Yeah maybe but I get lucky most the time………..
Like already mentioned, theres not much to loose.
Disassembly,welding,machining and reassembly could make the repair not cost effective if you need to pay someone to do it?
Welding it assembled give you a chance, if you do take out the seal out…….. oh well you would have replaced it anyway from the disassembly.
I make sure theres oil in them and take it slow….real slow, crank your amps up get on it hard and get out early, keep your stitches down to 2-3 puddles (1/2") or less then wrap a wet towel around the seal area I am trying to protect and let it cool right down. It can take me a day to do 10min of welding.