Just to possibly save someone else in the future - the "pee" stream is not an indicator of adequate water pressure/flow to your motor. it just shows your pump is spinning. You can have a stream at 1/4 pound of pressure. Having a water pressure gauge is the only way to know if the motor is going to stay happy

Personally, I watch the water pressure and change when it starts dropping. Some motors are very sensitive to overheating and seizing. That little piece of rubber is to cheap and easy not to replace every few years at least. Just good insurance. To each their own, i prefer not to have to buy a new motor/rebuild any time soon if 13 bucks can save it.