Breaker or pull apart are references to junk yard or someone that buys and parts rover

The green alarm box is under dash behind glove box

The engine computer is on the pass wheel well under hood with a black plastic cover

The engine ecm and the alarm unit are matched but sometimes you can get away with it, I got lucky and did

To be safe I would get both just in case the alarm is part of the issue, the larger issue is the ecm is set to your IACV so this may trip high idle and require the base adaptive values in ecm be reset at dealer or a rover shop

If you change the alarm box the remotes you have will no longer work and again this is a dealer or rover shop only thing to program them

Ymmv

Putting your location and vehicle info in your signature helps us help you

 

Also do the obvious and check all the fuses, in the end it may just be the ecm, if you pull it its probly rusted on the bottom

 

Just to confirm (I know it sounds silly) but is the battery good? I mean have you tried another battery or tested that battery on another vehicle to ensure it works?

Sometimes the simplest thing is the culprit.

I charged my battery up and all appeared well, lights and power but no starting. It was the culprit as when I took the battery in to a battery shop they said and showed (tested and showed the softness of the housing) me it was toast.

A new battery and my rover fired right up.

Just my $0.02

 

and i had the colors of the check engine lights backwards. sorry for the misdirect.

 

Could also be a bad starter, or loose wiring on the starter, not sure your son killing the battery's gonna damage anything unless someone arced it bad trying to jump it and fried something

 

Thanks folks ... Here are a few answers to your queries:

Model: 1996 Discovery SE7 with Automatic Transmission
Location: Florissant, Colorado (an hour from Colorado Springs)

Battery: Have not swapped battery, but did crank while jumped to a known good battery
Starter: How could it be bad if it cranks the motor?

ECM: Looks clean, no rust, have NOT tried bending the pins as recommended in the TSB
ECU: Looks clean, it's plastic, and not exposed to the elements

ECM: How could it be bad if it is communicating with OBDII?

Fuses: All fuses checked, even the big ones in he engine compartment block and the one under the steering column

Clues: Cranks just fine after 5 seconds delay, no CHECK ENGINE light at all, no spark, no fuel

 

Have you pulled the ecm off the fender, usually the fender/wheel well rusts though and in turn rusts the ecm box allowing ingress of corrosion to the circuit board then shorting

Loose wires on the starter can cause issues

I think ihscouts suggested an ecm I tend to agree with him, he's been around a while

I would contact paul grant , Eric tyrel, abran ?, or one of the others on here that buy and part rovers, See if they have a used ecm to sell

Iirc the green box disables cranking not fuel/spark but I could be wrong

Hell maybe the dash light bulb is burned out

 

Dash light (CEL) is not burned, 'cuz I used OBDII to clear codes and that's when it went out ... never to return.

The critical clue is the 5-second delay before cranking ... WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Cranking at all eliminates things like the immobilizer, etc. Not sure about the alarm, but I would think the alarm would also prevent cranking.

Things don't rust too much in Colorado (very dry, despite the snow). I had issues with rust, when I lived in Connecticut, but I don't think this Disco has ever lived outside Colorado.

 

Just because it cranked "while jumped to a known good battery" might be an indicator that the battery is toast

My money is on your battery not being able to hold a charge properly on its own and the cells have failed ;-)

Get a new battery, replace existing battery and test it out as it's easy enough to do. Should fire right up the first time.

Best of luck

 

Still not sure I understand ... Maybe I'm not being clear.

It cranks just fine (after the 5-second delay) on the old battery WITHOUT assist from anything ... I have cranked it nearly continuously for as much as five minutes, doesn't even get tired ... How could there be a battery problem?

I will swap with the known good battery later today.

Still wondering about that 5-second delay ... That wasn't happenning before this trouble started. The 5-second delay is from the time I turn to Position II ... it prevents cranking (Position III) for 5 seconds, then permits it. The delay coincides with the red "SERVICE ENGINE" light coming on and then going out. THe yellow "CHECK ENGINE" light never comes on.