Will a bad starter relay cause the engine to crank but no spark?

[RookieSX/4]

I'm not up to speed on the GM/AMC/Ford hybrid ignition system on the Eagle SX/4. Car hasn't been on the road in awhile but yesterday for the first time since I bought the car in '08 it would crank and crank but just wouldn't even try to fire up. My first guess was no fuel so i splashed a little fresh fuel in the carb but didn't even get a pop or stutter. Before I go dissecting the engine bay trying to reach the distributor I thought, maybe its the starter relay. I did notice some heavily corroded wires attached to the terminals of the relay which I cleaned up and repaired but maybe the corrosion got as far as inside the relay?? Would that relay cause a no-spark but still allow the engine to crank?

[eaglefreek]

Power goes from the solenoid to the coil while the key is in the start position. So, yes it could be the problem. Check to see if the coil is getting 12v when it's being cranked.

[RookieSX/4]

Aren't the coils a sealed unit mounted on top of the distributor in these? GM HEI or something like that?

[RookieSX/4]

Sorry I forgot to specify that this car has the 2.5l Iron Duke engine

[vangremlin]

I was having problems with my Gremlin starting a few years back.  Even if it was warm, sometimes it would take forever (or longer) to start.  I think that I discovered that if I turned it all the way back to off, it would usually fire right back up.  Anyways, somebody suggested changing the solenoid, which I did, and I have never had any problems since.