Thanks bud! I'm really considering this as well, my biggest concern is that they have 30 new versions, I've heard people have leaking from all of them. I sent understand why there isn't one version that is bulletproof with regular maintenance. They have been making the same pump for thirty years, how come nobody can agree that one of them is the best. This 7plus definitely looks the best, but it's also the newest and the most expensive. Seems to me they should have nailed it long ago.

i just switched over from cam driven water pumps, which i had to replace one pump for 450 $$$,,and impellers in other one. this was after i had boat several years.
the johnson pumps , this will be second season,,,so,,no issues but have only 10 hrs on pumps.

hope that helps........

Not needed at all. The bearings rarely go bad unless the shaft seal goes bad.
If the seal goes bad, it will allow water to get to the bearings and dirty/greasy water will come out of the weep hole on the pump.

You think you could put 100 miles on the pump once water started coming out the weep hole?

​​​I'm just wondering if I'd be able to make it home if that happened offshore.

I've used my boat for a few weekends when mine was leaking last summer, but I wasn't offshore.

Good enough, I'll probbaly have a spare with me anyways, that's another reasone I like the Johnson setup, sems like it will be a bit easier to replace the entire unit.

My stainless Hardin pump is 8 seasons old now and it has never given me a single problem or leaked a single drop. I buy the rebuild kit every year for $40 as cheap insurance. I can’t speak about the Gen 7 because mine is the Gen 4 but in my experience there is no downside. Good luck with your new boat.

Thansk for the input, really. I was wondering if there was a better version of the Hardin pump, not necessarily the newest. Sounds like that gen 4 is great and the rebui;d kit is cheap, that sounds perfect to me. Does the rebuild kit have two wear plates or just the obe larger one?

The kit comes with both wear plates,2 O-rings , and an impeller. Silicone grease will keep the O-ring located while assembling. The fittings are not included with the pump FYI.

I have just the SS housings affixed to the OE Merc pumps on '96 7.4LX MPI's. I've run the impellers for two seasons with zero end wear and only "wrinkling" on the insides of the impeller blades. Actually thinking about going 3 seasons on the impellers. I only buy the rebuild kits with the plates every other impeller change as I flip the plates to give a fresh wear surface to the impeller. I've seen no drop in water pressure doing this nor running the impellers for 2 seasons.