antenna modification
SublimeZ31
11-17-2004, 01:26 PM
hey i did this already, i just wanted to see if you had any comments (cool, not cool, useful, pointless, etc.) on what i did
basically i have the stock cd player still in the dash for now, as im not sure if i want to put my aftermarket one in yet - but im sure i could do it for my aftermarket one too if it has control for power antenna. (plus i want to find a way to rig up the steering wheel controls for my aftermarket one... i know there's some comments on that somewhere around but if you want to toss in a link or make a comment on this while you reply that would be appreciated). i mainly listen to cd's, so the antenna isnt very useful for me when im doing that... but it comes up anyway if the cd plays. i put a black rocker switch (very subtle, not a huge toggle or anything - fits well too, and no cutting or anything thats permanent. radioshack catalog #: 275-693 if you want to look it up on their site, i dont have a pic yet of it in my car) where my cig lighter was (never used it anyway) and i use that as a manual override on the antenna. so basically, if the rocker if flipped on, the antenna works normally... if the switch is off, it pulls the antenna down no matter what the radio wants it to be.
i havent had my antenna up yet this week, but ive tested it many times and never fails to work like i want.
what do you guys think?
basically i have the stock cd player still in the dash for now, as im not sure if i want to put my aftermarket one in yet - but im sure i could do it for my aftermarket one too if it has control for power antenna. (plus i want to find a way to rig up the steering wheel controls for my aftermarket one... i know there's some comments on that somewhere around but if you want to toss in a link or make a comment on this while you reply that would be appreciated). i mainly listen to cd's, so the antenna isnt very useful for me when im doing that... but it comes up anyway if the cd plays. i put a black rocker switch (very subtle, not a huge toggle or anything - fits well too, and no cutting or anything thats permanent. radioshack catalog #: 275-693 if you want to look it up on their site, i dont have a pic yet of it in my car) where my cig lighter was (never used it anyway) and i use that as a manual override on the antenna. so basically, if the rocker if flipped on, the antenna works normally... if the switch is off, it pulls the antenna down no matter what the radio wants it to be.
i havent had my antenna up yet this week, but ive tested it many times and never fails to work like i want.
what do you guys think?
dred98
11-18-2004, 12:31 PM
I find it annoying that the antenna goes up and down when all I'm doing is playing cassettes or CD's.
I've often wished that it would only go up with the radio and not with the other stuff.
I'm not sure I'm annoyed enough to do anything about it though . . . .
I've often wished that it would only go up with the radio and not with the other stuff.
I'm not sure I'm annoyed enough to do anything about it though . . . .
SublimeZ31
11-18-2004, 02:57 PM
yeah, thats basically why i did it... and because i hate antennas when they affect a smooth body-line. it was pretty easy to do once i figured out what i wanted to do and planned it out. cost: switch was about $3, plus i got some electrical connectors because i was out of the size i needed.. they were about $2 for a package. i used some wire too but i had plenty of 14guage around so i used that. it took me a while to do, but that was just because i took my time planning and figuring out what i wanted to do. i'd say i could do it all in about 40 minutes now, knowing how it all goes together. you really only need to clip 1 wire one the harness, and connect that line to a switch, wherever that may be for you. if anyone wants detailed info, i'd be glad to post that. on another note... dred98 where'd you get that hat? ive been meaning to ask you for a few days haha
dred98
11-18-2004, 06:07 PM
yeah, thats basically why i did it... and because i hate antennas when if anyone wants detailed info, i'd be glad to post that. on another note... dred98 where'd you get that hat? ive been meaning to ask you for a few days haha
Yeah can you post the details - or send them to me - maybe if it's easy I'll do it :grinyes: - I got the hat on ebay - where else ? :lol:
Yeah can you post the details - or send them to me - maybe if it's easy I'll do it :grinyes: - I got the hat on ebay - where else ? :lol:
Vizion
11-19-2004, 12:07 PM
Post it here - the instructions - would be good to do as a summer project possibility.
SublimeZ31
11-19-2004, 03:33 PM
ok no problem... ill type out everything i did as i did it, so anyone without a 1997 might be able to notice any discrepancies between the diff. years.
i started by pulling the trunk panels out on the right side where the antenna is. on my 97, i took out the one that covers the taillight first, then the one covering the antenna motor. attached to the motor/antenna assembly via a single screw is a piece where 2 wiring connectors clip in. each of the 2 contained 3 wires. one set of 3 leads to the motor, the other set leads up to the front of the car. unplug the one that goes up to the front of the car. sidenote: while i was doing all this, i noticed that just about every electrical connector snapped in, plus had 1 or several other snap-in pieces to secure it more... olds must really not want these to come apart! =) so just make sure you look at the connectors closely to make sure you get the auxilliary clips out before you pull on the main connector.
anyway... once you have the motor control connector out, pull out a voltmeter. on mine, i had a black for neg (obviously), i think a brown that was +12V whenever the car was on, then the middle (green) was showing 11V when the radio was on, and 0V when the radio was off. BINGO! thats what controls the motor - when the middle wire has power, the motor knows to put up the ant. when it has no power, the motor pulls it down. (i tested this by connecting up power to the motor and then touching 12V to the middle terminal, and sure enough the motor started raising the ant. also, note that the motor knows when to turn itself off, the radio doesnt turn the motor on for several seconds and then off, or anythign like that. the middle wire (called a remote line in electrical terms) just acts like a switch to tell the motor what to do, up or down. play with it if you dont understand what i mean.
