Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting power antena

this is the second power antena that i went threw. motor is working but the antena wont go up . i pulled it apart that it seems that the plastic gear line snaped somewhere . is there a better one to use or are they just crapy. thanks for you time phil

You can replace just the mast with the gear "belt" attached.Have you taken apart the housing? If so, check for old pieces of your antenna gear belt in the wheel guide. I bet teamfordparts has antenna masts about 30 bucks. I had 2 internal gears fail in mine, fixed by getting an "antenna x" from e-bay, swapping identical parts. I think these antennas are problematic.

You have a better chance of longer life if you maintain the antenna. It's pretty easy. Extend the antenna mast (key on and radio on), spray a rag with WD40, wipe off all dirt from the mast (mostly black gunk), cycle the antenna mast a time or two (turn off key or radio), and repeat until no more black gunk comes up with the antenna. WD40 works best in freezing or very wet climates, spray silicon works best in non freezing arid areas.

The mast isn't hard to change, even if you have to take the scroll cover off to remove broken pieces. The main reason that the mast whip breads is from binding and that is usually from lack of lubrication. It can also be from a bent antenna.

Do the antenna maintenance about twice a year and the mast will last a long time.

great thanks for the information.

Swap out all the parts with an OEM fixed type antenna. All the power types I have seen have a problem at one time or another, in my experience. My 95 fixed type has had zero problems, and still looks new! I have changed several of these to fixed, but most of those were on GM's.

The above cleaning method is a great idea too, if you opt to keep the power type.

I have a similar problem, only my antenna won't retract on its own. The motor runs until it is extended, then keeps running for awhile. It has at this point clearly over-extended the mast since when I turn the car off the motor tries to retract the mast but it won't catch, but if you gently push down on the mast it will catch and retract normally.

Is there any way ot fix this without having to buy a whole assembly?

Replace the mast, check e-bay antennna or Ford dealer, teamfordparts.com, etc. The toothed belt is worn at the end, if it retracts when you push down on the tip. You may need to check for a broken piece in the housing, compare the new beltlength to the old one, if it's the same, Ok to put it in.