Hi all. Long time lurker.

Bought a mint, completely rust-free '85 GS last week. This week it burst the hot side heater line 3 miles from work while I was at lunch. I made the now misguided decision to limp it back to work, which I did successfully. Temp gauge got near the H but I didn't peg it. Very close tho.

I found the burst line (90deg bend under the beehive...classic) and replaced it with a temporary cut-to length one, thinking that I'd be able to limp it around while I waited for the correct replacement to arrive. Started the coolant refill, filled radiator, burped the lines, and started it up to refill all of the coolant passages. Checked under the car, and it's leaking, but now from up front. Chase it down and find that it's leaking from the bottom side of the water pump gasket.

Now, reading a response elsewhere on the interwebs, I read that I may have warped the front iron. Can anyone confirm? Am I really fooked?

Perhaps handily, a '85 GSL-SE popped up on CL tonight for $350 in need of a clutch (included) and brake lines. I had wanted to do a complete GSL-SE front and rear hub/suspension swap anyway. Is my best course of action to replace the waterpump gasket? OR should I plan on doing a S3 12a to S3 13b swap as well?

Finally, along that line, I haven't seen any write-ups in my searches for this type of swap (85 12a to 85 13b). Is it completely plug & play? Or will I run into some compatibility issues? Either way I'm going to go look at it tomorrow afternoon, so I should have a better idea if it's a good candidate or not.

So, to recap:
-How likely is it that I warped the front iron?
-Can I just replace the gasket, or is it now in need of a teardown & rebuild?
-Do you have any links to write-ups on the 85 12a to 85 13b swap?
-What compatibility issues do I need to be aware of before I embark on the journey of this swap?
-Once the swap is finished, who wants to buy it?

Thanks all!
Scott

 

Doubt you warped anything. Probably just the increased pressure from the
overheated coolant (as steam) found another weak spot and caused a leak.
I think running out and buying another car and doing a swap before trying to
fix this one is just going from bad to worse.

Since you just bought it, you should just bite the bullet and change all the
hoses (coolant, brake, and fuel), change all the filters, new cap, rotor, plugs,
and wires. Make sure the timing is set and your brake pads/rotors are good
and go from there. Don't forget tires as well.

 

Only obvious symptom of a warped iron is water mixing with oil. Getting near the 'H' is not that good. See how it runs for a bit after everything's fixed.
Otherwise, you'd have to take apart the engine and measure it. Tear down is also the only way to replace the coolant seal.

You can put the GSL-SE engine in your car fairly easily, a modified front mount cross member is all you'll need to physically get it in. It's fuel injected, so get all the wiring and electronics with it if you can.
You can also run it with an aftermarket carburetor, and that's a whole other story.

 

I'm with TG; though overheating is never good, a leak from a water pump gasket area is more than likely just a failed gasket.

Always start with the simplest possible explanation. It's usually right, and almost always cheaper to fix.

A warp in the iron bad enough to affect the fairly small diameter of the (external face) water pump housing mating flange would have to be pretty severe.

 

Probably blew out the bearing seal in the water pump. Check the weep hole for indications of a leak.