Antennae Mast Fix

[jdronzek]

I thought i'd post how to do this.. There was a guy asking about this and I told him I'd post a tutorial. Enjoy.

Antennae not going up and down? Heres how to do a simple fix. This was done on a 93 Buick Lesabre (friends car.)
Most are the same.

Step 1.
Dismount antennae mast. (Sorry no pic. Too easy.)

Step 2.
Take off all the metal clips and screw holding together the thing. There are some type of rivet. Punch those off.


Step 3.
Take the motor apart. Heres what it should look like:


Step 4.
Most likely, the sturdy yet fragile plastic covered metal wire is the culprit in this situation. Take a look.
Either you do like me and melt the thing, or go buy a new for probably 50 bucks. Cheap is good. Free is better.

I melted the thing together like so.



Step 5.

Next take a simple razor blade and cut off the huge boulders (especially if you dont know how to melt together plastic.) Make sure its somewhat smooth. Dont shave off too much or it will be too fragile and crack in the gear.

Step 6.

Your mast should look like this:



Step 7.

Here is the gear. Make sure your cable winds freely in and out of the gear. That is vital.



Step 8.

Alright, great. Now put it all back together and you're back to wonderful antennae automation!

[sterdeus]

Great tutorial. I had to do the same steps a few months ago because my antennae was only going up half way. I didnt have to melt a new plastic "fishing" line in because I couldnt find what the problem was. I just put it back together and it worked again.

Bump for a good tutorial.

[bobfather99]

Ive thought about tearing mine down and figuring out why its messed up, but unplugging it stopped it from running all the time, so its stuck in the up position forever. I can live with it.

[jdronzek]

Ive thought about tearing mine down and figuring out why its messed up, but unplugging it stopped it from running all the time, so its stuck in the up position forever. I can live with it.

Its stick up because its so filthy inside. believe me. When we took his apart it was like dripping with sludge. (Hence me saying DO NOT PUT LUBRICANT AND SPRAYS ON THE MAST)

[Bob Dillon]

I used the $28 permanent fix. I trashed the power antenna and bought the fixed one from the dealer. Better reception, too.

[jdronzek]

Well hey, watch whenever the children across the street hate you and bend up your antennae. I've seen it happen.

[00Beast]

But then it bends right back, unless they break it off. With the power antenna, they could break/bend it a whole lot easier.

[jdronzek]

Not while its in retracted!

[adinini]

My antenna was suck-ass too...so I bought a satellite receiver and unplugged the antenna.

[1fatcat]

A local parts store here sells a replacement mast. Someone want to send me their broken assembly? I'll fix it and send it back for $10 over the actual cost of parts & shipping. I think the mast is about $20? I put one in mine over a year ago and it is still working great!

[jdronzek]

The local junkyard wanted to charge my friend 45$ for the mast. USED.

[spydog]

i need my antenna fixed.

A local parts store here sells a replacement mast. Someone want to send me their broken assembly? I'll fix it and send it back for $10 over the actual cost of parts & shipping. I think the mast is about $20? I put one in mine over a year ago and it is still working great![/quote]

[1fatcat]

i need my antenna fixed.

If you want me to fix your antenna, send me a PM and I will give you my address. I ask that you ship your antenna assembly along with $30 and a postage paid return shipping label. The $30 covers the cost of the NEW mast and a little labor for my time. I will replace the mast, test the assembly and ship it back to you in 2 days. Obviously the shipping transit time is beyond my control, but I personally will only need your assembly for 2 days.

[Maymybonneliveforevr]

That actualiy sounds like a good deal considering new masts are around $20.00 including tax.

[White93Z34]

I fixed mine about 2 years ago now, my mast was just bent by the PO going through a car wash with it up. Just had to take it apart and gently work it back straight again. As for lubrication, I used synthetic brake caliper grease to lubricate the gears. Still works great, I also unplug the motor during the winter to help with stress on everything inside.

[Ol' Timer]

I also unplug the motor during the winter to help with stress on everything inside.

I do the same because moisture seems to get into the works and prevents the shaft from rising during those mornings where the temps are below freezing. It would eventually go up if/when the temps rise in the trunk and warms up the antennae.