Rapco Reviews (%countItem)
Rapco Rating
Address: 445 Cardinal Ln, Hartland, Wisconsin, United States, 53029-2332
Phone: |
Show more...
|
Add contact information for Rapco
Add new contacts
Address: 445 Cardinal Ln, Hartland, Wisconsin, United States, 53029-2332
Phone: |
Show more...
|
Add contact information for Rapco
In July of 2016 I replaced a failed engine driven Rapco vacuum pump with another vacuum pump. The pump and parts were approximately $400 plus $90 labor for a certificated mechanic to install it. The bad pump was only 3 years old and had only 70 hours of operation on it before it failed. It was also professionally installed by the previous owner. On 31 October 2019 the pump that was replaced in July of 2016 failed after a little over 3 years service and 300 hours of operation. These pumps are supposed to last over 500 hours. I sent both pumps to Blake Nelson at Rapco who said they failed due to oil from the engine contaminating it. Most engines have oil leaks from time to time. This means that the Rapco pumps are not fit to operate in the environment in which they are supposed to be installed. There is no excuse selling pumps that will self destruct by ingesting oil from the engine. They should have some sort of filter or mechanism to prevent the ingestion of engine oil. The pump was purchased through Aircraftspruce who said the manufacturer had to be contacted for the warranty.
Please see attached that includes:
Complainants desired outcome is for Rapcoto repair the pumps sent in for evaluation.The pumps are both out of warranty and as such do not qualify for consideration.Of the more than 250,000 pumps we have produced and or overhauled, oil contamination is rare. Anyforeign substance ingestion is not covered under warranty by Rapco nor any other pump manufacturer.***, PresidentRapco, Inc.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mr., President of RAPCO, states that most engines do not have oil leaks but he fails to state the source where he got this information from. It is most likely his self serving opinion. In my experience as an airline pilot, Chief Flight Instructor of an FAA approved flying school, and aircraft owner, and pilot for over 50 years, I find that a large percent of engines do in fact leak oil regardless of the use. There are no statistics available to determine what percent of engines leak oil. Air craft engines often consume a quart of oil every 3 hours. Some of it is burned in the cylinders, some of it leaks out. Some leaks can be repaired easily, others are extremely costly to repair and are deferred until the engine is overhauled. The engine is simply cleaned of oil on a routine basis. My engine uses roughly a quart every 10 hours of operation which is considered quite reasonable. These RAPCO pumps "self destructed" while being operated in a aircraft that was in compliance of FAA regulations, installed by an FAA certificated mechanic, and an engine maintained by a mechanic who has FAA authority to sign off annual aircraft inspections.. One pump was replaced after only 76 hours of operation over a 5 year period. The other completely failed after 287 hours and a little over 3 years of service. It appears to me that they are not fit to operate in the environment in which they are supposed to operate in-an aircraft engine. These vacuum pumps are not the only accessories in found in the engine compartment. There are two sets of magnetos, an alternator, and starter also in the engine compartment and they have never been damaged by oil leaks. If these other accessories can be designed to operate in an environment in which there are oil leaks, why cant the RAPCO vacuum pumps also be operated without being damaged by oil? President *** says it is farcical assert these pumps should operate in an environment in which there is the possibility of oil ingestion, yet the other accessories in the engine compartment I have mentioned have not been damaged by oil ingestion in the 4 years and 300 plus hours I have operated this aircraft. Furthermore in the 6000 + hours I have flown over 50 years I have never observed any accessory damaged by oil ingestion.I believe the warranty is for 3 years and 500 hours, which ever comes first. While the pumps failed were technically out of warranty, they still were way under the 500 hours the pump should be expected to last and the last pump failed just a little past the 3 years it is warrantied for. Sincerely Yours
Vacuum pumps, unlike the other accessories mentioned by complainant are designed to create a vacuum - as the name implies. Unlike the other accessories mentioned, vacuum pumps have a low pressure internal operating environment making them far more susceptible to having that low pressure area invaded by foreign substances present on or near them. It is for this reason that we have taken the steps to prevent oil ingestion thus minimizing the chance of failure.Oil consumption because of engine operation vs oil leaks are not the same issue. Just because the engine uses oil and requires topping up periodically is not equivalent to a leak. Washing down an engine constantly is a band aid, overlooking a maintenance issue that has not been repaired or fixed.The pumps are not technically out of warranty, but in fact out of warranty.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[Please type your response here.]
My pumps were installed by two different certificated aircraft mechanics. The aircraft was maintained in compliance with FAA regulations. Only two years ago a mechanic noticed an oil leak and stopped it. The mechanics can not economically stop all oil leaks. If they are not serious the engine is simply periodically cleaned. According to my current mechanic, most aircraft have oil leaks. This is consistent with
my operating experience with aircraft over the last 50 years. While Rapco says they take measures to prevent oil from entering the pump, these obviously are insufficient. As previously mentioned, the Rapco pump is not fit to operate in the environment in which it is supposed to operate in.
Regards