Antenna Replacement Procedure
Tools Needed
  • Up front, you'll need:
  • 10mm socket & 1/4" drive rachet
  • 10mm open end (or small adjustable) wrench
  • small block of wood (2x4x4 ish)
  • pliers
  • Part #22038589 - Bracket.
  • Part #22048604 - New Antenna

If you're going to fix your power antenna unit, you'll need:

  • Part #22038195 - Replacement Antenna Cable
  • four .5" long by 1\4-20 or similar diameter bolts and nuts
  • Patience!
Antenna Assembly
Removal
1. First of all, if the area around the fender is dirty, clean the area, and cover an area around the front door with tape. The reason I did this is because I accidentally scratched my paint with the wrench while loosening and tightening the screws. Remove any rings, watches, etc that might scratch as well.
2. Disconnect the power lines to the antenna (3 wire connector - Grey, White & Green). These wires are accessible with the hood open. These should be somewhere in the area of the the A/C Blower and top of the wheel well. If you're lucky (like me) the wire harness for the antenna will be trapped in the heater box cover, so you'll get to remove and reseal the heater box too.
3. Open the passenger door all the way to access the 5 bolts along the door. These bolts are the large ones visible from outside the car, not the little guys holding on the rubber strip visible from the inside.
4. Unscrew the top of the antenna mount (the visible part on top on the fender) from the tube assembly. It's actually a long threaded tube that goes down into the fender and threads into the power antenna tube. Keep this and the spacer somewhere together. I took the opportunity to clean, polish and wax this area while it was off.
5. Remove the 5 bolts between the door and fender using the 10mm wrench. One of the bolts fastens the antenna to the body - this one has a star shaped washer and the bolt is a coarse thread. Make note of which one it is and keep it with the star washer.
6. Remove 3 bolts in the fender well using the 10mm wrench, working your way up from the bottom.
7. Gently pull open the fender from the bottom without over-extending any parts of the metal, and tuck the wood block in place.
8. The whole assembly should be able to just fall down to the bottom of the fender. The hole is pretty tight, so be careful if you have to stick you hands in there, the metal is sharp. You may be able to get it more easily through the fender well. You also get a bonus treat if your car has been rust proofed in the form of sticky tar which will get on EVERYTHING within 15 feet of you ;-).
9. Disconnect the RF cable from the old antenna using your trusty Philips screwdriver.
10. If you're installing a new antenna unit, you'll also need to ask for a bracket that holds it to the inside of the fender, although I think you can use the bracket from the old antenna. Don't remove the mounting bracket until you are installing the new one, as you'll need it to remember the orientation of the bracket.
Repair
1. If you're installing the replacement cable assembly, clear off your bench so you have enough space to work on the antenna with the antenna fully extended.
2. Wipe off the antenna unit.
3. Pry off the small brass clips (put a rag over them while you do this as they really fly!)
4. Drill out the 4 eyelets (these will be replace by the short bolts).
5. The unit is sealed, so some gentle prying will be required to get the case open. There are a couple of places to slip a screwdriver in for prying.
6. When you've got the case open, lift off the spindle for the antenna cable. Make note of how the cable goes into the spindle.
7. Gently push the cable up to extend the antenna. When fully extended, use a small socket (forget the size) to remove the "finial" (lump at the top of the antenna). Place the finial somewhere that you won't lose it!
8. Yank and toss the old cable, and feed the replacement cable in to the mast and replace the finial. Keep the antenna fully extended, and seat the seal into the lower half of the antenna motor assembly.
9. Hook up the spindle such that the cable will wind in the correct direction and set in place in the lower half of the antenna motor assembly.
10. This is the fun part. Try to put the top half of the motor back in place, while trapping the antenna tube "pivots" in their soft mounts AND make sure the upper and lower bearings for the armature are in the right place AND make sure the wires come out where they're supposed to. Sprouting an extra arm here would be beneficial.
11. Install the clips and replace the eyelets with the bolts.
12. Plug the unit into your car's harness to retract the antenna. Turn your radio on to make sure it works and doesn't make any funny crunching noises. Now you're ready to re-install!
Installation
1. With a straightened wire hanger, and the other end "hooked" (to grab the connector), feed the hanger wire down from the hood through the crevice where the original wires protruded. Another option is to use a couple feet of silver solder, as it's easier to bend.
2. Attach the power wires (Grey, White, & Green) to the "hooked" portion of the hanger wire.
3. Connect the RF cable to the antenna with the two Phillips screws.
4. Carefully insert the antenna through the opening and make sure the top portion of the antenna goes through the antenna opening on the fender. At this point, screw the top mount and spacer for the antenna on a couple of turns to keep the antenna from slipping down.
5. Bolt and finger tighten the antenna (10mm - bolt, coarse thread, star washer) to the fender first.
6. Pull your wires up through the fender into the engine bay and reconnect to the harness. Test to make sure everything works.
7. Reset the sheet metal and replace the 4 remaining bolts at the front of the door, and the 3 you've removed from the fender well.
8. If everything has aligned back up nicely, tighten the antenna mounting bolt with the star washer, then tighten the top screw mount on top of the fender. Don't do it in the opposite order, as this may cause a slight indentation along the antenna opening.
NOTE: If you're not sure how the sheet metal is suppose to be re-installed, look at the drivers side fender to help with this.


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