How to Install an Auto Power Antenna
Auto radio antennas catch radio frequencies from the air and transmit them through a coaxial cable into the radio or stereo for broadcasting. Many antennas have fixed, one-piece rods, while others have tubes that telescope down into the fender well. Hiding the antenna was intended to clean up the profile of the vehicle and provide less wind resistance. Car washes routinely break fixed antennas. Power antennas have motors that retract a telescoping tube to hide the antenna. They work off the same circuit as the radio, and can be installed in place of an existing power antenna or a mechanical version.
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Things You'll Need
- Owner's repair manual
- Floor jack
- Jack stand
- Tire iron
- End wrenches
- Socket set
- Screwdrivers
- Power antenna kit
- Wire (14-gauge)
- Wire strippers
- Electrical snap connectors
- Torque wrench
Instructions
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1
Place the vehicle in park or neutral with the emergency brake set. Raise the hood and disconnect the negative battery cable with a socket. Refer to your owner's manual for the access location of your current antenna fixture. It will be located behind the fender well splash guard near a front wheel, behind a rear fender well splash guard, or accessed through an interior trunk side panel. For a front or rear fender splash guard location, loosen the wheel lugs nuts on the wheel nearest the splash guard with a tire iron -- do not remove the lug nuts.
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2
Use the floor jack to lift the vehicle and place a jack stand under the frame. Finish removing the lug nuts on the rim with a tire iron and pull the wheel off. For the existing power antenna, use a large open-end wrench to loosen and remove the cap nut, angle base, spacer and gasket from the base of the antenna. Use a socket to loosen and remove the fender well splash guard, or a screwdriver if it is equipped with screws.
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3
Unplug the coaxial cable on the antenna. Locate the mounting screws or bolts for the lower antenna tube bracket. Remove the screws or bolts with a screwdriver or socket. Unplug the three wire jacks from their connectors. A blue wire will be the antenna input signal wire, the red will be positive, and the black wire will be ground. Unscrew the black wire connection with a screwdriver if it connects to the bracket.
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4
Pull the old power antenna out. Place the new power antenna onto the existing bracket, and insert the bracket screws or bolts into the mounting holes. Tighten the mounting screws or bolts with a screwdriver or socket. Connect the blue and red wire into their jacks, and screw down the black ground wire onto the bracket with a screwdriver.
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5
Go to the top of the fender well. Place the kit gasket, spacer, angle base and mounting nut over the threaded antenna shaft. Tighten the mounting nut with a socket. Connect the negative battery cable and turn on the radio. Note the power antenna operation for smooth up and down movement while you turn the radio knob off and on.
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6
Perform the same removal procedure of the antenna if you have an existing non-powered antenna. Only you will run an extra two wires (a blue and red) to the engine compartment through a wire loom grommet in the firewall. Cut the new wires to size with wire strippers, leaving enough wire to hook up the red wire to the fuse box and the blue wire to the back of the radio input wire.
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7
Use electrical snap connectors to join the new red and blue wires to the (kit) power antenna wires. Once you have the wires routed through the firewall, strip the end of the hot wire and place it under the radio fuse blade, or fuse tube end.
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8
Remove the face plate screws on the radio with a screwdriver and pull it off. Loosen and remove the radio mount screws with a screwdriver and pull the radio out. Locate the blue antenna input wire on the back of the radio. Join your new blue wire with the blue antenna wire with a snap connector.
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9
Replace the radio and secure the bracket bolts with a screwdriver. Install the face plate screws with a screwdriver. Connect the negative battery cable and turn the radio knob off and on. Note the operation of the automatic antenna.
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10
Replace the fender well splash guard. Insert the bolts or screws in the splash guard and tighten them with a socket or screwdriver. Place the wheel back on the hub and tighten the lug nuts with a tire iron, only enough to keep them snug. Use the floor jack to lift the vehicle. Remove the jack stand. Finish tightening the lug nuts with a torque wrench, according to manufacturer's specifications.
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References
- Photo Credit The breakage. image by FAFANJA from Fotolia.com
