it is in neutral. the plugs were not damaged at all and i did pull the vent plug out of the gearcase... the manual came in today and i'm going to pull off the bottom end, hopefully this weekend. thanks for all your help and suggestions, i will post back when i know more. It is a 2 stroke and it was oil injected, but it is disabled so i mix the oil and gas. I was wondering if the 2 carbs weren't adjusted properly and 1 was running lean, maybe one cylinder wasn't getting enough oil? thanks again,
lovetofish