PECM Issue 26 2017 | Page 135

2495cc turbo-diesel; the V8 was made available in 1985. The Defender A name synonymous with Land Rover, the Defender was launched in 1990 boasting a 2495cc turbo diesel injection engine. An increase to 111bhp was introduced in 1994, followed by a five cylinder 122bhp offering in 1998. 2007 saw the five cylinder engine replaced with a four cylinder turbo diesel and six-speed gearbox. The interior was also refined to modern standards. In the twilight years of the Defender a 2.2 diesel engine replaced the 2.4 litre and in 2013 Land Rover celebrated their 65th year. Sadly, all good things must come to an end and in 2016 workers at the Solihull factory waved off the final Defender produced with a tear in their eye and a song in their hearts. The Defender lives on Although the Defender may never be produced again it will never be forgotten. With over 2 Million of the vehicles manufactured over a 68 year period there are still plenty on the road. And thanks to their ruggedness, reliability and soul there will be for many years to come. Rover Discovery, Freelander and Range Rover models including the Range Rover sport. For such rugged vehicles which are exposed to different types of environment a hardy and reliable water pump is called for, so the design and manufacturing needs to be of the very highest quality. We still supply replacement units for all these models, and will continue to do so while there is a demand. “ The replacement for the Defender is rumoured to be entering production in 2019 and certainly has some very big and muddy shoes to fill. About Mark Water Pumps Ltd Mark Water Pumps Limited (MWPL) supplied Land Rover with the OE water pump for the Defender for a 16 year period from 1990 to 2006. Working closely with Land Rover the pumps were designed, tested and manufactured all in-house at MWPL’s Colwyn Bay based facility to Ford quality standards. The pump was designed as a dual pump assembly feeding not only the engines cooling system but also the vehicles power steering. Mark Water Pumps Limited also provided in- house product validation and warranty analysis for the customer; a great help where resources are concerned for a vehicle manufacturer. Mark Water Pumps Limited is an automotive parts manufacturing company based in Wales that specialises in producing automotive water pumps for both OE customers and the Aftermarket supply chain. An extensive product range is available for the aftermarket, in addition to direct product supply for many large automotive companies, such as Volvo, Aston Martin & JLR. The company designs, manufacture and tests water pumps and cooling pumps for OE, OES & aftermarket applications. In-house design, high-pressure aluminium die casting, engineering, manufacturing, assembly and testing, plus a large stock facility are all located on one site. For further information: Mark Automotive Testing Centre Tel: +44 (0)1492 544201 Web: www.mwpl.eu Email: [email protected] David Lewis, plant manager of Mark Water Pumps Limited shares his thoughts: “Working with Land Rover is a great pleasure and a real challenge. Over the years we have supplied water “...we manufacture and supply automotive pumps to Land water pumps and engine ancillaries to various Rover for not OE vehicle manufacturers, as well as a large only the Defender, part of the OES dealer market and the general but also aftermarket. So, the end of Defender production the Land got us thinking - exactly how many years of defender production can we still support? It turns out, quite a bit...”