>
> On a side note.. I have determined that when I was building I led  
> myself to believe that the oil pan did not require a gasket, and  
> that sealant was adequate. In my installation this has proven to be  
> completely and utterly false. The gaskets are on order, and we will  
> be lifting the engine up a few inches to drop the pan, scrape  
> sealant and re-install with gaskets on both sides of the sandwich  
> plate. The leaks appear to be coming from the upper side of the  
> sandwich mount/engine interface, where oil spills over during its  
> return to the pan.

Dave, I had leaks too, when I used the recommended gray silicone.  
Switched to Permatex #2 black sealant and had zero leaks after that.  
I used it on oil pan and water pump assembly. Gray silicone did not  
give me any time to work with and squeezed remains later will brake  
off and plug things.
Mazda oil pan gaskets are very expensive. I bought some cork/buna  
rubber gasket material from McMaster Carr and cut my own.
Smear some Permatex on both sides and assemble.. No leaks.
Buly

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