Power Antenna Mast - Maintenence

Comments

• brucer2 Member Posts: 157

  January 2001

  My only comment on silicon spray would be to spray it on a paper towel (rather than the mast) and wipe the mast down with the towel first. This will remove the surface dirt without flushing it down into the antenna. When the surface junk is off, then spray the mast to get clean lube down inside.

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• Mr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481

  February 2001

  I think a little graphite (like used for locks) might be okay but really power antennas are pretty powerful (try and hold one for a second!) so you'd have to have some amazing "grit" to stop an antenna. You may have a glitchy switch, a bad gear or perhaps the bend is not so perceptible.
  These antennas screw up all the time after a few years. They work pretty hard and pretty often.

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• lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228

  February 2001

  Buy some silicon spray lubricant. I used one made by Gunk. It not only cleans off the accumulated road grime but also lubricates it with a very slippery film that wont attract more dirt like some lubricants will. No matter how powerful those motors are, you must lubricate those antennas often or you will run into sticking. My mom's 92 Accord is always running into the problem you are describing. Once I lubricated it with the silicon spray, it would work fine for up to 4 months. Don't let it stay stuck too long or it will break the nylon or plastic gears that the motor uses to pull it down. My mom's antenna finally gave up completely after 8 years and 183K miles. No one lubricated it except me and I am rarely home to do it for her so the antenna started getting stuck until it broke completely. The motor still runs but now it doesn't go up or down. If you use that kind of spray, wrap a towel around the base of the antenna so no spray gets on your paint. If it does get on it, wipe it off immediately because silicon can damage painted surfaces. Also, take a paper towel and clean off the road grime after spraying on the lubricant, than spray it on again and have the antenna go up and down a few times to work it in. That should fix your problem. Hope this helps.

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• lokki Member Posts: 1,200

  February 2001

  Is that they rarely get washed clean of grit;
  They gather a lot of grit because they never get washed.
  
  Whether you wash the car yourself or run it through an automatic car wash the power antenna is generally down - when you wash the car yourself, the engine is off - you put them down for automatic car washes.
  
  I've had great luck with them by remembering to wipe the grit off them every time I buy gas; I just use water and a paper towel. It's surprising how dirty they get. I haven't had any trouble on my last 2 or 3 antennas.

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