antenna killing battery
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,522
Likes: 32
From: Woodstock Georgia
antenna killing battery
2002 convertible. intermitant power ant stays up with car turned off and kills the battery, now ant doesn't work at all. do you think it is just an antenna problem or something else is wrong? if i replace the antenna do you think my problems are over? fuse is good radio plays.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 31
From: Silver Spring MD
Take it out and see what ticks
Mine had a broken cable and the antenna mast was stuck about 6" out.
Had to remove it to get the broken piece out
Lots of posts here on how to do that. Take out right rear tail lens to access the antenna. Once removed you should be able to ascertain what is wrong. Sounds like a switch shorted. When I took my motor/mast assembly out I did not have to unplug it. You should be able to remove it intact THEN UNPLUG IT and see if it is drawing current. I had to drill out the 3 plastic rivets to get to the guts.
I would suggest doing this BEFORE spending $100 for another one. The grommet in the fender stays there when you remove the mast. You can put some kind of plug in there to prevent rain from coming in if you need to work on it for a few days. If you have to replace it try fleebay or some used Corvette parts place and don't pay the Corvette tax.
BIGHANK
Had to remove it to get the broken piece out
Lots of posts here on how to do that. Take out right rear tail lens to access the antenna. Once removed you should be able to ascertain what is wrong. Sounds like a switch shorted. When I took my motor/mast assembly out I did not have to unplug it. You should be able to remove it intact THEN UNPLUG IT and see if it is drawing current. I had to drill out the 3 plastic rivets to get to the guts.
I would suggest doing this BEFORE spending $100 for another one. The grommet in the fender stays there when you remove the mast. You can put some kind of plug in there to prevent rain from coming in if you need to work on it for a few days. If you have to replace it try fleebay or some used Corvette parts place and don't pay the Corvette tax.
BIGHANK
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,390
Likes: 36
From: INDIANA
The wiring going to the antenna has one hot wire, and one wire that is hot when the radio is on, so there is probably nothing that would be wrong there. The antenna has switches inside that stop the motor when the antenna gets all the way up, or all the way down. If your plastic gear cable part of the mast is broken or wedged, you might not get the switch to turn off the motor, causing the battery to run down. There is a procedure to replace the mast without taking anything apart on the car, you may be able to do that (search for antenna mast replacement).
The antenna unit itself is pretty easy to change out, remove the right rear tail light to access the 2 nuts that hold it in place, and the nuts that hold the ground wires. Pull back the inside rear side carpet to access the power and antenna lead plugs, and push the thru-the-wall body wiring plug back thru the panel, then pull down on the antenna unit till it comes free of the fender grommlet, its a push fit. You don't have to plug that hole in the fender if you leave the antenna out, cause that area is open to the ground anyway.
The antenna unit itself is pretty easy to change out, remove the right rear tail light to access the 2 nuts that hold it in place, and the nuts that hold the ground wires. Pull back the inside rear side carpet to access the power and antenna lead plugs, and push the thru-the-wall body wiring plug back thru the panel, then pull down on the antenna unit till it comes free of the fender grommlet, its a push fit. You don't have to plug that hole in the fender if you leave the antenna out, cause that area is open to the ground anyway.
