I have an 84 GS. The operation of the antenna relay has become intermittent and it needs to be replaced. I have not been able to find a source for one yet.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

A relay is a relay. Check this link from Black Dragon Auto http://www.blackdragonauto.com/icatalog/rx/0076.asp to see if any of the ones down at the bottom match what you're looking for. Otherwise, you can take that relay and match it up somewhere that sells relays.

And, what do you mean by the relay is being intermittent? Do you have a power antenna and it won't go up and down all the time?

 

Thanks. I previously looked at the black dragon hardcopy catalog but didnt see what I was looking for. I will check out the link.

The antenna relay has a "ground triggered" input, which I thought made it different from most antenna relays. It uses an 8-pin connector which seems kinda custom.

For a few years the antenna wouldnt go up when cold. Now it wont go up unless I sharply tap on the relay. I tested the antenna by itself and it seems fine, and the additional relay that came with my aftermarket radio is doing what it is supposed to do also.

 

The link I gave you is a copy of their catalog. So, whatever you read in the hardcopy, more than likely it'll be the same in that link.

Have the antenna go into the up position and then yank the relay to leave it there. Mine's been stuck in the up position since I bought it, doessn't bother me. If I were to change it out, I'd shave that antenna and get a hidden one. I don't even really use my radio, just the CD player.

Your next best bet is to take the relay to an auto parts store, or audio/video custom shop, and see if they have anything to match it up.

 

A relay is a relay. The difference is how you wire it. These relays for the antenna are wired to connect the antenna to "ground" when activated, unlike most normal wiring connecting the "positive".

Confusing, I know. Simply, any relay will work, just wire it exactly like the stock one.

 

You'd probably need two relays to replicate how the stock one works.

 

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I will do a little investigation into how I can use one or 2 relays to do the job. Might be a fun project.

I could just leave the antenna up, its just that I ALMOST have the RX to the point where everything works (knock on wood) !

 

Only one relay is needed. It is just wired weird. I will try to find the wiring diagram for relays. I know I have it somewhere...............

 

I fixed the problem (yippee!!).

I decided to take apart the old antenna relay before doing anything else. Its not too hard to do (there are 4 metal tabs/crimps holding the cover on - i used a hacksaw to cut slots around the metal tabs - then use a screwdriver to pry up the tabs).

Once the cover is off, its not hard to see how the thing works. The problem was that one of the 2 metal fingers (that the coil moves) wasnt making solid contact with the post that it touches when the radio is turned on. So i carefully bent the post slightly so the finger applied more pressure. Now everything works fine.

While I was into it, I used a thin strip of fine sandpaper (and electronic contact cleaner) to clean the contacts. But that cleaning is not what fixed it - bending that post a little did.

Thanks again to all that provided advice!