power antenna question.........
power antenna question......... Some little bastards in my friends neighborhood broke my antenna mast off. For about a year now the motor would run, but the antenna stayed extended all the way up.
The motor still runs when I turn my radio off and on.
Can I just buy a new mast?
Do I have to remove the motor to install the new mast?
What mast do I get? I see some on ebay but don't know which to get.
Whats the clear hose thats attached to the bottom of the motor that runs into the quarter panel????
Thanks.
.
The motor still runs when I turn my radio off and on.
Can I just buy a new mast?
Do I have to remove the motor to install the new mast?
What mast do I get? I see some on ebay but don't know which to get.
Whats the clear hose thats attached to the bottom of the motor that runs into the quarter panel????
Thanks.
.
Last edited by LS6427; Dec 24, 2009 at 12:04 PM.
Some little bastards in my friends neighborhood broke my antenna mast off. For about a year now the motor would run, but the antenna stayed extended all the way up.
The motor still runs when I turn my radio off and on.
Can I just buy a new mast?
Do I have to remove the motor to install the new mast?
What mast do I get? I see some on ebay but don't know which to get.
Whats the clear hose thats attached to the bottom of the motor that runs into the quarter panel????
Thanks.
.
The motor still runs when I turn my radio off and on.
Can I just buy a new mast?
Do I have to remove the motor to install the new mast?
What mast do I get? I see some on ebay but don't know which to get.
Whats the clear hose thats attached to the bottom of the motor that runs into the quarter panel????
Thanks.
.
I saw on ebay a couple people selling brand new AC Delco masts that have the long wire coming out of it that winds in and out of the motor, so I figured they could be replaced by themselves.
I'll check into it.
.
You know what though, screw antennas. I want to look into something mast-less. I mean, newer cars have them so why can't we?
I'll snip the rest of it off and see if having nothing sticking up affects it. If it doesn't I'll just leave the motor unplugged and forget about it.
.
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,452
Likes: 3
From: somewhere that doesn't get snow
It's a plastic gear type piece that goes down into the motor. it's kind of like one of those old ripcord cars from the 70s/80s that you'd put the cord into and then pull it out and the wheel would spin and the car would go into a wall/car/etc and pieces would fly off.
the antenna mast kit comes with the antenna and the gear attached and the tool to remove the trim piece on the top of the antenna so you can get the old mast out. You can pretty much then pull the old mast out. to get the new mast in you have to kind of force the mast's gear down into the motor while the radio is on and then shut the radio off and it should catch and pull the mast down into the motor. you do not need to remove the motor to put in a new mast, only the little trim piece around the mast has to come out. if that plastic gear is broken down at the bottom (ie if you take out the old mast and extend it and place it by the new one and the new one has a longer gear at the bottom) you most likely will not have a fully functioning antenna. here is a pic of my car with a new antenna mast in the factory antenna and as you can see in the down position it doesn't fully lower. it goes all the way up but it stops in that position at the bottom because the old antenna masts gear is down in the bottom of the motor still. I replaced the mast from gmpartsdirect for ~ $30 about 5 and a half years ago when i first bought my car.
sometimes it sits a little bit higher like in the pic below which was taken a month or so after the first pic.
the antenna mast kit comes with the antenna and the gear attached and the tool to remove the trim piece on the top of the antenna so you can get the old mast out. You can pretty much then pull the old mast out. to get the new mast in you have to kind of force the mast's gear down into the motor while the radio is on and then shut the radio off and it should catch and pull the mast down into the motor. you do not need to remove the motor to put in a new mast, only the little trim piece around the mast has to come out. if that plastic gear is broken down at the bottom (ie if you take out the old mast and extend it and place it by the new one and the new one has a longer gear at the bottom) you most likely will not have a fully functioning antenna. here is a pic of my car with a new antenna mast in the factory antenna and as you can see in the down position it doesn't fully lower. it goes all the way up but it stops in that position at the bottom because the old antenna masts gear is down in the bottom of the motor still. I replaced the mast from gmpartsdirect for ~ $30 about 5 and a half years ago when i first bought my car.
sometimes it sits a little bit higher like in the pic below which was taken a month or so after the first pic.
