Thanks for the suggestion - compression looks good so far (165, 160, 165, 165), will check the rest.
Good point! I'm actually going to replace the timing cover completely, as it's leaking from the bottom where it meets the pan.
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So I got the engine out over the weekend and also the gimbal bearing. How do I check if the gimbal is still serviceable? After cleaning it looks and feels pretty smooth, but it does have some surface rust.
Once you take a gimbal bearing out, that's it, throw it in the dust bin... The mere act of removing it out damages the bearing race and ball surfaces... Buy a new one, watch my video and put the new one in. (click on the 'My Videos' link at the bottom of my signature and look for the video about gimbal bearings.)
Also split the outdrive and when turning the lower driveshaft it feels just a bit rough. From the parts diagram it looks like the roller bearing, how do I check if it's still good?
Depending on what the drive is, yes it will feel rough on the driveshaft bearing until you pull or push the shaft in the right direction. Drives before 1982 you need to push the drive shaft down, and drives 1982 and later, you need to pull it up to know how the bearing really feels.
Chris..........
EDIT: Looked at the photos, that's a gen II drive, so you need to pull up on the drive shaft. Also, that yoke looks water damaged. Was there water in the bellows when you pulled the drive?