I would not try holding to the engine the wire that comes from the starter/ignition to the coil. But, when dealing with electricity you have to be able to trace the current from connection to connection (starting at the source of the power (the battery).
If you have a Harbor Freight nearby, I'd go there and buy an inexpensive multi-meter, like
this meter or
this meter. Another inexpensive but handy tool is a
spark checker. Tim
