Antenna question
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Antenna question
My antenna wouldn't go up or down. I took the antenna motor out opened it up and found that the cable inside was broken. I replaced it put it all back together. I plugged in the wires from the antenna to the relay and the antenna went down, but when I turn on my stereo. The antenna won't go up. I unplugged the antenna wires from the relay and ran some wires to the green and gray to the battery it went up. I used the same wires from the battery to the white and green and it went down. I'm thinking its the relay. I turned the ignition on and used a tester on the relay prongs only the one prong was positive. Is there a way to test the relay. The antenna works and there is no relay built in the antenna. The relay makes a clicking noise when I turn on the ignition. Like its switching from up to down. 
need help.
need help.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,363
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
Apply 12 volts to the yellow at the relay(orange and black need to be connected too), see if it goes up.
If it does, removing the 12 volts should allow it to lower.
If that works, problem with the radio hookup. Aftermarket radio?
If it does, removing the 12 volts should allow it to lower.
If that works, problem with the radio hookup. Aftermarket radio?
Last edited by KapsSA; Feb 11, 2013 at 12:32 AM.
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Yes, kenwood stereo. How would I hook the 12volts to the wires. If that does make the antenna go up how would I wire the stereo to work? The vette is a 79. There is another little box that looks like a relay in front of the antenna relay that has something to do with the stereo as well. What is that?
Last edited by C3 Vette Dude; Feb 11, 2013 at 11:09 AM.
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Yes, there is a relay switch. In the picture of your relay. The top connection has a red, yellow and black wire. The bottom of your relay has a green, grey and white wire. On the top of my relay. I have a red wire, two grey wires and a lime green wire. The bottom of the relay has the green, white and grey wire like yours. I'm sure the red is the hot wire, the grey is the ground, the lime green (not sure). So I assume I would scrape the insulation off the lime green wire and run a wire from the battery to touch it. Now when I do this what should happen? Is the antenna going to go up and if it does does this mean the relay is bad because we bypassed it? I appreciate your help.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,363
Likes: 221
From: Beecher Illinois
With a CORRECT relay like in my pic, by supplying power to the yellow you are simply putting power to the wire that SHOULD be coming out of the radio tagged "antenna".
Normally, when you turn the radio on this wire triggers the antenna, turn radio off and power to antenna is removed allowing the antenna to go down. The orange wire(in my pic) is always hot which supplies power to retract the antenna when the radio or ignition is turned off.
Not sure what your relay is. Something aftermarket or does it at least look like mine? Maybe someone just bubba'd up the harness.
Is there a wire noticeably grounded(like the black in my pic)?
Can you determine if any of the wires go DIRECTLY to the radio?(that would be the trigger)
As for pictures, I believe there's a "sticky" at the top of "general C3" with instructions. You need a hosting site, like Photobucket. Then you just copy and paste into your post.
edit....if your relay DOES look like mine, go by the POSITION of the wire(bottom) at the relay instead of color. Just go by my pic.
Normally, when you turn the radio on this wire triggers the antenna, turn radio off and power to antenna is removed allowing the antenna to go down. The orange wire(in my pic) is always hot which supplies power to retract the antenna when the radio or ignition is turned off.
Not sure what your relay is. Something aftermarket or does it at least look like mine? Maybe someone just bubba'd up the harness.
Is there a wire noticeably grounded(like the black in my pic)?
Can you determine if any of the wires go DIRECTLY to the radio?(that would be the trigger)
As for pictures, I believe there's a "sticky" at the top of "general C3" with instructions. You need a hosting site, like Photobucket. Then you just copy and paste into your post.
edit....if your relay DOES look like mine, go by the POSITION of the wire(bottom) at the relay instead of color. Just go by my pic.
Last edited by KapsSA; Feb 12, 2013 at 02:11 PM.
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 156
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With a CORRECT relay like in my pic, by supplying power to the yellow you are simply putting power to the wire that SHOULD be coming out of the radio tagged "antenna".
Normally, when you turn the radio on this wire triggers the antenna, turn radio off and power to antenna is removed allowing the antenna to go down. The orange wire(in my pic) is always hot which supplies power to retract the antenna when the radio or ignition is turned off.
Not sure what your relay is. Something aftermarket or does it at least look like mine? Maybe someone just bubba'd up the harness.
Is there a wire noticeably grounded(like the black in my pic)?
Can you determine if any of the wires go DIRECTLY to the radio?(that would be the trigger)
As for pictures, I believe there's a "sticky" at the top of "general C3" with instructions. You need a hosting site, like Photobucket. Then you just copy and paste into your post.
edit....if your relay DOES look like mine, go by the POSITION of the wire(bottom) at the relay instead of color. Just go by my pic.
Normally, when you turn the radio on this wire triggers the antenna, turn radio off and power to antenna is removed allowing the antenna to go down. The orange wire(in my pic) is always hot which supplies power to retract the antenna when the radio or ignition is turned off.
Not sure what your relay is. Something aftermarket or does it at least look like mine? Maybe someone just bubba'd up the harness.
Is there a wire noticeably grounded(like the black in my pic)?
Can you determine if any of the wires go DIRECTLY to the radio?(that would be the trigger)
As for pictures, I believe there's a "sticky" at the top of "general C3" with instructions. You need a hosting site, like Photobucket. Then you just copy and paste into your post.
edit....if your relay DOES look like mine, go by the POSITION of the wire(bottom) at the relay instead of color. Just go by my pic.
KapsSa Thanks for all your guidance!Willcox Rocks
!!!!!!!
Last edited by C3 Vette Dude; Feb 14, 2013 at 02:08 AM.
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The more the alternator would provide power to the circuits the more the relay would switch. I disconnected the first relay ( or what ever that box is) and hooked it up to the second relay (original like yours). The stereo has an antenna connection (blue wire marked antenna)on the back that I hooked to the the green wire so if I cut the stereo off by the power button on the stereo. The stereo provides power to the green wire (through the blue wire)coming from the relay switch which will switch the relay so the antenna will go down. It took some time to figure it out but I drove the car this morning and all is WELL! Thanks again!
Last edited by C3 Vette Dude; Feb 15, 2013 at 10:19 AM.