Hello,
I've been using this site for quite a while and finally have the need to enter a post of my own. Usually I can find some helpful info that solves my problem but I've been trying to get my 97 Disco running for a few months now and need some assistance. Please forgive me as I'm learning as I go.

Problem: The car won't start. It will crank and crank and never turns over.

What has happened:
A few months ago I replaced my fuel pump and filter, drove for 1 week then blew a heater hose. The car got hot but didn't overheat (gauge made it to the top of the bracket but not further, thermostat is only ~2000 miles old). While blowing steam it was also spraying some oil and it stalled as I pulled over. I then bypassed the heater core with the one remaining hose and let it cool for a while. It has not started since.

At that point I was thinking no spark, tested and saw orange rather than blue spark so I replaced plugs and wires. That made no change and after cranking there is plenty of pressure in the rail so got a new coil pack...no change.

Then, after reading more posts from here, I replaced the CKP or crank shaft sensor. Still no change.

Summary:
New fuel pump, filter, plugs, wires, coil pack and CKP sensor

I have checked all connections to ECU and fuel relay (look pretty nice). Plenty of fuel in the rail (no pressure test just a paper towel and screw driver).

Inertia switch checked several times. Tried the turn key to position II for 5 secs, three times. Have disconnected the battery to reset the ECU. No codes right now but when this all started I pulled a few about misfires and O2 errors.

Now I'm thinking either the injector relay or fuel pressure regulator. Any thoughts or comments will be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post.

 

I should also mention that gas smell is very strong after cranking especially if I touch the throttle and I have tried spraying starter fluid into the manifold past the butterfly.

 

Check your compression, you may have warped your heads so badly that you have no compression. Also check timing, you're getting the major components of combustion - spark, fuel, air, but are you getting them at the right time? But my money is on warped heads, especially if oil was spraying out with the vaporized coolant, that really takes some effort. The temp gauge in the dash is only there for decoration, and serves no other purpose other than to finally let you know you are in meltdown way too late for usefulness. Once the dash gauge goes high up like that you have been cooking your motor for too long, and it takes quite a high temperature for too long to turn your coolant into steam while still under pressure, which has other obvious negative effects like popped head gaskets and warped heads. The only way to truly get an accurate temp reading and be able to react in a timely manner is with a real time gauge, like an Ultra-Gauge (big fan)

 

I will check the compression this week but how could I check the timing if it won't start? Also, i don't believe the coolant was steaming until the hose blew...so not under pressure. Either way the compression test should tell the tale, thanks for the suggestion.

 

"gauge made it to the top of the bracket but not further"

You mean top of the gauge or in the middle?

 

The gauge has a "bracket" that to me means the acceptable temperature zone. The top of the bracket would be about 3/4 of the entire gauge. It did not get any higher than 3/4 when this all started.

 

I checked the compression but it was my first time and not exactly sure what the numbers tell me. Maybe a crack between 2 and 4 or bad rings?...I don't know. Just to be clear I'm going off the Rave diagram pg.67 and looking at the front of the engine 2,4,6,8 on the left and 1,3,5,7 on the right. The rough readings are for cylinder 1 = 70lbs., 2 = 25, 3 = 90, 4 = 45, 5 = 60, 6 = 55, 7 = 90, 8 = 100.

Clearly there is a problem with 2 but wouldn't the engine at least start with more than half the cylinders getting decent compression?

 

From RAVE:
If your readings are correct, your compression is very low and not surprising it wont start.

Also, anything past half on the gauge is overheating.

Best case it just needs a head gasket.