r33 antenna replacement question.

[dstylez]

how do you remove the antenna mast from the r33? i've removed the boot trim on the left side, but i've got no idea how to remove it. can anyone help me? a step-by-step guide to replacing the mast would be appreciated thanks.

[Guest RedLineGTR]

The Silver part on the top/around on the outside of the car is like a bolt that you have to unscrew(not like a normal screw that you can use a philips head), you have to do with by hand someone or get a flat head screw driver to try and buge it. Its hard to explain..but as soon as you get the top silver screw "thingy" undone the arieal comes out easy.

Hope it help. Cheers Rob

[david mell]

once you unscrew the cromne thing on the uotside move to the inside and you will find four nuts and and or bolts to undo. remove the jack bracket and then the slide the aerial down and out after you disconnect the wire harness---- job done!!

[cooks44]

If you only want to remove the antenna mast & rope, not the full assembly (assuming it is an electric antenna:

Remove the top silver nut thingy - this secures both the antenna to the body of the car and the antenna mast & rope inside the antenna assembly.

Get someone else (or your stereo remote control) and turn your radio on. Antenna goes up. Hold the top of the antenna mast to prevent it going back in and turn the radio off. The clutch inside the antenna assembly will slip as it tries to retract the antenna.

Turn the radio on again and it should push the antenna mast out the rest of the way followed by the nylon rope. If you cannot pull the rope out of the assembly you may still need to do the radio on->radio off cycle again to make it further release the rope.

A few points:

1. The "rope" (just a length of flexible nylon rod) should have teeth down one side of it that engage in the clutch mechanism. If you notice that there are no teeth, the mast is most likely non-replaceable. The assembly may have been replaced at some stage for a non-genuine one as every Nissan antenna I've seen is of the replaceable type.

2. MAKE SURE YOU TAKE NOTE OF WHICH WAY THE TEETH FACE! This can be the cause of much anguish...

3. There should be a copper or metal collar that slips onto the mast before you reinsert it. Make sure the old one comes out with the mast, or fish it out of the assembly before you put the new one in. This a) holds the antenna mast tight in the assembly and B) is the only contact for the signal path so ensure it is there/undamaged/clean to have a trouble-free antenna!

Reinserting is the exact opposite of the above procedure, line up the teeth in the direction you saw them come out, push the rope into the assembly as far as you can, turn the radio on, Watch your fingers! You may need to cycle the radio on and off a few more times whilst preventing it from coming out - it does take a few goes to get the clutch into the right spot so it goes up and down properly. Enjoy!

A few final points:

1. Manufacturers love making money on broken antennas. The prices OEMs charge are sky high! You should be able to get an aftermarket one at a good parts/car audio store.

2. All antennas require a good ground plane. Your radio antenna will be expecting a good ground through the coax shield (this should be a good ground to your radio anyway), through a ground strap provided on the assembly and/or through the metal assembly of the antenna itself. It's this last one you've got to watch especially on non-automatics - some manufacturers don't include a ground strap, and rely on the metal antenna assembly cleanly contacting the underside of the vehicle body where the antenna hole is cut. After many years this gets dirty and rusty, and people wonder why their reception is awful. So think about this when replacing your antenna and you should have trouble-free reception for years to come.