replaced my antenna mast

[Landshark]

used this - should probably be added to the HOW-TO section. it was a nice step-by-step procedure - good job! (Doug?)

http://www.capital-internet.net/%7Ed...na/antenna.htm

a couple notes - i had a ground wire that needed to be unfastened, also (obvious), that i didn't see in the pics. also, my antenna cable was fastened to the motor with a rubber strap, not a zip tie - must be late model improvements!


also, be sure to orient the top (metal) part of the mast guide in the plastic mast guide correctly - on the part that sticks through the outside of the car there is a tab that the outer plastic part slides onto. left me scratching my head for a couple minutes.

[calisvx]

question guys what part # is the mast and where can i buy it everything works the mast broke in a carwash i forgot to turn off the radio but hey nothing that cant be fixed right guys?
well the help would be apreciated thanks in advance!

[kuoh]

Nice and detailed instructions if you need to replace your antenna motor...BUT...

You do not even need to open the trunk to replace just the mast!! You have to unscrew the top retainer as the instructions show in the first step. After that, simply turn the radio on and the mast will be pushed up to the point where you can see the white cord and LEAVE THE RADIO ON. Simply pull up on the cord until it pops out. Notice the direction of the curl in the cord and the ball at the end of it. This is what the motor grabs to pull it back down. I'm not entirely sure if the direction of the curl matters, but it couldn't hurt to keep it the same.

To reinstall the mast, simply push the ball back down until it pops into place. Don't be afraid to put a little effort into it. You should be able to push it down enough so the base of the mast goes back into the guide. Make sure it lines up, then turn off the radio. If you have everything lined up, the antenna will retract and you can screw the retainer back on. If you've done this before, it should take less than 5 minutes.

Oh, and the mast is part number 4 here.

KuoH

[ensteele]

I have a write up on this with bigger pictures that I will post in the How To.

[dcarrb]

Originally posted by kuoh
Nice and detailed instructions if you need to replace your antenna motor...BUT...

You do not even need to open the trunk to replace just the mast!! You have to unscrew the top retainer as the instructions show in the first step. After that, simply turn the radio on and the mast will be pushed up to the point where you can see the white cord and LEAVE THE RADIO ON. Simply pull up on the cord until it pops out. Notice the direction of the curl in the cord and the ball at the end of it. This is what the motor grabs to pull it back down. I'm not entirely sure if the direction of the curl matters, but it couldn't hurt to keep it the same.

To reinstall the mast, simply push the ball back down until it pops into place. Don't be afraid to put a little effort into it. You should be able to push it down enough so the base of the mast goes back into the guide. Make sure it lines up, then turn off the radio. If you have everything lined up, the antenna will retract and you can screw the retainer back on. If you've done this before, it should take less than 5 minutes.

Oh, and the mast is part number 4 here.

KuoH

What year is your SVX? Was the spool mechanism changed in later model years? I replaced my mast awhile back, and having disassembled the spool housing, I can't imagine how the ball tip of the nylon leader can just "pop into place." (Believe me, I tried.) I ended-up having to manually insert the ball into the receptacle on the locking slider ring that travels around the spool, then wind the leader around the spool by hand (which worked fine, BTW).

Oh, and if the leader on the mast you're replacing is broken, as it was on my car, you've got to take the thing apart, anyway, to remove the bottom portion of the leader.

I've always admitted to being a ham-fisted, dim-witted mechanic, but figure I must really be missing something here.

dcb

[kuoh]

Mine is a 92, but I also replaced one for a 93. Subaruparts.com only lists the antenna & radio parts for 92 and 93 model years, and no listing what so ever for the following years. The part number is 86322PA010, so if this is the same part as the one you installed, then the procedure should be the same. It is possible that they could've changed the motor assembly on later years so you can't do this, but I doubt it. And if they did, it would have to be documented in the service manuals.

KuoH

Originally posted by dcarrb
What year is your SVX? Was the spool mechanism changed in later model years? I replaced my mast awhile back, and having disassembled the spool housing, I can't imagine how the ball tip of the nylon leader can just "pop into place." (Believe me, I tried.)

[dcarrb]

Yeah, I did install the OEM mast, so as I said before, I must be missing something. In my case, I could see no way the ball tip of the leader was going to just happen to find its place in the locking ring. And without the ball being properly positioned in the ring, the leader would just spin freely on the spool.

Whatever; mine works.

dcb

[kuoh]

That's where the part about turning on the radio and leaving it on comes in. Once the antenna is up all the way and the motor stops running, the ring is alread in the correct orientation when you pull the leader out. As long as you don't turn the radio off and cause the motor to spin, you can just pop the ball on the leader right back in. Otherwise, you'll have to do it the hard way and take everything apart.

KuoH

[Landshark]

Originally posted by kuoh

You do not even need to open the trunk to replace just the mast!!

i guess that's true, but.....

its only a couple nuts and some connectors holding the whole unit in place. its worth removing to clean all the built up crud out of the metal and plastic guides (which i imagine led to the antenna getting borked in the first place.......)

Originally posted by dcarrb

I've always admitted to being a ham-fisted, dim-witted mechanic, but figure I must really be missing something here.

dcb

Kuoh is right. I've replaced several antennas on three different types of Subarus and I've never had to take out the motor. You simply pull out the old antenna, and if nothing is broken off of the plastic leader you can just pop the new one in. The plastic ball on the end will pop into place with the right amount of force. It may not pop into the winding mechanism in the perfect spot (i.e. the mast sticks up a little after you lower it, or the motor runs for a few seconds after the mast is already all the way down) , but lowering and raising the mast a few times will eventually correct the problem by forcing the ball to "skip" to a new location on the winding mechanism. It works and it's a very fast way to replace an antenna.


Dave

Originally posted by Landshark


i guess that's true, but.....

its only a couple nuts and some connectors holding the whole unit in place. its worth removing to clean all the built up crud out of the metal and plastic guides (which i imagine led to the antenna getting borked in the first place.......)

That may be true but the nuts holding the motor on my 94 were rusted very badly. Trying to take those off could have opened a can of worms that certainly did not need to be opened




Dave

[kuoh]

Yup. As old as these cars are now, squeezing, bending, prying, unscrewing, or just touching certain expensive things unnecessarily might not be such a good idea. Just the other day, the cap to my rear washer reservoir snapped off when I opened it to fill. I had always thought it was rubber, but snap it went. At least it wasn't something more crucial and costly.

KuoH

Originally posted by red95svx
Trying to take those off could have opened a can of worms that certainly did not need to be opened

[Landshark]

Originally posted by red95svx
That may be true but the nuts holding the motor on my 94 were rusted very badly. Trying to take those off could have opened a can of worms that certainly did not need to be opened

PB Blaster is your friend.

my nuts looked great!