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It's a plastic gear type piece that goes down into the motor. it's kind of like one of those old ripcord cars from the 70s/80s that you'd put the cord into and then pull it out and the wheel would spin and the car would go into a wall/car/etc and pieces would fly off.
the antenna mast kit comes with the antenna and the gear attached and the tool to remove the trim piece on the top of the antenna so you can get the old mast out. You can pretty much then pull the old mast out. to get the new mast in you have to kind of force the mast's gear down into the motor while the radio is on and then shut the radio off and it should catch and pull the mast down into the motor. you do not need to remove the motor to put in a new mast, only the little trim piece around the mast has to come out. if that plastic gear is broken down at the bottom (ie if you take out the old mast and extend it and place it by the new one and the new one has a longer gear at the bottom) you most likely will not have a fully functioning antenna. here is a pic of my car with a new antenna mast in the factory antenna and as you can see in the down position it doesn't fully lower. it goes all the way up but it stops in that position at the bottom because the old antenna masts gear is down in the bottom of the motor still. I replaced the mast from gmpartsdirect for ~ $30 about 5 and a half years ago when i first bought my car.
sometimes it sits a little bit higher like in the pic below which was taken a month or so after the first pic.
the antenna mast kit comes with the antenna and the gear attached and the tool to remove the trim piece on the top of the antenna so you can get the old mast out. You can pretty much then pull the old mast out. to get the new mast in you have to kind of force the mast's gear down into the motor while the radio is on and then shut the radio off and it should catch and pull the mast down into the motor. you do not need to remove the motor to put in a new mast, only the little trim piece around the mast has to come out. if that plastic gear is broken down at the bottom (ie if you take out the old mast and extend it and place it by the new one and the new one has a longer gear at the bottom) you most likely will not have a fully functioning antenna. here is a pic of my car with a new antenna mast in the factory antenna and as you can see in the down position it doesn't fully lower. it goes all the way up but it stops in that position at the bottom because the old antenna masts gear is down in the bottom of the motor still. I replaced the mast from gmpartsdirect for ~ $30 about 5 and a half years ago when i first bought my car.
sometimes it sits a little bit higher like in the pic below which was taken a month or so after the first pic.
When I pull upward on the remaining antenna, it doesn't budge. I also spun that small nut that screws into the bottom of the attenna mount in the quarter panel. That just allowed me to drop the antenna down into the quarter panel on the inside. But the antenna gear would not pull out of the motor. How can I get it to come out. Should I have someone turn the radio on and let it run while pulling on it?
BTW, my motor runs both ways when I turn the radio on/off, but the antenna doesn't move at all.
.
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Verdad Gallardo Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,452
Likes: 3
From: somewhere that doesn't get snow
Alright, thanks for that.
When I pull upward on the remaining antenna, it doesn't budge. I also spun that small nut that screws into the bottom of the attenna mount in the quarter panel. That just allowed me to drop the antenna down into the quarter panel on the inside. But the antenna gear would not pull out of the motor. How can I get it to come out. Should I have someone turn the radio on and let it run while pulling on it?
BTW, my motor runs both ways when I turn the radio on/off, but the antenna doesn't move at all.
.
When I pull upward on the remaining antenna, it doesn't budge. I also spun that small nut that screws into the bottom of the attenna mount in the quarter panel. That just allowed me to drop the antenna down into the quarter panel on the inside. But the antenna gear would not pull out of the motor. How can I get it to come out. Should I have someone turn the radio on and let it run while pulling on it?
BTW, my motor runs both ways when I turn the radio on/off, but the antenna doesn't move at all.
.
um. do you mean inside the quarter panel? i didn't have to do anything with that. i'm actually referring to the little trim piece that surrounds the antenna on the outside of the quarter panel. you might want to try to have someone run the motor while you pull up on the mast after you remove that cover. IIRC it used a special J shaped tool with 2 flathead style ends that went in 2 of the holes. i suppose it could be replicated by using 2 flathead screwdrivers. the tool came with the antenna mast kit.
