How to replace your electric antenna mast

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:21 am

Is your antenna broken? did someone bend it and/or yank it out? Does the motor still work? If you answered YES to ALL of these, then here's how to fix it.

READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS FIRST BEFORE ATTEMPTING!!!!

The motor assembly and the antenna mast are two separate parts. You can replace the antenna from outside the car, as long as the motor still works.

This is how to do this on the Sedan, as the wagon is not quite the same.

This is what you want to order. It comes with the new mast and retaining nut.

You will need to remove the retaining nut first

It will be easy if you have a tool such as this

or a small needlenose pliers used carefully should work also.

place the tool over the nut and remove nut.

Now, turn on the radio so the mast is extended. You will have to carefully pull the mast out. ( IF PART OF YOUR MAST IS BROKEN OFF INSIDE, GOOD LUCK ON GETTING IT ALL OUT. IF you can get ahold of a part of it, then you can pull it the rest of the way out)

Now, take your new mast and make sure the serrated part faces forward. Slowly feed it into the motor assembly. It should go in from 2-4 inches. Turn off the radio so it retracts the antenna. You might have to push the last inch or so in by hand.

re-thread the retaining nut- and VIOLA!

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 4:21 am

this works for sedan only. I did the same. and now I have one spare working power antenna.

But...for the wagon.
The wagon has a different design; the motor is different, the mast is different (it has a ball at the end of the nylon) so you must take apart the whole assembly, not to mention the bracket is different too. I broke the motor magnets in my wagon trying to repair it.
so, guess my Wagon mast assembly (still brand new) is for sale.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:36 am

HA HA nice plug- why not post a how-to on the wagon if you have done it once?

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:46 am

I never did figure out the wagon way. Just ended up breaking my motor magnet assemby, and gave up.

The sedan replacement=fairly easy
The wagon replacement=pissed me off, not gonna try it again.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:54 am

Lesson: don't break the wagon one as you are toast?

magicmike · Post by **magicmike** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:13 am

I dont see how its different. the nut that holds the mast in should be the same. if that part is different you should still be able to get it off. cant be that much different.

Bheinen74 · Post by **Bheinen74** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:36 am

The sedan power antenna nylon is flat/smooth, no teeth for gears, no ball at the end of the nylon

The Wagon antenna nylon has teeth in the nylon part, not smooth, and has a larger ball at the end of nylon.

altogether different, i think the secon time around i could maybe figure out the Wagon repair, but it is nothing like doing the sedan repair.

rallysam · Post by **rallysam** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 3:38 pm

Nice writeup with many pics! Thanks.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 5:07 pm

Bheinen74 wrote:The sedan power antenna nylon is flat/smooth, no teeth for gears, no ball at the end of the nylon

The Wagon antenna nylon has teeth in the nylon part, not smooth, and has a larger ball at the end of nylon.

altogether different, i think the secon time around i could maybe figure out the Wagon repair, but it is nothing like doing the sedan repair.

Actually the sedan antenna has teeth for the gearing. But there is no ball at the end. I don't see why it would be different. I will just call the dealer and see if the antenna replacement part numbers are the same.

JC · Post by JC » Sat Feb 04, 2006 2:19 am

Bheinen74 wrote:But...for the wagon.
The wagon has a different design; the motor is different, the mast is different (it has a ball at the end of the nylon) so you must take apart the whole assembly, not to mention the bracket is different too. I broke the motor magnets in my wagon trying to repair it.
so, guess my Wagon mast assembly (still brand new) is for sale.

What? Just unscrew the mounting nut turn the radio on to raise the old unit. Pull it out. Push the new one in until the ball catches. Turn the radio off and let it lower. Resecure the mounting nut. Takes like 5 mins.

sullione · Post by **sullione** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:02 pm

I just looked up that part number at www.subaruparts.com and it's listed for $46. Is that correct? Would it be cheaper to replace the whole motor/antenna? Also, where can I get a tool like that from?

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:08 am

The motor assembly is a different part than the mast assembly. If your motor works, don't bother replacing it. As for the tool, all I did was drill a hole in a piece of aluminum plate and then take a regular screwdriver and hammer and create the "pins" that engage the cover screw.

sullione · Post by **sullione** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 12:11 am

Thanks for the info. I was just pointing out that the mast cost $46. That seems pretty pricey. Where did you get yours and how much was it? I could probably engineer something to get the screw off.

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:05 am

Yes, I think I paid around $46 for the mast. I did not think this is a huge cost versus having the bent one I had broken more by the cold weather and by people grabbing it. I think this mast is a common part for Import cars because it said Matsushita Electronics on it. So you might try Nissan or Toyota ( Maxima or Camry ) for an alternative price.

sullione · Post by **sullione** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 1:10 am

Thanks dscoobydoo, I think I will go on and get one in a few weeks. It sure would be nice to get the reception I used to when I have to drive to work. Going fifty mile each way is a long and boring drive without my radio.

MrSarcastic13 · Post by **MrSarcastic13** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 5:52 am

I might as well chime in with a question here as well, sorta on topic. What if you want to get rid of the motorized antenna alltogether and get just a normal one that stays still? How much work/how difficult is that project?

Damien

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 7:04 am

To remove the electric one for a solid mast, would probably involve removing the motor assembly, and then mounting a new mast in that location. It should be fairly easy.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 3:53 pm

http://bbs.legacycentral.org/viewtopic.php?t=23047

dscoobydoo · Post by **dscoobydoo** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 6:41 pm

LOL- wait long enough and someone will do it and post how

MrSarcastic13 · Post by **MrSarcastic13** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:38 pm

Damn, that's why I didn't find it before...forgot to search for "Metra Multi-Application Antenna AT-GM93" my bad.

Thanks vikash.

Damien

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:42 pm

It's the first hit when you search for "fixed antenna."

MrSarcastic13 · Post by **MrSarcastic13** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 9:51 pm

Any idea if that will work on the wagon?

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:04 pm

Can you take a close-up picture of where the antenna comes out on a wagon?

I would imagine it'd work as long as the angle of the sheetmetal is similar.

MrSarcastic13 · Post by **MrSarcastic13** » Tue Feb 21, 2006 10:26 pm

Yeah, I'll have to do that tomorrow. Been meaning to add to the member car thread as it is. It is on the rear passenger quarter, close to the taillight. 1994 model.

sullione · Post by **sullione** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 7:01 pm

Ok guys, I just ran across another part number for the antenna mast. It is SOA447D466. i'm not sure how accurate it is but I just thought I'd throw it out there. I'm assuming it may not be for our car since it about $20 cheaper than the one listed here with the nut but I'm not sure. Any guesses if this is a suitable sub???

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How to replace your electric antenna mast

How to replace your electric antenna mast