human Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 The power antenna on my '97 Concours has stopped going up and down. I can hear the motor running and a little clicking noise as something inside is failing to engage. It still pulls in signals as well as ever, but I'm concerned about what will happen if I run the car through the car wash. I've lost a power antenna that way before. I can push the antenna down manually about halfway, but it's still vulnerable. Looking at my options, there are basically two: repair or replace. I can get a mast replacement kit, which includes the internal cable, for about $20 on eBay. Has anyone had any experience installing one of these? how much of a pain is it? Alternately, I can get a used OEM antenna, starting at about $40, including shipping. This would definitely be a lot less labor intensive to install. The ones pulled from Cadillacs seem to carry a premium price when compared to antennas from other GM models of the same era. Would an antenna, say from an Olds or a Buick work in a Cadillac if I used the mounting hardware from the Cadillac antenna? Any insights are greatly appreciated. The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground--and miss! --Douglas Adams Life, The Universe, and Everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarlaValentine Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 I'm not sure how to change it or what is compatible with your car in terms of replacements, but I do know that if the motor is still trying to pull the antenna down and it isn't going, it could eventually burn out the motor. That happened to mine. Have you looked at the antenna to be sure there isn't a kink or bend in it anywhere? Even a very small bend can cause it not to work properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 Occasionally the snow, ice and dirt will bind up the antenna an the internal cable breaks, that sounds like the problem you are having. My suggestion was to buy a mast replacement but I didnt think they were available for a 97. I am not sure how mechanically inclined you are but I do not believe that replacing the mast is difficult. I have a 96, I think I would grab one out of a scrap yard however Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott y Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 I agree with Body By Fisher check out the bone yard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 Unplug the electrical connection to the antenna so the motor doesn't keep trying to run. Part no. 22039349 can be used to replace the top section of the mast and the nylon cable that breaks. That number was for a Buick Park Avenue but maybe it is the same for the Cadillac. It was in the $12.00 price range. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 Replacing the nylon cable is not too bad of a job. Just be sure to follow the directions to a T. When I ordered my kit from antennamastsrus.com ($50) it came with instructions printed verbatim from the FSM. $20 is an excellent price. With I'd found that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoupeDTS Posted March 10, 2010 Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 As for year comparisons: My buddy has a 99 deville and his antenna does not work at all. We have looked at many used antennas and noticed as far back as 94 they used the same electrical plug. Maybe farther back I dont know. But if you are looking for a replacement 94-99 should be about the same thing. * 1966 Deville Convertible * 2007 Escalade ESV Black on Black * 1996 Fleetwood Brougham Black on Black V4P -Gone* 1983 Coupe Deville Street/Show Lowrider -Gone* 1970 Calais 4dr Hardtop GONE* 2000 Deville DTS - Silver with Black Leather and SE grille GONE* 1999 Seville STS - Pearl Red GONE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
human Posted March 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2010 Occasionally the snow, ice and dirt will bind up the antenna an the internal cable breaks, that sounds like the problem you are having. My suggestion was to buy a mast replacement but I didnt think they were available for a 97. I am not sure how mechanically inclined you are but I do not believe that replacing the mast is difficult. I have a 96, I think I would grab one out of a scrap yard however I think this is what has happened to mine. Ice froze the antenna in the "down" position a few times this winter and I think the nylon cable on the inside finally just gave way. Ironically, it waited until after the weather had warmed up significantly before it failed. The antenna mast itself is still perfectly straight, so it's probably a good candidate for repair. I will unplug the wire until I get it fixed. The motor does not appear to be running continuously. It runs for a few seconds when the radio is turned on or off, for about the length of time it would take for the antenna to fully extend or retract if it were working properly. I'm pretty handy with small repairs on cars; in fact, I replaced a power antenna on a '94 Olds 88 I owned a few years ago. I forgot to turn the radio off when I went through a car wash and the spinning brush caught it and yanked it out. I used an aftermarket unit on that one, but I don't want to do that again. The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground--and miss! --Douglas Adams Life, The Universe, and Everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
human Posted March 12, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 Okay, I just scored a used antenna from a '96 Buick Park Avenue on eBay for $34 including shipping. That's only a few dollars more than a mast replacement kit and cheaper than most aftermarket antennas, much less OEM units. Judging from the photos, the only difference between the Buick antenna and the one in my Deville is the lower mounting bracket, which is held in place by two screws. All in all, it should be an easy swap. I'll let you know once it arrives and I have it in place. The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground--and miss! --Douglas Adams Life, The Universe, and Everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
human Posted March 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2010 The Buick antenna came today and it is indeed identical to the Cadillac one except for nearly everything that attaches it to the body of the car. I knew the lower mounting bracket was different, but that was the least of my problems. The Cadillac bracket bolted right on. The big issue was at the top of the antenna, which is quite different, owing to the Park Avenue's more curvaceous body. Not only is the rubber grommet different, but the neck of the antenna that fits up inside the grommet is different as well. The Cadillac has what I'll call a neck extension that gives it about an extra inch of length. The rubber grommet that goes between the antenna and the fender has a "throat" about an inch long that goes over the neck extension. After much pushing and prodding, I could never get the antenna far enough into the grommet to thread on the retaining nut, so I decided to cut the grommet's "throat" off just below where it flares out to attach to the fender. I then employed a little "silicone persuasion", spraying both the grommet and the end of the antenna liberally with silicone lubricant. The antenna then went in far enough to thread on the Buick retaining nut (a nice little chrome number, compared with the basic black plastic one on the Cadillac antenna). Once I got that far, it was smooth sailing getting everything buttoned up nice and tight. The only thing that's still a little troublesome is the retaining nut. There's a little gap on the outside edge between it and the grommet. I may eventually fill that in with a bead of silicone, but for now I'm just happy to have a working OEM power antenna. The entire replacement operation took a little over an hour and the antenna is much more secure than the aftermarket unit I used on my Olds a few years ago. The secret to flying is to throw yourself at the ground--and miss! --Douglas Adams Life, The Universe, and Everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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