Antenna Prob"s

[WhiteGXLowner Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close WhiteGXLowner]

Hey there,
Can anyone tell if changing the antenna on a 2001 GXL is a huge drama? as mine does not go up or down but I can hear the motor running when I switch the radio on and off.

Thanks

[light5light Member Find all posts View Profile Close light5light]

If you hear the motor running when you turn on/off radio, it means the antenna receives signal to power the motor.

So in this case, problem should be at the position of the motor and antenna where it is mounted on your car (i guess on the right hand side).

Now the thing is to check the antenna and motor. I don't think it is a very big problem. There are 2 ways to access the antenna area.

1. This way helps you to access the antenna, but may give you a bit hard to remove the antenna later. If you thinking of removing/replace the antenna/motor, I may suggest you follow the (2) option.

The only thing you have to do is stop the car, turn the wheel all the way right to open the area under the driver side wheel.

Then remove some bolt-on plastic screws above the front right hand side tyre to remove the mud cover. You should see where the antenna mounted on the right hand side of your car. Normally it is mounted on the opposite side wall of the engine bay.

All things then you have to check if the motor/electric/water - dust/... or something was gone wrong. You should have a multi-volmeter to check current to antenna. I don't know about it, you can check from your manual.


2. If then you find out this way to access and remove the antenna is so difficult, you may have to go with removing the front right hand side panel. At least 4 x 10mm bolts on the top in engine bay (one in the closer position to the cabin will be hard to get it out), then some other around the edge with bull bar, and some other where you have to open the door and use long tool to unbolt them, all are 10mm bolts.
After that you have to remove some plastic bolt-on screws underneath the panel to remove completely the panel.
The hole process to do this will cost around 1 - 2h depends on your skills. Then all the area will open, you can do whatever you want with the antenna.

I haven't done further job, just open to that area to do something there. Mine is RV 97 with manual antenna but should have the same position of antenna.

And my post here is based on my common sense of fixing electrical devices in my car and others, not specifically on electric antenna.

Hope you get pass it soon.

[croozza Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close croozza]

It is the plastic strip inside the mast that has broken, you can buy a replacement mast for about $60 at Autobarn, to remove the old mast, just unscrew the metal ring around the old mast, pull the old mast out, check to see most of the plastic strip comes out with it, if not you will have to check the motor, which is inside the guard, you can access it from the wheel arch, then undo the cover on the motor and let the rest of the plastic strip out. then put it all back together. after that, you can then put the new mast on, place the new plastic strip down the tube until it stops, then turn on the radio so that the motor pulls the plastic strip down, then tighten up the ring that goes around the mast. Simple.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Yep nearly spot on instructions crooza,""then turn on the radio so that the motor pulls the plastic strip down"" needs to be on first then turn the radio ignition off so it pulls mast down ""lol, had to do it to both mine, took me about an hour each time. Biggest pain was popping the plastic clips from the splashguard under neath, broke them so had to get some new ones but once I had the cover out was easy to do. They have a plastic sleeve over them as well to keep the dirt and crap out, think for memory was only 2 screws to seperate the motor cover. Make sure you get all the old plastic bits out or it will chew out the new in no time, quit easy to do just hold the motor at the right angle so you dont lose anything, I remember some thing dropping out not sure what it was now but I did have a gregorys book to follow so made it alot easier the first time..Just a hint when you have cleaned it all out and put all back together ""except the mast"" what I did was turn on the ignition with radio to on, you will here the arial trying to push the mast up (obviously it wont as there isnt one in there) wait till you here the motor stop trying to push it up then when at that point feed the new mast in till it stops, then what I did with door open/window open which ever is easier hold the rest of the mast in one hand and turn the ignition off with the other just so that it feeds down in nice and straight then very last thing as croozza said screw the little chrome holder back in place once it has wound itself back down into place and job is done..Cheers Steve

[Lushy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Lushy]

Possibly a bit late, but I'll leave this here for anyone doing it in the future... before you go to all the hassle of replacing the antenna, if you can hear the motor for it working, check the back of your radio and make sure that the antenna signal wire is connected. Not the antenna cable but the wire that tells the antenna that you're listening to the radio not CD and to raise the antenna to the right height.

After a lot of swearing at mine I gave up on it for a year or so thinking it was too hard to replace the antenna and when I went to replace the radio found that wire loose and what do ya know, the antenna was never broken in the first place.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

""if you can hear the motor for it working"" should that be ""if you can't hear the motor for it working ?? Cheers steve

[Snaga Wishing I was lost Find all posts View Profile Close Snaga]

I have pics of this process do I'll dig those out and post them for reference.