Replacing antenna mast - new mast gets stuck going in - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dwoloz · #1 10-15-2007, 05:03 PM

I figured this job would be a snap and of course I was wrong

I pulled out the old mast and mysteriously its plastic cable was missing entirely (work of one of the previous owners). I expected there to still be pieces inside the housing so I took off the cover and I can't see any pieces left.
Inserting the new mast, the motor catches it and starts to pull it in but it just gets stuck right after the curved yellowish (with age) plastic piece. I have the teeth facing towards the front of the car.

Any reason it would be getting stuck and not pulled all the way in?

There must also be some safety feature built in because about every 3 times I raise and lower the antenna, the motor then stops working until you wait a good while and try again.

Phil · #2 10-15-2007, 05:48 PM

I had a similar problem and had to take the cover off the motor unit so I could guide the tail between the rollers and then it went the rest of the way in.

Look at these pictures and you can see where the tail goes.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=200020

dwoloz · #3 10-15-2007, 05:57 PM

That tension wheel you were replying about, what kind of movement is that supposed to have? Mine right now doesnt move except for the wheel which spins

My cover is off and I can see the end of the plastic cable position itself in the roller. The motor engages and pulls it in but then it gets stuck and the motor just spins without pulling any further

Phil · #4 10-15-2007, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwoloz

That tension wheel you were replying about, what kind of movement is that supposed to have? Mine right now doesnt move except for the wheel which spins

My cover is off and I can see the end of the plastic cable position itself in the roller. The motor engages and pulls it in but then it gets stuck and the motor just spins without pulling any further

The wheel is on an arm that has a pivot at one end. This arm only moves a little but it sometimes gets stuck by rust or whatever so if you spray some lube on the pivot and wheel and then manually move them it allows more tention on the tail piece so it feeds better. It is possible that you have the old tail stuck around the large roller and may have to try to get it out but first I would try raising the missing antenna and look if you see any of the old tail where you could grab it with needle nose plyers and pull it out.

dwoloz · #5 10-20-2007, 03:07 PM

This is proving impossible, I don't know whats wrong

Everytime the plastic line gets sucked in by the motor and then it always goes into the white plastic piece and thats where it gets stuck. It goes into the white piece and since there is no exit it just gets stuck at the end of it. What am I doing wrong??

pmari · #6 10-20-2007, 06:24 PM

Manually striaghten the very tip of the plastic tail (4-6 inches worth) and take the curve out, so when it feeds into the motor, it is pulled in the right direction (down to the bottom and not trying to curl over the top)

Make sure you have the right antenna for your motor. The are 2 types, one with teeth and one without. Use the numbers on the side of your hirshman motor, not the type and year of the car. The motor unit may have been changed. Do search on antenna or hirshman, there is a web site that has lots of info(sorry not home @ my PC with a bookmark for ya)

dwoloz · #7 10-20-2007, 06:58 PM

So is the plastic tail not supposed to go inside of the plastic thing and is instead supposed to go BELOW it?

pmari · #8 10-20-2007, 07:56 PM

Hmmmm

not sure what you mean. Only one place for it to go after you feed it in. Make sure it's being pulled by the teeth and NOT jamming (manually striaghtening the plastic tail helps prevent it from jamming) Check the link Phil provided.

Check out pg 21
http://www.hirschmann-car.com/English/download/catalogs-brochures/car-radio-gsm-gps/index.phtml?force=true

http://products.hirschmann.de/index.php?target=T429&targettype=combined&cmstype=2&lang=en&maid=26

http://www.geocities.com/odemer@sbcglobal.net/Hirschmann.html

http://www.soundlabsgroup.com.au/c/80-Hirschmann-Tech/Technical.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwoloz

So is the plastic tail not supposed to go inside of the plastic thing and is instead supposed to go BELOW it?

dwoloz · #9 10-20-2007, 08:39 PM

The crescent shaped white plastic piece that both of my green arrows are pointing to. The plastic antenna tail goes INTO that plastic piece but is unable to come out of it.
I was confused by your statement "(down to the bottom and not trying to curl over the top)"

I have a toothed plastic tail and not sure which is supposed to be used but I was under the impression toothed would work in a non toothed system