like taking the chance on damaging any transmission because the "one and only one failed was hooked to my car" type thing and, then, trying to deal with either entity, i.e. the auto manufacturer of the vehicle the pump was used on or, Remco, the pump manufacturer, trying to get someone to pay for three or four thousand dollars worth of damage.

So, to us, it was very simple. BUT A VEHICLE THAT CAN BE FLAT TOWED. But, the OP already has his vehicle. So, he'll have to pick which way he equips it to tow.
Scott

[T_bone1]

I had one on my Ranger for 11 years,no problems .

[Bumpyroad]

I had a drive shaft disconnect on my S-10 pu, hated it. would be ok if you are willing to continuously crawl underneath to clean, oil, etc. the darn thing. IMHO you made a horrible decision to buy a potential toad that needs such modification, but that was your decision.
every time I post this somebody claims that they don't have to crawl beneath theirs to service it. I would like to see them some times cause their arms have to be at least 5 feet long.
bumpy

[Dutch_12078]

I seem to recall reading more complaints about the disconnects than the pumps, even though there are many more pumps in use. Our Remco pump is currently installed in our 2011 RAV4, after removing it from our 2002 RAV4. It's been in service for a total of about 40,000 miles so far, without any hiccups to date.