Well I have a new problem with my 84 4+3.

Here is a lillte history. I have had 2 antennas go bad with in 3 months of being installed. The installer blamed it on the antennas, said he had other Vets with the same problems, same unit.

I waited all winter to get what was suppose to be a new, will not go bad, antenna. He put it in, several months after it was in the raido went out and the antenna mast would not go down.

Brought the car back to the Mechanic. He told me the antenna was fried, he also stated he found 3 shorts and chared me $800.00 to find them. Some how the shors went away and everthing appeared to be working.

Now I got fed uo with my Mecahnic and went to a new one, 25 years experience. He told me the same thing, antenna is fried but he could make it go up and down, just not with the Bose radio.

So I am driving the Vet back from his shop and I turn on the radio and it does not work. I get home call him and he comes over to my home on his way home. He puts in a new breaker, the time displays on the radio, but as soon as I turned the radio on the breaker poped, we did it 3 times same results.

The antenna is not connected in the back.

So what in the nane of God could be the problem. Where could the short be coming from to make the breaker blow. The interior lights do not go out they are OK. The circuts were check after the 1st antenna blew last year I was told last year there was nothing wrong with the electrical system. I did have the radio sent out and repaired, cleaned up last spring, do to too much static.

Any ideas? Things I should have my Mechainc check that he may not have thought of.

Thanks,

Hugh

 

Check the voltage and the current draw at the antenna. If all is good, try it with an external source of power and again measure the current draw. It could be a bad antenna from the same source you got the last one.

 

Thanks robvuk,

One thing I forgot to say, that the relay for the new antenna to make it go down was fried according to the man who installed it and the other 2, also. Since the antenna is not pluged in how could it becausing a short when the radio is turned on. Are you saying the new antenna caused a new short some where. I am new to this, my first Vet.

Gets frustrating!!!

Hugh

 

Well you might not be explaining things quite correctly for me to give you a good diagnosis. If it has an external relay to control it, that opens a whole new can of worms. If the relay is disconnected and the breaker pops when you turn on the radio, that's another set of possibilities. The antenna cannot "cause" a short some where else. It only has two connections. The antenna output that goes into the radio and the power input that makes the internal motor run it up and down. If there's an external relay in between the 12v and the power input, you have to determine if there's a problem there too.

I had an 84 and replaced my antenna too. If I remember correctly, mine had no external relay. I wired it to the 12v and it worked great.

 

Thanks for the help, you are correct I may not be saying it correctly. The car is going back in the shop this week The OD is on it's last leg and I am having it replaced. The electrical system will be checked out again and I ordered a new upgraded antenna. Could be the Bose! We will find out. It's like these antenna have a built in self destruct system, they last 2 to 3 months and die.

Thanks again

Hugh

 

I just got off the telephone with my Mecahnic. He stated that there is no external relay to make it go down and that the antenna mast was a little bent. He stated that he could get the Mast to go uo and down but had to hook it up to a battery and that it was drawing 15 amps, that the mast was going up and down very slowly. He feels it was the mast putting too much strain on the motor that kept poping the breakers.

But I do not know how the breaker could have poped Saturday when we did not have the antenna relay pluged in the back .

Does this make any sence, I sure wish I spent more time learning about electronics.

Hugh