Water pump replacement. 2005 40hp Johnson

[hertel11]

I ordered a water pump kit part # 0438592 for my 40hp johnson model J40PLSOC and it came with an impeller that looks different than the old one. The old impeller had a chamfer on the bottom of it where an O-ring would sit. The new impeller is exactly the same except it does not have a slot/chamfer for the O-ring on the bottom. I ordered the kit from SEI Marine products and when I contacted them they said that the impeller with the O-ring had been superseded/replaced by this one. Has anyone else heard anything about this or does that seem right? The impeller part # i need is 0437059. This is my first attempt at water pump replacement so I want to make sure I'm doing it right.

 

[racerone]

I do not use aftermarket waterpump kits.--------Most impellers are black , but they are not all the same.---------Use the factory stuff !

 

[hertel11]

This is the email the guy from SEI Marine sent me this morning....

"I did some research on it. The only reason the o-ring is there is to hold the key while installing the impeller. It is certainly okay to use it without the oring groove. A lot of models use it without the o-ring anyway, hence the reason they make both styles. You would just hold the key with a small flat blade screwdriver as you install the impeller.

I did find the other style, so please let me know if you can use it as is, and i will refund 10.00, or if you need me to send the other style."

Does that sound right? Short of writing him off and requesting a refund to order a new kit what should be my next step? If I install the impeller that came with the kit I have now how would I know if there was an issue?

 

[sutor623]

Does that sound right? Short of writing him off and requesting a refund to order a new kit what should be my next step? If I install the impeller that came with the kit I have now how would I know if there was an issue?

I'm with Racer I like factory parts when we talk about the vitality of an engine (such as a waterpump.)

BUT I have used SEI before on everything from tilt and trim motors, to waterpumps and have never had any issues with them.

Only way to tell if the waterpump is working is to see if shes peeing when in the water. Then you could slowly advance the throttle and see if the telltale is increasing pressure. If you have a buddy you could have him verify engine temp while you are running WOT (at his own risk!!!).

It's up to you with what you are comfortable with at this point, but Id just put her in and run it for the season. Thats my free opinion

 

[hertel11]

Thanks Racerone and Sutor.

I am just having him ship me the impeller with the groove for the O-ring since he said he'll ship it out today. I'm sure it would work fine without it but since this is my first time doing it I just want as little variability as possible. It seems to be good quality but I will for sure order factory Johnson parts next time (probably 2 seasons from now). Good thing is for my 9.9 kicker the only water pump kit I found happened to be factory Johnson certified. I wasn't even thinking about that when ordering them, just typed the part number in amazon and selected the first one. I'm going to change water pumps on both as well as gear case lubricant. Also, my kicker is a 4-stroke so will change engine oil on that as well. Its guys like you that give me the confidence to do my own maintenance and I truly appreciate it.

 

[sutor623]

Yea man these guys have helped create the monster that I am today!! I'm always buying, repairing, selling motors and working on em for friends. This has been a fantastic resource for me and I just like To give back when I can!!