SOLVED: Tons of white powder inside cap, once cleaned, car fired right up.

I have a 1990 1.6l that's throwing me for a loop. I drove it for about 3 months, no problems. It was left to sit for a month or so. When we tried to start it after that, it started acting strange:

It will crank and start normally, running for about 1-2 seconds, then it dies. According to my father, the fuel pump is working. However, I'm open to checking that as well if it could be the issue. Spark plugs and cables have been replaced, and I'm just clueless at this point.

Any ideas?

 

Is the LED light on the ECU under the front passenger carpet blinking a CEL trouble code?

Have you removed the distributor cap and inspected the contact points inside the distributor and on the rotor. Is any dust, oil, or water inside the distributor? Any visible damage inside?

 

Okay, I have not done that yet (I just got back last night and was introduced to the problem). I will do all of those things and will let you know.

Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks so much for the quick reply.
Eric