Well, i know that it's a popular topic, and I've read the FAQ a dozen times, but haven't quite the mental capacity or knowledge to yet figure it out. My 1987 740 GLE won't start. I've been trickle charging the battery between experiments and the battery seems fine. I believe that I have no spark. I replaced the spark plugs with new ones, properly gapped. I replaced the coil (both the new and the old had the correct, what's the word, "impedence" I think. I replaced the wire from the coil to the distributer cap and I replaced the distributor cap itself. Forgot to mention that the engine turns, just never starts. It has the Bosch FI components, not the Regina. I even replaced the ignition amplifier.

If it provides any clue, while cranking the engine, the tach needle never budges. I did not yet replace the rotor itself. I also didn't mess with the fuel pump, filter, or fuel pump relay as after cranking, the exhaust pipe smells of gas which I took as a clue that all of the pumping parts were working - is that reliable enough of a clue?

Now when I say that I think I don't have spark, I say that for the following reasons, when i pulled one plug and held it to the block when a friend cranked it, I saw no spark, and I also tried to test the "no spark" theory with a timing light, but am unsure that I used it correctly (having never used a timing light before). I hooked the light to the positive and negative poles of the battery and hooked the other wire around the wire from the coil to the distributor cap. I assumed that if I held in the trigger while the friend turned the key, that I'd see flashes of light coming from the gun - that's how it's supposed to work, right? Well, I saw no flashes. That's why I didn't yet try replacing the rotor since I hadn't convinced myself that any electricity was getting from the coil to the distributor cap in the first place.

Ah, just re-read the FAQ as I was typing this - it clearly states that when looking for spark when holding the test spark plug to the block, that all other plug wires should be disconnected from the other plugs? I didn't try that.

Help a newby out - what should I try next?