OK, Phil told me that he had someone fix his this way, so I figured I'd take it on myself.... 1) Unplug the motor harness from the relay that's behind the ps dash panel just under the pouch emblem...it takes 3 screws and carefully pulling down and out on the cover. The motor will be plugged into the slot just above where those orange, pink, and black wires are....the antenna motor wires are white, green, and gray. 2) Remove the motor and mast just like you were going to use the "repair kit" and take the motor and mast assembly apart...its very easy and a pretty simple motor....pry the 2 sections apart carefully and no parts will go flying after drilling out 4 rivets and removing the 5 clips. 3) Go to Home Depot and buy 36.5 inches of 3/32 galvanized bare cable. It should be about $1.35 4) Once the nylon chord is removed and the mast end, use a butane torch to heat up and melt out / burn out the nylon chord from each end....here the end that mounts in the gear... 5) Then take the steel cable and insert in each end where the nylon was and spot weld them in...may need to clean up the spot welds when done as that part must fit in the inner part of the mast. (On the next one I will try to just heat them up with the torch and melt solder in the ends as I think this will be much easier and should hold just as well if done properly) When done it should look like this: 6) Then with the mast fully extended, place the gear end of the cable back into the gear assembly...should look like this when done. 7) Clean up the housing edges and apply a very small beade of your favorite sealant, Ultra-Black for me, around the casing and put the casing back together using the 5 clips and machine screws and locking nuts where the rivets were drilled out. The assembly should look like this when done and ready to put back in. Doesn't hurt to do a test run with it out of the car first. 8) Bolt it all back up the way it was taken out and enjoy a flawless working antenna!! It's the first time mine has worked since I bought the TTop car 11 years ago!
very nice write up and pics Rob. I will have to refrence this in the future I just don't know when. I am gong to wait for my antennas to break first. Thanks Jarred
The motor free spinning with no cable made just as much noise, so I don't think it is any louder. I forgot to mention that I put a nice coating of lithium grease of the cable before inserting in the mast. Cable really only rubs the motor casing where it feeds into the mast as it is supposed to in a groove that guides it into the mast. The mast part is big enough that it's not making much contact with it.
You need to post this in the how to section Rob. Great job and it would save a lot of headaches woth the antenna issues of these cars.
Tried soldering the ends onto the cable tonight for my other car...it doesn't work. Solder would never bond to the metal ends no matter how hot I got them, I think they are some type of stainless material. They get red hot very quickly....so I'll have to weld them as well....many tiny hits with the welder, then grind it down and hit any more spots that aren't well connected. It does make it a little easier if you take a dremel tool with a thin cutting disk and slit the metal end fitting up the side a little ways up, slide in the cable then then weld down the seam that is made from the cut.
The trick here is using a rosin flux in addition to the solder Rob. Melt some solder in a small container first, dip the metal into the flux and then while heating the container with the solder in it, dip the end of the cable in the solder. Then do the same to the other part, heat and connect them.
