mazdaspeed00

iTrader: (6)

ok guys my power antenna is broken so today i took it apart to see whats wrong with it and just as i expected the plastic tooth line as broken into 5 pieces makeing the antenna mast immovable.

i know i need to go to the mazda dealer and get a new toothed plastic line but my question is how do i remove the remaining plastic line that is still stuck in the antenna mast?

i try just pulling on it but the thing will not brake loose. also after i remove the plastic from the mast how do i reinsert it so it sticks back into the mast.

thanks guys.

mazdaspeed00

iTrader: (6)

damn they wanna charge me 100 for the mast....they said im better off gettin it from the dealer...anyone else?

Fd3BOOST

iTrader: (7)

What!!!! I paid $40 from www.mazdarecycling.com for Fd power antenna. Are you sure you called the right place?

mazdaspeed00

iTrader: (6)

yea i called the right place. i jsut went down to the mazda dealer and bought the whole mast with the plastic toothed strip for $40.

MastaCow

THe motor and spool assembly comes apart pretty easy, i remember like 3-4 screws and the one in the center of the spool.

Just pop open the power antenna assembly and pull all the broken bits out. then reassemble and feed the antenna in after you re-mount the motor box in the car.

I forget if the teeth go pointing forward or back-it helps if your car stereo has a remote. makes turning it on and off easy while holding the antenna mast.

luneytune

Even easier. After you clear out the broken stuff, put it back together without the new mast. Then connect it and turn on the radio so the motor runs a bit then stops. Slip the tooth thing down the hole with the teeth pointing towards the wheel until it stops. Have someone turn off the radio and push it in a bit until it catchs and pulls it down, thats it. Much easier than trying to wind the cable around the wheel.

luneytune

Even easier. After you clear out the broken stuff, put it back together without the new mast. Then connect it and turn on the radio so the motor runs a bit then stops. Slip the tooth thing down the hole with the teeth pointing towards the wheel until it stops. Have someone turn off the radio and push it in a bit until it catchs and pulls it down, thats it. Much easier than trying to wind the cable around the wheel.

Toadman

^bump^
Did mine tonight, and was a piece of cake. "Teeth pointing towards the wheel" may be confusing, so lets say the toothed-edge of the nylon band points toward the REAR of the car. With radio power on after mounting the antenna motor with the 10mm bolt, plugging in the blue terminal and antenna plug, aligning the mast hole, slide down the mast strap with teeth facing to the bumper and have a friend hit the power-off button. With a bit of easy fidgeting of the strap, it scrolled right down. Careful cause it goes down quick! Then screw on the upper collar, put the antenna back up and lube it with lithium grease. Be cautious with the trunk trim clips and don't crack the plastic trim when snapping it all together.

Thanks Luneytune!

Nathan Kwok

Here's another bump in case anyone else needs help, I just did mine today and fiddled around with a bunch of other stuff while I had the interior all torn up. Toadman pretty much covered it, and he's right you face the teeth toward the REAR, not the front like the shop manual says, I guess that was a mistake. I had to take out the assembly and open up the motor case and take off the wheel inside to get to the broken plastic. The worst part is actually trying to get the interior apart without breaking anything. My only warnings are 1. I partially disassembled the bose hose so I could leave the very left portion attached and just remove the accordian hose. One side of this hose has 4 screws, with 2 being slightly shorter than the other two. It won't seal right if you mix them up. The other warning is the wheel on the motor assembly has a little metal clip inside that can slide around when you take it off. Make sure it is seated properly or the wheel won't go down all the way. This can be hard to spot, but the rim of the wheel has to fully contact the base. Its pretty obvious how the metal clip goes on the wheel so just look at it. Oh, and I didn't have snap ring pliers, but a rubber glove was enough to get that metal ring off so they weren't needed. I actually have a question, what is the best lubricant to use on the metal antenna itself? I just rubbed some crisco on there and it seemed pretty smooth, what do you guys use?

paw140

Crisco? LOL

I've heard of people using graphite lubricant, or lithium grease.

Nathan Kwok

I used lithium grease on the gears and track but I judged it too sticky and thick for the outside. I don't want something that will pick up a bunch of dirt and clog up the mechanism. I've heard that car wax is good, has anyone tried this?