F*ck!....What now?

I am doing a cambelt change on my 300Tdi at the moment.

I removed the old crank pulley, but then was unable to lever out the oil seal behind it, so I decided to carefully drill a hole in it to get better leverage/hook it. The plan worked and I was able to lever it out, but I then found that the drill had wandered and has created a small channel in the edge of the hole where the seal sits :doh: (hence the title of this thread).

Is there anything I can do when I put in the new seal to make sure it doesn't leak? Would gasket sealant work?

Please help....

And before anyone else says it: yes I know that every "how to change a cambelt" thread says to be careful not to damage the seal housing when you remove it.

Use some JB weld, fill the hole / gouge and then smooth it off with some wet and dry. Will defo work!

I remember years ago had a leak from ZF auto box in a disco, stripped it down to find previous guy had done the same as you, I used some quality silicone sealant and never had any more leaks.

yes some silicon will do

Thanks for the advice: have done the JB weld and came out great, but these seals are so tight I don't know how to get the new one in. Suggestions?

Smear the outer lip with oil, offer the seal up and tap it in gently with a small hammer using a piece of wood (another hammer handle for instance) as a drift. Keep tapping all the way round until the seal sits nice and square. Yes it is tight and may be a bit fiddly but it's not difficult in any way whatsoever.

I actually ended up doing it using the old crank gear to push the seal, but I had to use a crowbar to get enough force on the seal to get it in as even a hammer was having no effect!

Job all finished now so I am a happy man.

Any leaks?