brownmound

I just finished installing my new Radio Shack replacement antenna...works great. But I'm not sure where the antenna drain tube is supposed to drain to...seems that it just drains down into the body cavity of the fender.

There are three holes in the frame in that cavity...and the tube is just long enough to enter one of the holes, which is where I have it now. Not sure if that is right, but I can't find any suitable exit for the thing.

Where does it go, or is where I have it fine. Maybe the frame drains eventually, but that seems like a bad design. I'd rather have the water exit immediately, granted it should be a small amount I would think, if any.

Right on.

Midwest 7's

iTrader: (4)

i think you have it in the right spot, its not like that tube flows much water anyhow.
also your car would look gay if you had a bunch of plastic drain hoses hanging under it, just live with it. if the water is not IN your car i say there is no problem.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Ah, but there is the rub. The water WILL be in the car, between the inner and outer fender panels, and they do rust there, I know, I've had one rust out in that spot.

There is a drain plug in the inner fender panel, at the bottom, just behind the fender lip. Splice in an extension to your drain tube and shoot for that spot.

MakoVai

did you just mount the stock bracket to a generic antenna?
I'm about to replace mine....was just curious what you did.

brownmound

I just followed the great instructions on Jim Rothe's page:

http://www.jimrothe.com/mazda/antenna/index.html

I bought the radio shack antenna that everyone bought a few years ago...supposedly there was only a few hundred left and I had to call to order it. The might still have some more, I'm not sure.

It's more or less a direct fit to the existing bracket, with some minor mods. Works fine, easy install, but now I have a "stop lamp" idiot light coming on.....must have missed a wire back there....

I'll look for that drain plug....saw one where the hatch tube exits but couldn't find anything for the antenna and the stock tube was only long enough, that I could see, to exit into one of those frame holes.....shouldn't see much, if any water, but why do something wrong when you can do it right?

Right on.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

I thought about the hatch drain tube, but I don't what your set up looks like, i.e. how low the highest point of the tube is. If the tube could be run to where the hatch drains and still flow down hill, then just drill a hole below the hatch tube. It will drain out behind the bumper.

brownmound

I think it might still slope if you used that location.

Shouldn't require any modifications/drilling though, unless Mazda totally overlooked the issue. I doubt they would forget something so obvious...if they are going to put a drain tube on the antenna you would think they would have a place to drain it.

Right on.

7aull

iTrader: (2)

When I removed my factory antenna from my '80 (the antenna looked like out-of-the-box new; the car only has 62K miles) the antenna drain tube was just lying on the bottom of the inner fender going NOwhere. And it has the rust there to prove it!! I could NOT for the life of me find any drain hole... BUT, and I think an earlier post says this - there is one drain plug underneither on the INside of the fender, next to the muffler. I pulled the plug, used a nail to put a hole thru it, ran the tube thru the hole (only about an inch - its invisible from outside the car) and used a bit of silicone seal to make sure the hole around it seals properly. Pressed it all back in... Looks "factory"
Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

brownmound

I didn't see this drain but I'll take a look this weekend.

Right on.

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

I can vouch for it causing rust. I have an 80 GS and the antenna drained into my rear fender for years until someone broke off the mast. By then I already could see rust bubbling up under the rocker panel protective coating thats under the paint. I replaced the antenna and made sure the hose drains somewhere harmless, but the damage is done.

I suspect the prortective coating under the paint is the only thing preventing a hole from showing up there right now. This and the two seams on the rear lower valence are the only rust on my car. I've had it since 1984. I'm going to get the whole car repainted one day soon and that will all have to get fixed.

So fix that antenna drain hose now. Looks like this was a foobar by Mazda on the early generation RX7s.