A Excellence Magazine (Dec 2003, pg 42) Technical Notes answer to a question about sealing a 2.0L engine got the following response.
" You can probably get by with just using the copper gaskets with the small bores of the 2.0 liter engine. As the engines got larger the bores got bigger we had a lot of trouble with the copper gaskets slipping out fro under the cylinders or getting beaten out. What we prefer -- if the clearances allow for it -- is just leaving the copper gaskets out and using Dow Corning RTV 730 to seal the clyinders to the crankcase. If you find that you do need the copper washers to provide adequate clearance between the pistons and the heads and valves, you might want to put a thin bead of Dow Corning RTV 730 on each side of the copper gasket."
Dempsey mentions nothing about sealants on cyl base gaskets.
So.
