I'm at the point of starting reassembly of my 1988 244DL restoration. The motor as it stands right now (on my B&D workmate):



All of the seal surfaces on the shafts have a small groove worn into them by the old seals. The inside of the seal carriers were also well caked with crud, so I'm not surprised at the groove.

What I'm wondering is how concerned I should be about this groove. Should I install the new seals deeper in to avoid the groove, and if I do this, just how smooth does the shaft need to be, to avoid destroying the new seals in short order?

Green circles mark the seal location in the photos.

Rear crankshaft:





Front crankshaft:





Front timing gear (next to distributor):



Thanks,

Michel

1979 242DL
1988 244DL