start issue, out of ideas!!

hi all, so here is my issue, i'll start from the top,

one warm afternoon i removed my '88 GQ patrol's battery,
When i put the battery back in the patrol i would get the starter cranking and all the usual lights on the dash, but sadly, the engine wouldn't turn over.
first thing i looked at was the fuses that are near the drivers right leg, but none of the ignition fuses were blown.
second thing i checked was the outlet of the fuel pump (duel fuel converted patrol, but fuel selected) sure enough when cranked the fuel pump worked fine and i got fuel flowing nicely.
third thing i checked was the distributer, took the top off, cranked, distributer turned just fine. put the cap back on after cleaning the points, but still no joy from the engine.
forth thing i checked was the ignition coil. BINGO, ignition coil wasn't supplying the distributer with any spark. changed the ignition coil but still no love from the engine.
im at wits end, don't know what else to try, and the missus isn't digging the sight of the stranded patrol in the driveway anymore.
Any ideas please guru's?,
cheers.

Has it got an immobiliser installed on the car i used to have a toyota prado and i remove the battery and the same thing i looked under the drivers side dash and found that there was a push button switch there it was hidden when i found it i give it a push and away she went again

Might not be the same on yours but its worth a look

did you remove any of the wires from the battery clamps and may have missed putting one back on

other than that mate i cant help you

nah no immobiliser but i will have a closer look at the terminal wires.
cheers

so no issue that i can see with the battery terminals, had a look on the interweb and seen that the ignition coil has to return power to the battery to properly generate an electric/magnetic? field?...

take #1 ignition lead off the plug and install an old plug in the lead. rest it on some metal part of the engine and crank... look for spark. If its dual fuel and wont start on gas or petrol then it must be spark. If no spark at the plug end remove coil lead from centre of dizzy and check for spark there with the spark plug installed. This tests the output of the coil.
Common issues would be:

Coil lead from ignition coil to centre of dizzy cap open circuit - check this with your meter on ohms.

Faulty coil.

Points contact worn and needs cleaning / replacement. Broken Earth wire on the plate where the points mount.

Open Circuit Coil Resistor (the big white one next to the coil). To eliminate this bridge it out. Unscrew both wires and put them both under the one terminal. If car starts the resistor is gone. Do not run the car like this for any length of time or you will kill the coil... just to test if car starts.

Corroded Terminals in top of dizzy cap. Remove all leads from top of dizzy cap and look for any that aren't shiny and have like a white powder / corrosion inside. These need cleaning at the very least.

You could also see if there is a pulsing voltage to the positive (primary) terminal of the coil when cranking. If there is none check the points and the resistor as mentioned. If there is and you have confirmed the coil lead is OK then its another dud coil.

When did the GQs drop points distributors?

Pulsing is on the -ve side of the coil. All carby 4.2's had points. All the EFI ones are electronic. 3.0 litres are all electronic even though they had a carburettor.

First check to make sure you got fuel, you can hear the pump, but the carb throttle by hand and check if fuel is squirting down the carb when you do (will have to take air cleaner off to see this). If there is no fuel, does this model have a fuel cut solinod on the carb, and is it opening?
second is to check spark, as described above. If there is no spark, turn the ignition to on and check the positive side of the coil for 12 volts. If you got 12 volts, but still no spark, then assuming everything is connected correctly (and you fitted a new coil) the points arn't opening correctly. Make sure the points rubbing block is on top of the dizzy lobe when setting your points gap. Failing all that call NRMA.

The dash lights aren't working so there sounds like a power supply issue.
Have you got a wiring diagram to find where the coil power supply comes from? Could be a faulty ignition switch? Maybe run a wire straight from the battery to the coil, if it runs your ignition system is fine-it's just not getting power.