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WK Stato used car problems

luke.grayham

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G'day, after having lived without a car for some time i hastily bought the first available one i saw that i liked (i know, recipe for disaster). It's a WK stato supercharged V6, one of my many dream cars, also the first car i bought from a non dealership. Anyway, it has a few problems:

1. Key won't turn back from the engine start position
2. Doors won't lock from remote however the car thinks it's locked and alarm will sound if door is opened
3. Has a miss, probably coil packs i guess
4. Possibly underpowered
5. Filled coolant and lost a significant amount from underneath the fill part (possible overfill)
6. Passenger seatbelt will not retract

Now without the "Lemon" replies and "should have test drove it/Had someone look it over" responses (i know, okay? I was desperate) Are any of these common issues with the WK? Any simple checks or fixes? I have limited time, money, knowledge and tools on hand though im mildly capable of learning and grabbing a couple of tools. Any help would be greatly appreciated, gotta get this thing roadied, registered and capable of carrying me to work and my kids to the park. Thanks
 

accentstencil

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Number 1, ignition switch needs replacing
Number 2, is it all the doors?
Number 3, spark plugs, leads or coil pack (most likely a bad lead or two)
Number 4, can't tell from here
Number 5, if you are referring to the "fill part" with the yellow top, it only need to be half full, not full.
Number 6, replace seat belt or you could try pulling the old one out to see if anything obvious is causing the problem.
 

EYY

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Yes you need a new ignition barrel which is pretty common.

Not a bad choice at all - and much cheaper to fix and maintain than a WL. The l67’s don’t go all that well as standard. Noticeably better than a stock ecotec but nothing crazy. Delete the boost bypass solenoid (just block it basically) and see whether it’s any better after that. Google this to find instructions on how to do it.

I’ve had 3 cars with l67’s but personally wouldn’t have one long term. As for the miss, it could be a variety of things - hopefully just ignition system. One of the ones I bought had a bad valve seat and valve guide and wouldn’t run on 6 cylinders until I replaced that head. L67’s have a very bad reputation for cracking heads.

I had two sets of heads here at one stage and all had cracks. Went to look at another two sets, one set were advertised as having ‘no cracks’ although were visibly cracked... and that was from a member on here. Cracks aren’t always terminal though - most of the time they live fine with cracked heads but if you find it’s getting hot and using coolant, it’s something I’d investigate (after inlet gaskets). Still not the end of the world.

Seatbelt is easy to replace.
 

luke.grayham

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Number 1, ignition switch needs replacing
Number 2, is it all the doors?
Number 3, spark plugs, leads or coil pack (most likely a bad lead or two)
Number 4, can't tell from here
Number 5, if you are referring to the "fill part" with the yellow top, it only need to be half full, not full.
Number 6, replace seat belt or you could try pulling the old one out to see if anything obvious is causing the problem.

Yeah it's all doors.
 

VR38

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a lot goes wrong with a car when service intervals are ignored, best sell it and buy a car that has been maintained correctly, or, start learning how to maintain a car yourself.
 

luke.grayham

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a lot goes wrong with a car when service intervals are ignored, best sell it and buy a car that has been maintained correctly, or, start learning how to maintain a car yourself.
Yeah mate, as I said, I'm capable of learning. Doesn't seem to be any major problems, just a few small ones, I'll build up to it. New job and finally a bit of money so the tools and knowledge will only grow
 

statey1975

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Number two could be your driver's door solenoid - apparently there's a microswitch in it that tells all the other doors to unlock/lock. When that fails, none of the other doors receive the info to perform the same action.
Number six, does the seatbelt try to retract at all? I've heard that the straps build up heaps of crud from rubbing against your clothes and neck, so it may just be a friction issue. Before you to replacing it, try giving the belt material a clean with some sort of fabric cleaner. Might not work, but if it does you've saved yourself some coin.
 
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