[ntrodda]

My power antenna quit, second one in 16 years. I believe the last one had a mast arm issue like stripped teeth, but this one makes no noise so I assume the motor is toast. I pulled it out to test it and nothing.

I bought an aftermarket antenna, naively thinking that it would plug and play. So it comes with this relay thing that the three motor wires (yellow, brown, white) go into. They then come out as black, red and blue.

The instructions suggest cutting off the old connector from the junk antenna and attaching that to the new antenna wiring. How you do that is left a mystery.

The wiring from the car is green and grey, in a plug. Then there is another white wire by itself. There is no ground to the body. Looking at the new antenna, I did not know what the purpose of the relay thing was so I amputated it. My guess is it is for cars without factory power antennas or who want to add a manual switch. My car some how controls the antenna without the need for a relay or switch.

I spliced the new motor wires to the plugs cut from the old antenna, using the old setup for comparison. When I plugged the motor in, the antenna started to extend. Obviously I have the wires backwards, since the key was off.

Has anyone attempted this? With no help from the instructions, it seems like it would just be trial and error until I found the right connection. Maybe I should have left the relay attached, but still I would have no idea how to connect this thing.

Looks like Arizona Parts has the stock antenna in stock (4372266). I think I will order that and stop messing around with this thing. Sadly in another 15 years that part will wear out...

 

[ImperialCrown]

Did any instructions come with the new antenna? Do they have a website for assistance?
The relay may be important to power the antenna motor as the motor may draw more current than the radio power switch can provide long-term and it has the reverse for the antenna to retract. The Green may be from the 'on' antenna up and the Gray may be power for the 'off' antenna down signal?
Did the old antenna motor draw current (spark) when you tested it, like the motor is OK but it is stuck or nothing at all?
These units do come apart for 'some' service. There are generic brushes available if you can measure all 3 dimensions and where the pigtail comes out. Pictures are a great help. Estimate how much the brush wore for the length dimension.
If moisture has gotten in or plastic is worn or broken, they are usually goners. I have kept spares around for future repairs.

 

[george w]

It would be best to simply replace your existing antenna with an exact OEM replacement. This way everything will match right up. This assumes that you can get one for a price you're willing to pay. You have nothing to lose to try to disassemble yours to see if it can be repaired. If it's totally dead there may be a blown fuse that supplies power. It may just need a good cleaning and lubrication. Replacement masts may also still be available. They came in chrome and black.
One tip to prolong the life of the antenna is to wipe it down regularly with WD-40 or something similar to keep the mast clean and lubricated so it moves freely. Another is to never go into a car wash with the antenna up.

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I use silicone lube on my antenna once in a while to keep it working smoothly. I also went out of my way when buying an aftermarket deck to get one that has separate power antenna and remote amp turn on feeds... a little extra wiring, and my power antenna only extends now in tuner mode. It's an Alpine CDE-HD149BT. For some reason, Pioneer decks don't usually include the extra feed wire, but Kenwood and Alpine often do. Not sure about others.

The extra wiring was needed because from the factory, Infinity audio systems use the same relay the power antenna does. I had to move my power antenna to its own relay to keep the Infinity amp working all the time. But if you don't have Infinity, that wouldn't be a problem.