I believe that the procedure for removing and replacing the seal has been covered in other threads, but you should be able to do it pretty easily without any damage, and obtain a good seal. I removed the old one by poking it with an awl, being careful not to scratch the shifter shaft, and gently screwing a wood screw into the hole left by the awl, then pulling it out. I then placed the new seal over the shaft, and using a piece of ¾” pvc pipe, pushed it snuggly into place. The whole process took <15 min. from start to finish, and so far no sign of any leak.