Frozen Antenna

[spinedoc]

Recently us New Englanders (I miss San Fran) were hit with a good snowstorm. Ever since then the temp has been pretty cold. My antenna on my 87 300E freezes in place refusing to go up or down until the sun has defrosted it a bit. Any suggestions?

Also I assume my car is American, but the temp guage and temp wheel are in Celsius! Any way to replace these with Fahrenheit temps? Maybe replace the sticker on my temp wheel if available?

Thanx, Brrr...

[Car Nut]

You can wipe the antenna with some WD 40, then close it, and open it again to repeat the procedure until it's clear on the paper towel. Then wipe it dry "completely". This will displace most of the moisture.


99 E430 Sport

[jeffsr]

First, unfreeze the mast by pouring (Guess What??) hot water on the mast and mounting flange. Make sure thre outside temp is above freezing. when the mast begins to move freely up an down, leave it in the extended position. Get a Brillo soap loaded steel wool pad (at the supermarket usually) and wet it with warm water. Run it up and down the mast a number of times to remove wax, dirt and any other crud. You can really polish it up quite well using this method. Rinse well with copious warm water to remove any soap residue. Extend the mast dry it off well with paper towels, get some one to lower it from inside the car using the antenna switch. Stop it about one inch from fully retracted. Get a new can of WD-40, attach the red spray tube and patiently squirt at least 1/3 of the can down into the mast retraction sleeve. This will take some time, especially if it's cold outside. The WD-40 will displace any moisture in the mast assembly and it should all drain out the bottom drain in the antenna assembly. This should clear up problems with freezing until the next time it rains. If this keeps happening, your mast is probably worn and has excessive clearance, in which case you will have to replace the mast, (not a big deal, most foreign auto parts stores carry this mast. BMW uses the same part for their power antenna. Too much clearance in the mast tubing allows excessive water to get inside, and you know what that's like already. I also live in MA and this has always worked for me. Both my cars have celsius on temp gauge and temp control wheel. This is standard for US Benzmobiles.
It's becoming a metric world my friend. Hope this helps..



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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e

[Benzmac]

Don't use too much lube, there is a belt in the unit that can come off and/ or slip. I'd use a few squirts and stop.

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Benzmac:
1981 280GE SWB
1987 16V
ASE CERTIFIED MASTER AUTO TECHNICIAN
SERVICE MANAGER FOR 14 BAY FACILITY
MERCEDES SPECIALIST 8 YRS
PARTNER IN MERCEDESSHOP.COM

[jeffsr]

BTW, if you need a new mast check [URL=http://www.************ Get a catalog, look under 87-89 3 series. The mast they sell is a direct replacement for the one in your car. About $24.00

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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 01-17-2000).]

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 01-17-2000).]

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 01-17-2000).]

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 01-17-2000).]