pull sump to look for metal or plastic bits
have a look at the ims bearing
remove and check water pump impellar for missing blades
check for any signs of intermix
Leakdown test
Thats pretty much it. M96 is a crapshoot regardless of the above anyway.
I I agree with it's a crap shoot I have the motor from my car on a pallet good pump no leak down no dented in pan but motor had low oil pressure when hot . So how would one determine if rod and main bearing are shot without pulling motor apart ??