The problem is the same old thing - the power antenna's motor keeps running and the mast stays in place. So the thing needs replacing (and yes, I did disconnect the thing behind the panel under the map pocket, so although a broken antenna sucks, at least it doesn't suck power...).

I checked through various other threads and noticed it's a common problem. What I didn't find was any answer to the best possible replacement motor antenna that's available. Apparently GM is no longer offering replacements? And I've heard some of the antennas advertised as OEM have ended up being universal replacements.

So basically what I'm looking for is a replacement antenna that would be as close to a "take the wires out from the the old one, take it out, put the new one in and plug the wires into it"-procedure as possible. Also, whoever sells it, should be willing to ship internationally (Scandinavia).

There are quite a few options on eBay ranging from $8 for some universal Hong Kong antenna (which rather obviously would require more work and would probably cease working within a week) to over $100. But even the more expensive ones don't provide adapters or anything like that and apparently can sometimes scrape the sidewall.

Anybody have any experiences with the various options? What exactly would I need to make this replacement as painless as possible?

Any thoughts are appreciated - except those which recommend to replace it with a fixed model...

 

Honestly the easiest thing to do is just rebuild the one you have. What has happened is your plastic cable the pushes the antenna up and down has broken. You can buy a rebuild kit for around $20. I have not done it myself but i understand it is easy to do. Try a search for power antenna rebuild.

 

i got a replacement antenna from GM. went to the parts desk, they found it, though it wasnt easy. and the veryy next morning i got a call telling me it was in haha. $250 though.

 

Thanks.

Yeah, I thought about repairing it but am unsure what part number I need and whether GM even offers them anymore. I know they're not available at my local GM dealers but there are a few sellers on eBay (I've occasionally seen antenna rebuild kits for Firebird there, but of course now when I would need one, they're nowhere to be found) who might be able to get it and list it if I have the part number and it's still available.

During search I found, among other things, this thread:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/nw-i...build-kit.html

Since my mast would appear to be fine, I guess I would need part #22038195, which would be the same as for the Corvette and offered here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=390062103407

If anybody can confirm that it's the same part for Corvettes and Firebirds (or suggest other alternatives), I'd appreciate it.

 

You wouldn't happen to have the part number for that one, would you? That's a nice amount of money they're asking for it, but hey, if all else fails...

Installing that one was just "plug and play"? I mean, of course you had to do all the normal work to get to the old antenna and take it out, but besides that?

 

I dorked around with trying to find a replacement but finally just converted it to stationary antenna and havent missed the electric at all.

 

Just did this repair yesterday. go to gmpartsdirect.com Part # 19151297 comes up as cable. $17.19 Quick and painless. So easy a caveman can do it!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck.

 

gpartsdirect.com unfortunately doesn't ship overseas but I found a place that does. Didn't know that parts 19151297 and 22038195 seem to be the same. That was a big help since it helped me to find out for sure that the same cable is used in Firebirds, Camaros, Corvettes, Cadillacs etc.

I might as well order two of them at the same time since this seems to be a pretty common problem.

Thanks.

 

I originally used part #22038195 but they changed it to 19151297. yes it is a common occurence that the cable breaks. My car is on its third cable. Not bad for 20 plus years though. I did have a problem with this last cable i put in. It wouldnt fit all the way through the last part of the antenna so i had to remove the medal bushing at the bottom of the medal shaft and it slid rite in.

 

sorry i dont have the part number, but like i said they found it easily in a couple of mins

 

Someone gave me a new one but I have yet to install it. Can anyone give me the complete start to finish install. I hear it is very hard to do and that you need a special "clip" to hold it to the body where the antenna comes out the body. Is there a tech article on it.

 

i too am wanting to do this repair.. i am guessing you have to open up the black casing to find the cable?? just looking for a little insight before i go jumping in..

 

i ordered the cable today and pulled the antenna out of the car. i opened up the black casing and see no signs of a cable.. i am guessing that it is inside the mast (the mast is extended). how does it come out?? any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

i removed the ball on the top of the mast but still do not see how in the heck the cable comes out.. i don't mean to hi-jack this thread.. i just need a little advice. please help! thanks!!

 

I managed to get a replacement antenna from a local service guy who has a ton of used parts. Haven't actually installed it yet since I have to take out the tire and...well, there are those lock nuts...and obviously the key is lost... So before doing the procedure to remove the lock nuts as described elsewhere, I'm going to wait for that service guy to come back from his vacation and see if he has the correct key for it. He's had success before and has quite a collection.

In any case, I also ordered a repair kit for the old antenna and I'm hoping to get it working since these seem to have a tendency to break down and you never know when you need a replacement. I'm thinking of taking a few pictures of the process so maybe in the near future they can be of help.

In the meantime, this thread on another site has proven to be quite helpful:

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...r-antenna.html

Obviously it's not a 100% match but it's pretty informative stuff.

Don't know about the cable, though. What I've heard, some part of it should always be inside the motor assembly - whether the antenna is retracted or extended.

Isn't the cable supposed to be starting from the top part of the mast? I mean the thinnest extending piece of the mast? Isn't that what comes with the repair kit and the cable is connected to it?

 

when you get the casing split you pull the mast away from both sides of the casing. most of the cable is up inside the mast while a small piece with the metal retainer will still be inside the casing hooked to the white piece of plastic. you will need to remove the top nut on the mast. then you will need to push the mast down while turning it until the old cable lines up with the hole on the bottom of the mast. it has to line up with the bottom hole. i had to use a fair amount of force before it came through the hole. once you get it through just pull the complete mast out and replace with the new one. Good luck