Antenna won't go down

Is the antenna making a clicking or whirring sound?
If so, then probably the toothed nylon cable inside the antenna is broken.

If not, it may just be jammed. Try having someone press down on the bottom of the top joint while pressing the antenna switch. Gently of course, so you don't buckle/bend the antenna(It's a feel thing).

Sometimes just moving the top joint up & down will unjam it.

Next step is to get a test light or voltmeter & see if you're getting power to the antenna.

 

Funny, I just had the opposite happen with mine- wouldn't go up. I just sprayed some contact cleaner around the switch and it started working. Just dirty contacts. (The switch just lifts out with a small screwdriver)

 

Electric antennas are fragile by nature. Dirt slowly seeps in and eventually they fry something. Even Honda antennas are subject to break quickly. If a Ferrari antenna is a generic part, just replace the whole unit. You may need to save the clamping part so it will look original. It's an easy DIY and cheap to replace.

If for some reason you need a "Ferrari" antenna, then I doubt it will be easy OR cheap. If you can disassemble it and fix/clean it, then by all means try that first but usually these things are sealed up. Buy a new one and wipe it down every time you clean your car and shoot some WD40 on the antenna a lot when it's up and then lower it.

Ken

 

Hi Ron,

Background: your 89 car uses a Bosch AutoJet 2 antenna, Bosch part # M214S742 (complete unit) and antenna mast kit part # M214S 731/732/733 (silver antenna w/cylindrical black tip). Likely (if as with my 88.5) with yellow markings on antenna body, I think the early ones were silver.

One of two (actually three) scenarios here, in descending order of probability:

1. As others have pointed out, most likely culprit is broken toothed gear cable inside antenna mast. To remove the mast, gently unscrew the top mounting nut on the outside. Dron't drop it or the round gasket, they're both NLA. If the cable is broken, the mast will just lift out. Some of the cable will be stuck down in the motor, but after removing the antenna you might be able to push switch to "up" to eject the rest.

Here's the problem: the part #s listed above were never imported to the US by Bosch, and neither Bosch audio nor Bosch automotive divisions here in the US can get either one. I don't know of a suitable replacement. Hold that thought.

2. Broken motor. Unzip the decklid and unwrap the carpet protection (it's velcroed around the antenna in right corner of storage compartment. Does it make noise when the switch is moved? If not, disconnect the two leads - they're two cylinders that pry open with a small flat screwdriver. One lead controls up, the other down, and the body is ground. Connect an ohmmeter/voltmeter and confirm you have incoming power from each when switch is pushed.

To remove the antenna at this point, remove the outside nut/gasket and try and tilt out or remove that small nut at the center of the cylindrical portion of the antenna motor. Open the cover gently and the spool (and other pieces) will fall out. You can disengage the mast from the motor and pivot out.

Ditto the above for the entire antenna assembly. A gracious fellow FC member from Spain found me the last 2 - per his supplier - available in Europe. Ferrari UK lists these for, last time I checked, $775. Yes, you read that right. About 18mo ago from Bosch they were $220 or so each new, and the exchange rate hasn't improved. Someone may have one stocked away on a shelf, but I'll bet it's going to be somewhere in Europe.

Most people, if you're not concerned with absolute OEM/NOS, replace with a black I believe it was Harada unit (it's in the FC archives) which is <$50 and works/looks fine. I think it does use a different external mounting nut.

3. Input power to antenna - possibly switch (if this is the case, they aren't expensive) otherwise you'll have to trace the circuit back. I haven't any personal experience here to help.

I don't in any way mean this post to sound discouraging, but I researched this issue extensively a while back when I tweaked just my antenna mast and the black circular gasket broke in my hand. The antenna was also used on Mondials of the same era, so you might get lucky and find a used one (I paid $75 two years ago) at one of the dismantlers. I could not find *anything* else that would fit and was "correct". Bosch does have the antenna catalog listed online.

I'd be happy to talk you through this is if would help - [email protected]. And if you elect to replace your unit and are interested, I'd welcome the opportunity to purchase it.

Best,

Carl

 

that's not quite correct, but it would look like it when measuring as carl described. The two wires to the antenna carry both power and gnd to the antenna motor. The switch swaps which wire has which to make the motor spin one way or the other. The braided ground strap to the antenna is a signal ground for the mast, and isn't connected to the motor.

If using a digital voltmeter, you'd connect the probes to the two wires. Pushing the antenna switch one way would show +12V, and the other way would be -12V.

on the other hand, if just turning on the radio raised the antenna without you touching the console switch, you have non-factory wiring or an aftermarket automatic antenna, and all the above comments are kinda irrelevant until you figure out which. If it is aftermarket already, that makes replacing the thing a simple decision.

 

It is stock...note in the first post he mentions pushing the switch...

 

in post #6 he says it goes up automatically, and post #1 implies that it goes up automatically, but he has to use the console switch to lower it.

If that's the case, then it could be a stock antenna with the radio antenna power wire tied to the appropriate motor wire. That'd give you auto up and manual down, but would also continuously power the antenna motor when the radio is on unless:
- the antenna internally disconnects the power when the mast is all the way up...which I don't remember it doing.
- the radio only powers the antenna for a few seconds then shuts off. That would seem to agree with the "buzzing for 5 seconds" comment in post #6

I think the oem antenna just the mechanism to jump the cable teeth. If that's how it worked, then the antenna would have been making clicking noises all the time (or until the radio stopped powering the motor), and the clicking would get quieter as the teeth wore down. Eventually there'd be no teeth left, resulting in the antenna getting stuck in the up position.

as verell suggested, pushing down the antenna a bit would get some teeth into the motor gear, and the motor would do the rest. You'd still need to replace the cable. I though someone in the past had swapped in a new cable, but I could be wrong about that.

 

wolftalk, I see your point, I missed that...apologies...yes, someone did post that they were able to figure out a way to replace the plastic toothed strap...

 

Thanks Phil! I didn't realize that, thought input power lead alternated only.

Carl

 

sounds like you may already have an aftermarket fully automatic antenna. See if you can find a brand name on the thing, or post a picture of it.


they sell replacement masts (with the cable attached) - if you can figure out the brand - or you could just replace the whole thing. Check www.antennaworld.com. Sometimes it's as easy as pulling out the mast and bunging in a new one.

if it is the original ferrari manual antenna with a really smart radio or some other little module that is doing what the console switch does, you're back to either trying to repair the antenna cable, or just replacing the antenna.

there's a bunch of threads on options when replacing.

 

Ron, I think so - to my (limited) knowledge the 328s all used the Bosch AutoJet, and the salvaged one I found from an '86 Mondial was identical. What does the mounting nut & base look like? Here's my poor-quality photo of OEM. I think Hirschman is the Porsche OEM (?) and likely easier to find direct replacement.

Carl
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Unfortunately Ron you are correct, it's not OEM (or at least the nut, the base & gasket look original). If you want another Hirschmann, looks like this site lists parts:

http://www.speedyperformanceparts.com/audi-antenna-oemp.html

And that's a 30-second google search, so likely you can find another. If you want the original Bosch, I would reccomend perhaps salvage yards for correct outer hardware and, as above, perhaps start looking in Europe for a spare antenna assembly (the Mondial part I recieved had already had a tweaked mast). But unless you're set on OEM, not certain it' worth the trouble.

Sorry can't help you further,

Carl

 

My 87 328 GTS was a Bosch Autojet...but I replaced it with something else after it died.