Yep, you should get a spark. Check the ignition amplifier, the small (half-inch thick by maybe an inch and a half wide, one inch top to bottom) grey and black electrical component on the inside of the fender well adjacent to the battery. It has an electrical connector on it not unlike the one on the air mass meter, and is held in by two screws. Loose batteries have a way of cracking the thing, which is easily damaged by heat anyway. I have had several no-start conditions with such a cause. From what I understand, a tachometer that fails to bounce as you crank the engine indicates an electrical problem--you might want to check that.

Steve