Went out this morning in the garage to what seemed to be the sound of my power antenna running continuously. Anyone ever experience this...ideas?

 

Yup, that's what they do.

The cable thing inside it that makes it work, has broke.

Used to be a "kit" for that; don't know if there still is, but being as how it's the most common failure, that's what it's for.

 

So, the broken cable will make the antenna motor run continuously? Not very knowledgeable on these antennas....sorry.

 

Yup, that's what happens.

The cable goes through the "antenna", which is concentric tubes, and attaches to the very tip. It rolls up onto a drum inside there. When it reaches the bottom and everything jams itself against the end of its travel, the torque from it all locking up operates the switch that stops the motor. Works the same way to extend the antenna.

When the cable breaks: no torque, no stop. Pretty straightforward really.

 

Oh yes...I know this condition. It lead me down the rabbit hole of doing a bunch of other work. The project for me started here, with post #124. And no, it won't take a "normal" person nearly as long to do as it has taken me!

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...ew-1988-t.html

I had mine rebuilt by a gentlemen out of Texas. He replaces the factory nylon ribbon (which fails with age, as sofakingdom described) with a plastic coated steel cable.

Barney Eaton
512-869-5114

There are also threads on this forum where people have done this repair themselves. For me, the $65 price was well worth it to have someone working on it that had rebuilt many of them in the past.

 

Thanks so much for the info, everyone. Barney is going to repair my antenna after he gets back from his family vacation, so I'm glad that I don't have to buy a high priced GM kit that might be prone to the same failure.

 

Not that it's really important, but I think mine runs more quietly now. I hope all goes well with your project.