The antenna mast had worked sometimes on my 1996 Maxima that I have owned since new and now has 284,000 miles on it, but started only going up partially and then stopped going up completely and I did not hear the antenna motor any more. This happened about a 1 1/2 years ago when the Nissan dealership broke the mast after an oil change and wash. They installed a new mast and all was fine I thought. Last week I decided to investigate why the motor had stopped and found that the new mast was installed incorrectly. The metal Y that attaches to the antenna hose and rubber drain hose was put on wrong ends and the end going to the antenna was completely blocked by mud or whatever. Is it possible that this caused water and dirt to back up and sit into the motor portion and damage the motor or was this just a coincidence? My mechanic found the switch in the hoses and reinstalled it, but still no motor noise. I do not know if it is even possible for water can get into the motor part of the assembly. I then bought an antenna assembly at the junkyard last week off a 1999 Maxima for $18, but the antenna mast is missing. I opened the motor part and no physical signs of rust or anything concerning. Any helpful feedback will be much appreciated. I have tried in vain to find any posts on the internet and this website that trouble shoots this problem. Either posts are about how to install a new mast or many members just say forget about it and just listen to FM or CD or whatever. The reception for FM is not very good from my Kenwood head unit and Bose speakers - had been excellent for last 4-5 years since Best Buy installed it. I would like to get the Nissan mast working again either on the current assembly unit (unless the antenna mast it is broken)or if the mast is intact in the current one, install it in the just purchased junkyard unit - if the motor works on that one. The cost from Nissan for an new antenna mast is ridiculous and I have read too many negative comments about aftermarket ones. By the way, yesterday I think I may have lucked up and bought working Nissan hood struts at the junkyard for $15. I have had to prop up the hood for several years (so annoying) and hope these will work on my Maxima at least for a little while. I refuse to pay the freight on new struts from Nissan. Sorry for the long, long post!!

 

I haven't looked at the motor assembly.

So what I'm going to say is based on general theory.

Water will enter the motor unit through a slight leak in an O ring seal. A properly installed drain hose would get rid of the water. But an improperly installed hose mean that the water level in the motor unit would rise, and eventually corrode the motor bearings.

Small bits of goo or grime would also enter the motor unit. Rather than being rinsed away by more rain, the silt and goo build up in the motor unit.

perhaps you will be lucky to find a good unit at the jy.

 

4th gen is known to have ED. HO HO HO!!

 

If antenna stuck, push it down, and help it raise up. Feed it WD40 generously.

There is no way you can't mix it up connecting the Y piece, different hose sizes,

 

Check antenna fuse 40 7.5A which supplies 12v to pin 3 at all time.
Ground is provided through pin 6 at all time.
When stereo is on, trigger signal is sent to pin 4.

If the fuse burnt, there is likely a short in your antenna component.

 

That or apply 12 VDC directly to motor to test!

 

Right,
- apply 12v to pins 3 & 4 together to raise antenna.
- apply 12v to pin 3, and leave pin 4 not connected to retract it.

The internal timer circuit will cut power to motor after some preset seconds.

 

Thanks for the feedback on the power antenna problem with my Maxima. I removed the old antenna assembly and found that the antenna mast is still intact - the one installed by the dealer about a year ago after breaking mine off while washing the car. After opening it up, I found a lot of rust around the motor unit and is still had of lot of moisture inside the unit. The antenna assembly that I found at the junkyard looks almost brand new and is very cllean inside. I have removed almost all of the old grease inside and need some advise on what type of grease should I use. The old grease has a consistency of not quite as thick as peanut butter. I started to use Lubriplate, but it does not appear to be thick enough. My hope is that the new motor unit will work after relubricating it and then I will install the antenna mast from my old unit. If this motor does not run, then I will go to plan B. I am determined to get the antenna working properly again. Next I am going to install the hood struts that I got at the junkyard. Does it matter which end of the strut you install first?

 

Some of the posts in forums said white lithium grease, but that wasn't what was in there from Nissan. So I chose to use a multipurpose grease that holds up to water because ultimately, some leaks in or gets in when the antenna retracts in the rain. Make sure the weep hole and leader tube are clear to let it drain.

I used Lucas Oil "Red n Sticky" grease after a thorough clean out with solvents. Great for most anything that needs protective and long lasting grease. Even wheel bearing repacks.


EDIT: You know to not install the mast until the Assembly is back in the car right? Feed the nylon toothed leader (teeth facing front of car) until it stops. Then have someone turn on the radio and assist it feeding into the assembly. You might have to turn it on and off a few times until it gets synchronized.

Happy Erecting (as Mike alluded to before. LOL)

 

Thanks for your feedback on lubricating the antenna motor gears now that I have cleaned out the old grease from the gears, etc. I will check with NAPA and Advanced Auto for the Lucas grease. How long ago did you relubricate your antenna assembly and is it working good and quietly? Where is the weep hole and in reference to the leader tube, do you mean the long clear tube at bottom of assembly where water drains out? If this junkyard antenna assembly does not work when I hook it up, then I guess I need to figure out how to test the wiring as the above members advised.

 

Just order it from Amazon. It says it can be delivered free by Saturday. By the time you find it and drive.... Well you know.

Quieter somewhat. Working as good as or maybe even better than new. But the housing is mounted to metal in the trunk so that is part of the noise vibrating through. You could put a kind of rubberized or vinyl take between the meeting points for better isolation.

Yes, I'm talking about the drain hole at the bottom of the housing and the clear tube . No blockages will keep it running fine for decades.

You can use a wall-wart Power Supply from whatever electronics you have that's 12 VDC. to test the motor out of the car. Bypass anything in front of and go directly to the 2 leads on the motor.

