Hi all,

My antenna is not happy. It's been on the blink for a while and now will not go up at all.

When I get into the trunk and have the wife turn the radio on and off I don't hear anything in the way of the motor trying to run. The fuse under the hood is ok. And when I touch the antenna with my finger the reception is fine (I become the antenna).

Not sure but first thought is that the motor needs to be replaced.

Also, when I look at the motor assembly I can see a white knob that is labeled Senken (Sink) and Heben (Lift) (translations from freetranslation.com.) Is this knob meant to be used to manually lift and lower the antenna? I don't want to break anything, I am unable to turn with my fingers.

Searched but did find anything on this knob, will continue to search, and my cd is of little help.

Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks,
Joel

The antenna mechanism may need disassembly/cleaning/relube. It is common for motor control to include an overcurrent sensing function that will cut power to the motor if overload occurs. This also functions as a limit switch to stop the motor when fully retracted or extended. I believe this was the case on our '91 190 when I repaired a condition of incomplete retraction.

Steve

Frequently the plastic "tail" on the antenna breaks and jams the mechanism. It is fairly simple to remove the unit, take it apart and check it out.

If you have a test lamp or DMM, you might check the electrical supply and ground at the connector.

You can try to crank it up manually with the knob, but stop if you encounter resistance.

__________________
Chuck Taylor
Falls Church VA
'66 200, '66 230SL, '96 SL500. Sold: '81 380SL, '86 300E, '72 250C, '95 C220, 3 '84 280SL's '90 420SEL, '72 280SE, '73 280C, '78 280SE, '70 280SL, '77 450SL, '85 380SL, '87 560SL, '85 380SL, '72 350SL, '96 S500 Coupe

Thanks guys,

What you have written makes a lot of sense. If it is jammed that would explain why:

1) I don't hear the motor run at all
2) I can't turn the knob by hand

Looks like I'll have to remove from car, disassemble, inspect, clean and reassemble.

Thanks for taking the time to reply,
Joel

I need help with kind of a similar problem in my '92 300TE 4Matic: no gear sound with power, but now that I've removed the unit from the car, when I turn the mini-belt inside the mechanism, the antenna goes up only 1/2 way. After that, the antenna doesn't move, even though the gears do when I keep turning the mini-belt. Also, if I gently pull or push on the antenna, it won't move and neither do the gears.
I'm thinking it could just be stuck since the antenna has been idle for about a year due to the radio malfunctioning, (E-2 code), last year and my just installing a refurbished replacement from Becker N.A. yesterday. But if that were the case, wouldn't the motor still hum? Could I have burned it out? The fuse is fine, the radio works, and if I touch the retracted staff, the reception gets better, but for obvious reasons, that just won't do. Any suggestions? I have checked and double checked all the electrical connections, but only visibly, not with any tools/meters. I'd welcome all suggestions, as I'd really like to have my antenna working again. Thanks.


1962 MB 220SEb "Fintail" Sedan
1963 Vespa VNB-4T Motor Scooter
1992 MB 300TE 4Matic Wagon
1995 Subaru Legacy Wagon