Puma TDCI water pump oil leak

[BenN]

I'm getting a steady leak from the gasket between the water pump and the engine in my tdci. Is there a trick to this?

I am on my second gasket and don't want to ruin it. I don't think the pump is bad. Do people use gasket sealer?

[newhue]

are both surfaces mickey mouse. To clean surfaces i use a hack saw blade that's been broken in half, and the width ways edge smoothed and sharpened on a bench grinder. Gem razor blade will do the same. The surfaces need to be free from the previous gasket. Generally speaking the gasket should do the sealing. Gasket goob is a secondary thing, or something that caters for slight warping or imperfection perhaps. Insurance so to speak, but not required.
I have read Tdi owners have suffered from slightly warped housing with P gaskets. Warping may be something to check for, are the surfaces flat? Can a steel ruler be run over them and maintain surface connection.