Hello All,

I would like to ask some advice. I have a 92 300zx NA. My power antenna won't go all the way down. It goes up fine, but stops about 4 inches short of fully going down. I believe that I may be able to just replace the mast. How would you go about removing the mast??

Thanks in advance,

Colin

 

It's probably not just the mast. The Z32's power antenna is problematic. It costs $197+tax to replace too.

Your best bets are to either:

A) eliminate it and rewire the stereo to use the hatch glass as the only antenna (I explain further down)

B) replace it with an eBay unit (they're going for $30 and no, I DO NOT KNOW if they'll work or not, but at $30 I'll eventualy give it a shot) - if you do this, let me know how it worked out

C) deal with it.


The stock Z32 stereo varies its signal between the defroster in the hatch glass and the actual antenna itself. The head unit decides which is getting a better signal and it uses that. What you have to do is take apart your stereo and find the antenna wire (thick black wire and plug, I'm sure you know which). You'll have an adapter that plugs into the stock antenna plug, unplug that and you'll see 2 small leads. Take a small piece of wire and wrap it around the leads, which will connect the two sources, and plug it back in. This will cause your stereo to draw signal from both sources (in my case, it made a HUGE difference in sound quality). Then, you can remove your antenna and fill in (shave) the hole for a more clean look without sacrificing having an antenna.

 

Thanks for the advice. I have an aftermarket stereo system in it right now. I have noticed that the radio reception is not too good. I may attempt to rewire as you said to incorporate the rear glass for added reception capability. I have replaced a few of those power antenna's out before, but not in my Z. Do you know how to remove the round piece that the mast goes through on the right quarter panel? I imagine that there is a clip on the inside but I have not removed the interior panels?

I have always kept that antenna lubricated for the years that I have had it, but I guess it finally broke.

Thanks again for the help.

Colin

 

I just recently replaced my power antenna.
You'll hafta remove a couple of the interior panels. It's not difficult. Just a few 10mm nuts and it's out. Everything is accessible from the inside. Once you take it all apart, you'll see how it all goes together.

 

Thank you all for the advice..

 

lube it? :shrug:

 

heh heh, you said lube....

J/K....Id say just do what Riz said and go to the junkyard and get a replacement for cheap.

 

take a stab at this... tt.net writeup on replacing the mast...
http://www.twinturbo.net/net/viewmsg...&msg_id=961660

FWIW, it didn't work for me =(