help with losing power to the coil

I replaced an exhaust gasket and the coil was in the way and I just sorta pulled it and slid it out of the way. The gasket went on fine and I bolted everything back together and it went well, no trouble. But when I decided I needed to go to the store it died in the parking lot before I ever left home. I was thinking it was the plug wire, or the old coil. Got both changed and the new coil worked good, until it just decided to die on me and not start. I decided to cut the terminals that connect to the coil and push them through the tabs on the coil and then put the terminals on kinda getting a really good connection but a temp fix until I got a crimper. I was thinking the whole time that using WD-40 on the terminals to dry them loosened the grip on the wire and it was giving me trouble. Now after a new coil and the same wires pushed through the holes and the terminals pushed on to secure them, it died on me in traffic the other night. Refused to start and I had to push it about a mile. I left it on the porch until my crimper arrives and the terminals, I charged the battery and noticed the small wire next to the starters battery wire was loose and kinda soaked with water and rust of some sort. I cleaned it up and it starts and runs pretty decent. The small wire turned out to be for the starter switch, blinkers etc. With a bad connection it still would let the starter switch work and the blinkers and tail light worked too.

I'm at my witts end, I'm thinking I might replace the CDI, and the voltage regulator just to be on the safe side. I have an extra stator in a spare motor. But I could really use some help to diagnos the problem.

Thanks,
Stacy