Marine drives and cooling pumps for marine drives

A marine drive comprising:

• an inlet configured to receive cooling fluid;
• and
• a pump configured to pump the cooling fluid to cool a component of the marine drive, the pump comprising a pump housing that defines a chamber between two housing portions, an impeller compressed in the chamber and rotatable about an axis, and a device in the chamber axially between one of the housing portions and the impeller to compress the impeller into engagement with the other housing portion and automatically adjust and maintain an axial compression force on the impeller so as to maintain a consistent seal between the impeller and the pump housing.

A method of maintaining a consistent seal between an impeller and a pump housing of a pump that is for pumping cooling fluid to cool a marine drive, the method comprising:

• compressing the impeller in a chamber defined between two housing portions of the pump;
• and
• maintaining a compression force on the impeller with a device positioned between one of the housing portions and the impeller so as to compress the impeller into engagement with the other housing portion and maintain the consistent seal between the impeller and the pump housing.