X2 on the VIP, you wont find a better deal for the money. What you do need to realize is that these are factory service manuals and they were guides for TRAINED YAMAHA TECHNICIANS! In short, your not going to find a step by step on some procedures and if your not overly engine knowledgable, theres alot left on the table under the assumption you have access to the tooling and the training. Not trying to blow any deals for potential membership upgrades, but I have referred several pdf manuals to many a folk who blamed me for their inability to comprehend or have the ability. I didnt write these, nor did this site, they came directly from Yamaha, re-read the bold above. They are not the "Holy Grail", but well worth the investment.
Are you confusing seals with gaskets? What gasket kit did you buy as they dont make a "kit" as oem. Could be your cheap aftermarket gasket set is lacking the seals. As mentioned in a previous post by throttlejunkie, the crank seals are basically rubber donuts with a spring seal. Any signs of leakage, obvious signs of deterioration, or even the spring itself hang out are signs of bad seals.
You could always do a leakdown test, but given the age of the sled, todays pisspoor fuels, and who knows what kind of prior maintenace, I would eliminate the seals as a cause. The tekei carbs are simplistic, but easy to work on in the right hands.
From what I have read in the previous posts, seems like good advice has been given by all who have participated.