Oil leak from the back of the head.

Good call.

Yes, that gasket is definitely not right. The problem with carb cleaner or anything that leaves an oily residue is that once you set up a film of oil, it can allow oil to travel from one side of the gasket to the other.

" Turns out both of the alignment pins in the block had burrs on the outside edges also, so I sanded them down to where they are smooth. The holes in the head showed where the pins had gouged into the metal. Also my torque wrench is almost 15 lbs off, I was able to test it against a friends Snap on digital torque wrench. 15 lbs off can kill a head gasket in a hurry. "

1. Maybe you didn't square up the head before you tightened up the head bolts over the head and it pulled itself onto the deck by the bolts. That would explain the elongation of the rear hole. Just guessing at this point.

2. If your Torque wrench was reading 15 lbs high that would def. create a seep crack due to the head not being tight enough to the block.

3. Fuel pumps have a hole that is designed to allow oil to escape if the pump diaphragm goes bad. I had a customer that swore up and down that he had a bad head gasket so we replaced it and the leak surfaced right after we got done doing the head. That was an expensive lesson for the customer. If the pump is leaking the fan will blow the oil around to the back of the block. And of course, clean oil is almost impossible to see. If you get it all back together, tie a white rag around the fuel pump and run the engine for awhile if you still have a leak. That will at least take the fuel pump out of a leak equation or isolate it to the pump..

I will definitely check that spacer. I was noticed a slight oily feel under the pump but I figured that was the excess that dripped down when i removed it to do the rebuild. My new head gasket has the same elongated hole on that side, not sure why but its there. The rear alignment hole had the most noticeable score marks where the dowel met the head, the front wasn't near as bad. I was checking for the oil leak without my fan running (16" elec. fan) but I'm still going to double check that pump as it is a few years old and seen quite a few miles. What Angus said makes a lot of sense when added to what Mazdatweaker says. The oily film left over and the fact that the head bolts pulled the head down on the deck would give the gasket a really good chance to leak. When I installed the head during the rebuild I didn't make sure it was seated before I started hand tightening the head bolts. So by the time I got to torquing them down the damage was already done. I have to wait until friday to get my torque wrench calibrated so weather permitting I will be putting the head back on that night.

While working as a mechanic for nearly twenty years, I've never heard of an oily residue on a gasket causing a leak!

Well I have heard of it and had it , it is especially a problem with MLS gaskets, but also any neoprene gaskets.

I have also had plenty of other mechanics who say that it is not a problem, I just don't agree.

Here's an update. Got my torque wrench calibrated and all. Cleaned the head and block with brake cleaner, cleaned out the holes for the head bolts. New gasket installed and new head bolts used, torqued to 64 ft lbs using the correct pattern. Checked fuel pump and spacer, no crack in spacer. I even removed and re-sealed the cam plug in the back of the head. Still leaks oil......I can't see from where either. When I installed the head I made sure it was straight and it settled on the alignment pins. So if anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks.

I think someone already suggested it but I'd zip tie a white cloth or paper towl around the fuel pump and another one on the backside of the head, then go for a drive. See if you can ID the leak that way.

Did you put sealent in the corners of the "D" shape of the valve cover gasket on the front and back? Did you get a quality valve cover gasket or a cheap ebay one?

Theres only so many places that oil can be coming from back there...highly unlikely it's the head gasket...especially a second time.

The big obvious ones are:

Valve cover
Fuel pump or fuel pump spacer
Cam cap seal

Did you use sealant when assembling the front and rear cam caps per the manual?

No ebay parts used, I use FelPro only for my gaskets. I did use sealant on the cam caps and just replaced the valve cover gasket a second time and the rear cam cap. Its a good thing to keep extra stuff around. I let it run for a bit after replacing those parts but I didn't clean off the back of the engine before I let it warm up. So I will clean it and re-check it in the morning while the motor is cool. The fuel pump is dry, I used my trusty inspection mirror to make sure. I did notice oil was on the outer edge of the head gasket on the drivers side where you can see the gasket. I figure that was runoff from whatever was leaking.

Little update. This morning I cleaned the motor pretty well and cranked it up. Took it for a drive once I saw no puddles underneath and pulled it back into the shop. Finally, I mean finally there was NO oil leaks. I now own a leak-free Mazda for the first time in my life. Thanks to all that helped with this issue.