SJ died and won't start...

[menatep]

Went riding last week and after about 30 minutes 97 SJ died and wouldn't restart. After cranking it countless times i decided to look at the spark plugs and this is what i found: milky residue on the rear cylinder spark plug and blackish liquid on the front spark plug.

After cleaning and drying the spark plugs i tried starting the engine again but it wouldn't start. It seems that the spark plugs got fouled again as i was trying to start the engine.

Questions are... what is the crap inside the rear cylinder and how can i test for spark? I bought NEW spark plugs and my battery is NEW and freshly charged. Do i just attach new spark plugs to spak plug wires, leave them outside unscrewed and attempt to crank the engine? Am i supposed to see some sparks in the dark? Can i test spark plug wires with a digital voltmeter somehow?

What should i do if there's no spark? If there's spark, should i worry about crap that's inside the rear cylinder?

This SJ has a problem with water getting into the engine bay and i suspect it might have gotten into electrical components somehow and messed things up.

 

[Matt_E]

Looks like water mixed with gas/oil.
If it happened more last week, I'd tear down the engine and inspect for rust.

 

[Cliff]

the white stuff is water mixed with oil and gas. now you need figure out where it come from. blowed head gasket? sunk the ski?

 

[menatep]

Ski wasn't sunk but i suspect the ski accumulated a lot of water either after dying but before towing or maybe after towing.

Before i tear down the engine, how can i check if there's spark?

 

[Matt_E]

Install new plugs, lay them on the head, and crank the engine over.