Thank you for the helpful replies! My incorrect terminology threw people off. I'm using the stock e30 M42 ignition coils system. I'll do some more digging tonight and report back. To answer questions:
Seems like all of them are spraying something, but I'm starting to suspect two are gunked up and not spraying properly. Could this cause a cylinder to miss altogether? Once I do more electrical diagnosis, maybe I'll swap two of the injectors and see if the problem follows.
Weird, indeed, but a cheap fix to try. I have one strap from block to frame rail, and the starter ground (from the M42 harness) to fender. This also makes me question my trunk battery ground, which I have connected to a trunk mounting bolt, but I figured since it cranks, it was good enough.
Updated my post to mention that I performed e30 stomp test and got no errors (1444). My understanding is that Motronic 1.3 doesn't provide much granularity beyond this.
Ha, no the rag for a gas cap is a custom mod. I don't think it's the issue, but I need to replace the fuel neck anyway. I'll order these parts now and rule it out.
As mentioned above, my terminology was unclear. I'm using the stock M42 ignition coils and NGK spark plugs recommended by other M42 guys. These are supposed to be pre-gapped to OEM specs, but this is an easy thing to confirm tonight.
I haven't heard of this as a common M42 issue, but it does have an ICV. Will check tonight.