power antenna broke today

[98StealthBird]

so i started my car this morning and the antenna goes up when i stopped at the coffee shop the motor worked but the antenna stayed up after work i stopped at the local car audio shop and the guy grabs the antenna and says right away the the mast cable is broke and i can easily install this myself so the cable will be here tommorow what a pain in the ***

[StrtRacer98]

Re: power antenna broke today

How much did you pay for the cable? Or did you buy the whole power antenna unit.

Its pretty cheap to replace them, so hopefully you were gouged on the price of just part of it.
It's a really easy install too.

[CDNFB]

Re: power antenna broke today

You can buy just the cable?

Actually, although they call it a cable, it really isn't. It's a long, thin, flexible nylon plastic rod with teeth molded into it (to engage the main drive gear). I've fixed this "cable" before when it broke.

To get into the housing, you have to drill out the rivets that hold it together, and when you put it back together you have to use some machine screws and nuts. It would be a good idea to add some grease to the gears and "cable" when you re-assemble it. I used Dow Corning DC-33 grease.

[zlexiss]

Re: power antenna broke today

I never drilled out the rivets, but by removing tube on top where the antenna comes out I could grab the broken piece and pull it out.

Just don't pull the motor unless you're ready to catch the spring loaded brushes that will fly out.

[98StealthBird]

Re: power antenna broke today

i got the cable and antenna on my way home today it cost me 50 cdn for it at the dealer the audio guy said i can pull the old antenna out and the cable will come with but i cant get the antenna to come out any one have any tips please and thankyou he said if it wont come out he would take the motor and everything out and put it in a vice and rip it out i dont like the sound of that at all

[CDNFB]

Re: power antenna broke today

I can't see how you can properly put a new cable in there without seperating the gear housing. You don't have to touch the motor at all, but by removing the gear housing cover (the 3 rivets) you can properly feed in and secure the cable into the gear spool and guide.

[zlexiss]

Re: power antenna broke today

CDNFB: The antenna doesn't need to secure onto the spool and guide, since there's enough excess length on the drum to keep it there. I don't even think the stock cable is secured to the drum, mine came right out. At least for my '01.

I just had a friend turn the radio off while I was holding the cable in there, and it zipped it in. Pushed the rest of the length in after, secured the stopnut on the antenna base, and then ran it up and down a few times to get it going up and down the right amount.

[CDNFB]

Re: power antenna broke today

My cable failed yet again, so rather than fix it I would like to replace it.

Who is the manufacturer of this replacement cable. P/N anyone??

Cable replacement beats replacing the whole unit. I'll have to look into your method zlexiss. Thanks.

[zlexiss]

Re: power antenna broke today

I bought my mast/cable from AntennaMastsRus.com for about $40. They were about the only ones I saw that had the black mast instead of chrome colored.

You can order off their website or they also sell them on ebay, search for "firebird power antenna mast" (titles and descriptions), they are listed under store name antennamastsrus.com or seller name bridgewood_motorsports.

Basic instructions were on their website talking about how to turn the radio on/off and feed the cable in.

[CDNFB]

Re: power antenna broke today

Thanks! Will def look into it.

[silvachris1]

Re: power antenna broke today

Mine "broke" too. I took the housing apart and removed the gearing and spool and everything from inside. I found out that the "cable" (ie. plastic wire like weadeater string) released from the inside of the mast. I took the end of the cable and smashed it with a hammer some to flatten it out so it would lodge in the top of the mast tighter. Then I covered the smashed end of the cable with super glue and let it set for about 30 seconds, and then forced the cable back into the mast until it clicked. Then I held it together till the glue set up. I put the gearing and guts back into the case and put it all back together. Let it sit over night, and try it later. Worked great, and the thing is still together a year later.

[CDNFB]

Re: power antenna broke today

That's pretty creative!

My cable keeps breaking or snapping in the spool area, and not always in the same spot. My guess is that the cable is becoming more brittle as time goes on, so it needs replacement.

My fix for such a break is to heat the ends of both pieces with an open flame untill they catch fire. Then to bring the two flaming ends together, at which point the molten plastic of each end fuse together. Then I blow out the flame and adjust the position so that the notches in the cable (for the drive gear) are properly spaced. When cooled, I use a file to shape the repair to the proper contour.

This repair works great and I have never had a repair fail yet. One word of caution. When the cable is burning, do not breath the fumes or smoke. Probably all sorts of bad crap in there!!

[silvachris1]

Re: power antenna broke today

Lol, definitely do not breath the fumes. Plastics have all kinds of chemicals in them, plus the thing prolly has a good coat of grease on it, and soaked into it pores by now. Either way, thats a pretty smart solution too. I'll keep that in mind in case I have that problem.

I did something similar when I was shaving the fins inside my air box. I sanded too deep in one of the corners (with the dremel) and actually cut a hole in it. I took one of the fins I had broke out, melted it with a propane torch, and spread the plastic back into the hole. Then I cleaned it all back up with sand paper.