I'll have to try to run the motor while pulling on it. If the motor is just spinning though, I hope the gear in the motor isn't the stripped part. Then a new gear string won't do much, right? Or is it the gear string that always get stripped?
.
I've never had one of these suckers apart, but usually one of the contacting materials is softer than the other, and that's the one that always gives first. If you can buy a kit with the gear string part, that's most likely the culprit.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33639
.
Open the motor/gear/case/whatever to see what's damaged (besides the obvious part that the kid ripped off).
You can live with the hole duct-taped shut for a couple of days until you get your parts.
You can live with the hole duct-taped shut for a couple of days until you get your parts.
I did mine, any auto parts store has t5he universal replacement mast looks very similiar to the gm unit and functions the same way. I just undid my motor and cycle the key when the motor was pushing the antenna out i just kept pulling till it came out. Then reversed the process for the reinstall.
And to the person who wanted to know if they could go mastless the answer is yes. FM signals are based of antenna length not height so in theory if you have a good location it doesnt have to be high. AM uses ht for a signal which is why newer cars use a booster to gain am frequencies so if you dont use AM mast less is a good way to go.
Dan
And to the person who wanted to know if they could go mastless the answer is yes. FM signals are based of antenna length not height so in theory if you have a good location it doesnt have to be high. AM uses ht for a signal which is why newer cars use a booster to gain am frequencies so if you dont use AM mast less is a good way to go.
Dan
LS6427 - This thread has the GM replacement part for the mast:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...r-antenna.html
To get the mast out, you have to take the nut off the top and then really pull really hard - while the motor is trying to extend! (So, it helps if you have someone else working the radio while you try to pull.) Pretend you are He-Man pulling his sword out of the ground and you'll get it. There is a metal jamming sleeve around the mast that locks it in. You basically have to bend/break that sleeve to get the antenna out. The replacement mast comes with a new sleeve to replace the one you will break to get your old mast out.
1995blacktattop - This thread has the instructions to fix your antenna that won't go all the way back in: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...d-working.html Very easy fix.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/general-m...r-antenna.html
To get the mast out, you have to take the nut off the top and then really pull really hard - while the motor is trying to extend! (So, it helps if you have someone else working the radio while you try to pull.) Pretend you are He-Man pulling his sword out of the ground and you'll get it. There is a metal jamming sleeve around the mast that locks it in. You basically have to bend/break that sleeve to get the antenna out. The replacement mast comes with a new sleeve to replace the one you will break to get your old mast out.
1995blacktattop - This thread has the instructions to fix your antenna that won't go all the way back in: https://ls1tech.com/forums/stereo-el...d-working.html Very easy fix.
I did mine, any auto parts store has t5he universal replacement mast looks very similiar to the gm unit and functions the same way. I just undid my motor and cycle the key when the motor was pushing the antenna out i just kept pulling till it came out. Then reversed the process for the reinstall.
And to the person who wanted to know if they could go mastless the answer is yes. FM signals are based of antenna length not height so in theory if you have a good location it doesnt have to be high. AM uses ht for a signal which is why newer cars use a booster to gain am frequencies so if you dont use AM mast less is a good way to go.
Dan
And to the person who wanted to know if they could go mastless the answer is yes. FM signals are based of antenna length not height so in theory if you have a good location it doesnt have to be high. AM uses ht for a signal which is why newer cars use a booster to gain am frequencies so if you dont use AM mast less is a good way to go.
Dan
And to the person who wanted to know if they could go mastless the answer is yes. FM signals are based of antenna length not height so in theory if you have a good location it doesnt have to be high. AM uses ht for a signal which is why newer cars use a booster to gain am frequencies so if you dont use AM mast less is a good way to go.
Dan
Dan
Post #22 has info on AM reception on my alternate setup.