 

IF that doesn't work then pulverize some Viagra and mix with water and rub it on the antenna and it's guaranteed to work better than ever!

 

I have cleaned out all of the old Nissan lubricant and cleaned the gears inside the antenna motor and made sure the weep hole is clear. How much of the Lucas Oil "Sticky and Tacky" should I reapply to the gears? I do not want to overdo it nor not put enough back in either. Did you by chance take any photos when you regreased your motor? I recently found a helpful video of a guy cleaning and regreasing his assembly, but I forgot to save it and cannot find it again. You sure cannot miss where you put the new "red" grease. I think I will also pour some mildew/mold cleaner down the drain tube to make sure it has no stoppages along the way. I was going to replace the tube, but I do not want to chance breaking the part that the tube is attached to while trying to remove the old tube. Thanks again for your help.

 

I didn't pack it like a wheel bearing on a spindle, but I did put an ample coating on everything that moves, especially where two parts move past each other or rotate..

If you have it open and cleaned out, you can easily see the drain hole and clear tube. Just make sure it's unobstructed and if you want it cleaner than that, use dish detergent and bleach and rinse well.

It's not that complicated. Just get it done and don't think about it too much. It's an antenna and if you have to, you can open it again if it needs more. It's pretty easy really.

You'll be fine. (unless the motor is trashed).

 

I lubricated the internals of the antenna motor assembly and the motor runs an sounds fine. However, I have had no luck in installing the antenna mast after several attempts to get the leader to catch and retract. Yesterday at the Nissan dealership, I could not find anyone who knew how to install the antenna and no one was interested in trying. I will just keep trying myself until successfull or until I find a willing soul! On my other issue of installing the Nissan hood supports found at the junkyard, first I realized that both supports are labeled left and were holding up the 1999 Maxima at the junkyard. My old Nissan supports are L and R. Secondly, I was able to intall the passenger side support, but stripped the bolt hole on the driver side when trying to manuever the bolt into the hole. How difficult a job is it to fix the stripped hole and does anyone know the thread hole size? I drive this Maxima most of time, in spite of all of the problems I am dealing with, such as having to fix the PO443 code since emisson fail last week before my late January birthdate. I have been told that I need a new EVAP pressure sensor that costs $265 at Nissan. Mechanic replaced the EVAP vacuum control solenoid several months ago and did smoke test and checked for loose charcoal in the system and concluded the pressure sensor was probably the culprit. He said keep driving it as it does not affect driveability, but failed the dumb emissions, even tho he had deleted the code. Also, it is leaking oil and/or power steering fluild pretty badly and need to make some tough decisions soon. By the way, how do I keep this Quick Reply from erasing words when I try to correct my bad typing.

 

If the power antenna unit doesn't grab the nylon cable with the teeth facing the front of the car when turning the radio off, try facing the teeth towards the rear.

EDIT: Today I went out and looked at mine again to remember what I did EXACTLY.....

Yes... The teeth have to face the REAR of the car when feeding the new antenna mast, starting with the nylon toothed cable.
The chrome not that holds the top of the assembly to the rear quarter panel has to be OUT and the 2 screws holding the assembly in position have to be in, but not clamped tight (a little play til everything is right is good).

On the new mast, there is a short outside sleeve with clips incorporated, and a grommet at the top, about 25 % or so the size of the collapsed mast. Make sure that the old sleeve is out of the antenna assembly you are feeding the new one into.

When feeding in the new nylon cable (teeth facing rear of car), Sometimes it doesn't find the hole to have the gear grab it. The cable is curling a bit and winds up not going in the hole. Bend the tip of the cable back a bit away from the curl towards the teeth. Beyond the point of straight. Then it has a chance to feed into the hole and chamber to meet the gear. Snug up all the mounting hardware and chrome top.

Next post should have a success... With the antenna anyway!

Then you'll be where I am.... The reception gets all the stations that it didn't get with the antenna down, but they're all still staticy. Like my Bose unit is decaying from the inside out. OUCH!

 

I followed your tips on installing my used Nissan antenna mast, but no luck after numerous attempts to get the antenna mast cable past the section where it narrows down. So I just ordered a new mast from AntennaRUS online for $20, including tax and shipping - located in Wisconsin. Sure beats $43 at Courtesy Nissan. I just hope the quality is comparable and a straighter cable will work. By the way my $15 junkyard hood struts is are still holding so far after a couple of months. It sure is nice not having to hold it up with a piece of wood. Hood struts are not available from Nissan anymore. Now I have to find the source of the bad oil leak that is about 6 “ in diameter after Maxima sits overnight. It’s making a mess on our driveway. I sure wish I had a lift so I could clean the undercarriage and find where all of the leaks are coming from. Nissan dealer said that they would clean and diagnose leaks for $250. Fat chance!

 

Finally went back to Nissan dealer that broke the original mast off my Maxima couple of years ago and the service manager kindly installed the replacement mast that was installed by the dealership. It took him five minutes! Now the FM reception seems to be much stronger, but the AM reception is kinda weak for some reason. However, the mast is working fine now.

 

I have the replacement cable & it feeds into the motor until I get to the metal part of it. I also am not sure where the sleeve with the rubber grommet goes. What am I doing wrong? I took Assembly out, made sure no cord left in motor, cleaned & lubricated all gears.

 

Why blue writing? Much harder to see on a white background. Decreases effectiveness.

So, you have it mounted in the car body? Only use the screws in the trunk area and NOT the top nut that attaches the antenna mast shaft to the body. In fact, make sure there is nothing still in the antenna mast shaft that could impede the new mast sliding in. Guide it in with your hands so it doesn't strain. Two person job makes it easier. One to start the retraction, and one to guide the antenna shaft in. Only after it seats and is working properly,do you finish attaching the top parts that secure it to the body.

Good luck!