in this situation, i would 100% agree with a compression check first, i was just curious if he had taken the cover off, since it only takes 5 minutes.
im kind of a visual inspection guy first. :D i like to see that the valve train is in good working order and there arent any loose pushrods or anything else. i recently went through the whole valve train bs with my 360,:banghead: and now i have my covers set up so that i can take them off and on in 2 minutes flat :cheers: and they dont leak. i also ran the engine with the covers off so i could listen for any noises coming from the valve train and lifters, and didnt loose but maybe 3 drips of oil at 65 psi :cheers:
but yes a compression check here would tell the story