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Power Antenna Repair- a few questions

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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phils94850
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Re: Power Antenna Repair- a few questions

Post by phils94850 »

viper.. ive only had a couple antenna masts ive been able to feed back in there without trouble. If you take it apart theres a small hole the spline has to go thru before it reaches the gears to pull it in. Basically you gotta get it just right when feeding it back in there. If you cant, then you have to take the motor out and apart and start the feed that way then put it back in the car and turn the power on and let it finish pulling the antenna down.
1996 Platinum Edition

viper69
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Post by viper69 »

phils94850 wrote:viper.. ive only had a couple antenna masts ive been able to feed back in there without trouble. If you take it apart theres a small hole the spline has to go thru before it reaches the gears to pull it in. Basically you gotta get it just right when feeding it back in there. If you cant, then you have to take the motor out and apart and start the feed that way then put it back in the car and turn the power on and let it finish pulling the antenna down.
Oh great! No one ever said that piece of "good" news. Everyone just says "feed it in, make sure the teeth are aligned" hahah

I have a feeling this is going to end up at the mechanic now...greatttttttttt. :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:
Last edited by viper69 on 02 Sep 2010, 15:27, edited 1 time in total.
Volvo 850 GLT 1995

5 Speed Manual transmission

122,500 miles and barely broken in

Previous:
'82 Volvo DL Wagon, 4 speed manual
'77 Saab 99 EMS, 4 speed manual

Ozark Lee
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Post by Ozark Lee »

Viper69,

You are way over-thinking this.

Buy the $16.00 mast, shove it down the tube, and follow the instructions on the bag. It may take 2 or 3 shots to get it right and have the gear catch it and thread it back in but it is one of the easiest repairs you can do on these cars. I had one fight with me a bunch and it still only took 30 minutes.

...Lee
'94 850 N/A 5 speed
'96 Platinum Edition Turbo
Previous:
1999 V70XC - Nautic Blue - Totaled while parked.
1999 V70XC - RIP - Wrecked Parts Car.
1998 S70 T5
1996 850 N/A
1989 740 GLT
1986 740 GLT
1972 142 Grand Luxe

viper69
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Post by viper69 »

You are right Lee..I'm off to buy it.
Volvo 850 GLT 1995

5 Speed Manual transmission

122,500 miles and barely broken in

Previous:
'82 Volvo DL Wagon, 4 speed manual
'77 Saab 99 EMS, 4 speed manual

jblackburn
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Post by jblackburn »

I had no problems with it other than getting the strip oriented right for it to grab it. The motor isn't really powerful enough to grind up the teeth on the new mast. Mine took me about 20 minutes, and that was because I did it myself. An assistant would be a big help to turn the radio on/off for you.
'98 S70 T5
2016 Chevy Cruze Premier


A learning experience is one of those things that says, "You know that thing you just did? Don't do that."

mercuic: Long live the tractor motor!

nightc1
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Year and Model: 99'V70 Base 140K+Mi
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Post by nightc1 »

I had to replace the mast on my old 94' 940 once. Here's the thing I haven't read so far...

Remove the original mast.

Compare it to the new mast.

If the plastic toothed part on the new mast is longer than the old mast, then go ahead and fully remove the motor unit and take it apart because there bound to be a chunk of stuff still in the motor which could keep the new mast from fully going down the hole. It's pretty easy to take these things apart. I had no issue with it and it was the first time I had ever taken apart a power antenna.

Once you know there's no extra stuff in there, doing the whole "shove it down the hole" thing is pretty easy even if you don't pay attention to which side had the teeth. I'm near positive the teeth face either towards the rear or front of the car (I think mine on the 940 was facing the rear as the antenna was by the drivers side trunk).

It's either going to grab and pull it down or it's not. Having a second person to turn the radio off and on is helpful. If it doesn't fully go down then it'll correct itself after a few on/off cycles for the radio.

This is definitely one of the easiest jobs to do on the car.

An alternative thing you can do is remove the old mast and look at the end of the plastic toothed part. If it's broken it should be pretty obvious as the break shouldn't be super smooth.

viper69
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Post by viper69 »

I was able to get it to work, so far so good..so thank you everyone for your patience. The only "problem" is when the antenna raises as it makes a noise right at the opening as if part of the antenna is rubbing up against the metal/black rubber housing as it pushed up. It only does it for the first piece that rises through the hole first. I know I have put the black rubber mounting back on in exactly the same spot. I'm wondering if maybe the new antenna is slightly thicker...I don't know.
Volvo 850 GLT 1995

5 Speed Manual transmission

122,500 miles and barely broken in

Previous:
'82 Volvo DL Wagon, 4 speed manual
'77 Saab 99 EMS, 4 speed manual

LaRock5
Posts: 4
Joined: 17 January 2011
Year and Model: 940 1995
Location: Missouri

Post by LaRock5 »

Can I replace my power antenna mast with a stationary antenna? If so can I just take the fuse out for the antenna motor?
Thanks

Ozark Lee
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Post by Ozark Lee »

You can replace it but it will be difficult to find one that will fit correctly and seal on the narrow upper panel. There is no need to remove the fuse since you will need to remove the power antenna to install the replacement. The power antenna has an electrical connector on it as well as the antenna plug so it all just unplugs to remove it.

...Lee
'94 850 N/A 5 speed
'96 Platinum Edition Turbo
Previous:
1999 V70XC - Nautic Blue - Totaled while parked.
1999 V70XC - RIP - Wrecked Parts Car.
1998 S70 T5
1996 850 N/A
1989 740 GLT
1986 740 GLT
1972 142 Grand Luxe

LaRock5
Posts: 4
Joined: 17 January 2011
Year and Model: 940 1995
Location: Missouri

Post by LaRock5 »

Thanks.
I have been messing with the antenna for the past hour and can't figure out the problem. It does not raise/lower when the radio is turned on or off. It just started doing this last week. No problem with the antenna motor. I hear it working.
Wanted a simple solution.

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