850 power antena

[fuz57]

antena wont go all the way up

[SnookWhaler]

Need more info. than that. More than likely the spline has twisted or broken.

A replacement mast is pretty cheap.

I would pull the antenna out of the car and take off the side of the motor to see what has happened first. Then go from there.

[JRL]

I would pull the antenna out of the car and take off the side of the motor to see what has happened first. Then go from there.

Why would you do that?
if his antenna is moving, the mast is shot. Buy a new mast.
If you can't figure out how to remove the old one, get back to us....

[BEJinFbk]

+1 on the mast.
If it's still nice and straight, it may just need a little encouragement.
When it powers up, give it a boost to fully deploy it and be sure it's not messed up.
If it appears undamaged, hit it with something like TriFlow or a similar lube.

You can use a paper towel that's been folded over a few times to contain
the overspray and then apply the lube soaked towel to the rest of the antenna.
Once you've done that, just run it up and down a few times to see if it's salvagable.

If it still doesn't behave, just go ahead get a new one.
It's most often the point of failure and very straight forward to replace.
There's usually no need to start tearing into the power unit.

[SnookWhaler]

I would pull the antenna out of the car and take off the side of the motor to see what has happened first. Then go from there.

Why would you do that?
if his antenna is moving, the mast is shot. Buy a new mast.
If you can't figure out how to remove the old one, get back to us....

Because it is easy to do and you have less of a chance of breaking the spline. The old mast may be salvageable.

I fixed mine 2 years ago. No problems since. Saved me from buying a new mast.

[matthew1]

One of the sections of the antenna mast on my 850 is now sticking. The frequency of necessary-to-keep-it-working synthetic lube spray increased from every few months to every few weeks, then finally doesn't help at all now.

I think it just needs to be removed and cleaned well.

Spraying with a lubricant is actually a owners manual maintenance item.

[Sperry]

I clean the mast from time to time, but the chrome is worn off one side. It is only a matter of time before a vital section of the plastic gearing [the spline?] breaks.

I replaced the mast in another car. It took about 45 minutes, and was a bit painful to get to, but $20 later, it worked fine.

[BEJinFbk]

I clean the mast from time to time, but the chrome is worn off one side. It is only a matter of time before a vital section of the plastic gearing [the spline?] breaks.

I replaced the mast in another car. It took about 45 minutes, and was a bit painful to get to, but $20 later, it worked fine.

45 minutes? Should be more like 5.

Remove:
Loosen the nut, have someone turn the radio on, pull up and out.
( Be sure to observe the direction that the teeth are facing.)

Replace:
Get the spline in postion, have your assistant turn the radio off
and feed the spline and antenna back in. Tighten the nut.

Rock On!

[Sperry]

Thanks, Fairbanks, on your critique of my mechanical ability.

It took 45 minutes on a 240, in the dark, with a bad back.
Leaning into the trunk was not a happy time.

[BEJinFbk]

Thanks, Fairbanks, on your critique of my mechanical ability.

It took 45 minutes on a 240, in the dark, with a bad back.
Leaning into the trunk was not a happy time.

OK...I gotta admit. I used to work on a lot of stereos...
( And I was usually in a nice, warm, well lit shop with a really loud stereo!)
The first one probably did take a little longer

You shouldn't even need to open the trunk, though.
Every power antenna I ever changed a mast out on
was from the outside.

At any rate, Best of Luck!