anyway, i left that connector unplugged as i went to eat dinner and plan my strategy. i could leave the switch back at the motor for simple wiring... but how convenient would that be... if im going to do it, gotta do it the right way! i hate dash removal as i always seem to damage little snaps and tabs and so forth... but i decided that i would look up at the radio wiring anyway. i went to radio shack and bought the switch i mentioned above, but any SPST type switch will workif you dont like my style, and also a little baggie of connectors. the bag has male and female ends, and the shape that fit the switch prongs. i THINK i bought part number 64-3134, but im not totally sure. the style is called "Quick Disconnect" and its 3/16 prong size. i bought a bigger guage than i really needed for the radio wires, but the wire i ran to my switch was like 14 guage... overkill but its what i had around... so i bought connectors that would fit that guage of wire and i hoped they would work with the small radio wires (they did).
turns out getting at the radio is VERY easy. the panel to the right of the driver's feet comes out first. it has tabs that fit into the panel aft of it, so slide those out, and it also has a spring on the inside that pulls it tight to the panel to the left of the passenger feet. unclip that spring and set the panel aside. i took out the opposite panel as well (to the left of the passenger feet) which is attached in the same way, except the spring is permanently attached to this panel, no need to unclip. then i took off the black plastic that borders the front of the radio. be gentle w/ it, and it will come out. it has some clips... basically i just ran a tiny flathead around the edge, and started gently pulling on it. took maybe 10 min with some coaxing. no tabs broken =). once that was out, 3 screws hold in the radio. take those out, slide out the (huge) radio. unclip the connector in back (2 auxilliaries too i think). if you cant pull the radio out enough to get at the wiring, get behind that drivers-foot panel and try to get more room by pulling a connector off a metal tab... you'll know what i mean when you see it... its just on a metal tab to keep it in place. once you get the wires unplugged, look at the set going to the car. there are 3 greens. this is why i left the trunk connector unplugged. i clipped on test lead of my fluke meter to the remote line in the trunk then tossed my meter into the back seat through the pass-thru. then i sat in the drivers seat, put the meter on a continuity test and started touching green wires until i heard the beep (for anyone who isnt familiar w/ DVOM's, the continuity tester tests to see if there is a complete circuit between one test lead and another. in our case, it means that the leads are touching opposite ends of the same wire.) i THINK it ended up being a green that was between a brown and yellow? i cant remember for sure so thats why i suggest you test it. i clipped this wire, stripped the ends, and put a male connector on one end, a female on the other (this way i could just connect them together if i wanted it back to stock). then figure out where you want your switch. i put mine in the cig. lighter hole, because 1) i dont smoke, 2) i dont like people smoking in my car, and 3) if i make an exception for a hot lady, im sure she has a regular lighter anyway. if you choose the same, its easy to do. basically the lighter has 2 parts that screw together, one on each side of the surface its mounting on. kinda like a chicago screw, if you know what those are. hold the hole where the plug goes in still with one hand, and with the other hand reach around the back of where the panel we took out was and twist it and the two parts will loosen, and just unscrew it all the way. unplug the wire that connects to the back of the cig lighter and fight a place to secure it so it wont make noise. i kept my cig lighter, again in case i want to put it back to stock. the switch mounts in the same fashion. there's a nut you take off the switch, and then you put the switch through the hole from the front, and the nut screws on the back. the switch i bought actually leaves a little of the hole showing if you dont position it carefully, but i did it carefully so you cant tell the hole is slightly bigger than the switch once the nut is tightened down (and it doesnt move around in the hole, dont worry it looks good and nobody would guess its not factory if you do it right). anyway, once youve mounted YOUR switch in YOUR location, cut 2 lengths of wire to reach from the radio harness to the switch location. then put the quick disconnects on them... one wire will have 2 Female ends, one wire will have 1 male, 1 female. plug 2 females onto the switch, and then route the wires and plug the other ends into the radio harness ends we put on. plug the radio harness back in, the antenna motor harness back in, turn on the key, and test it all out =) it should work right away, let me know if you want/need any more info
i started by pulling the trunk panels out on the right side where the antenna is. on my 97, i took out the one that covers the taillight first, then the one covering the antenna motor. attached to the motor/antenna assembly via a single screw is a piece where 2 wiring connectors clip in. each of the 2 contained 3 wires. one set of 3 leads to the motor, the other set leads up to the front of the car. unplug the one that goes up to the front of the car. sidenote: while i was doing all this, i noticed that just about every electrical connector snapped in, plus had 1 or several other snap-in pieces to secure it more... olds must really not want these to come apart! =) so just make sure you look at the connectors closely to make sure you get the auxilliary clips out before you pull on the main connector.
anyway... once you have the motor control connector out, pull out a voltmeter. on mine, i had a black for neg (obviously), i think a brown that was +12V whenever the car was on, then the middle (green) was showing 11V when the radio was on, and 0V when the radio was off. BINGO! thats what controls the motor - when the middle wire has power, the motor knows to put up the ant. when it has no power, the motor pulls it down. (i tested this by connecting up power to the motor and then touching 12V to the middle terminal, and sure enough the motor started raising the ant. also, note that the motor knows when to turn itself off, the radio doesnt turn the motor on for several seconds and then off, or anythign like that. the middle wire (called a remote line in electrical terms) just acts like a switch to tell the motor what to do, up or down. play with it if you dont understand what i mean.
anyway, i left that connector unplugged as i went to eat dinner and plan my strategy. i could leave the switch back at the motor for simple wiring... but how convenient would that be... if im going to do it, gotta do it the right way! i hate dash removal as i always seem to damage little snaps and tabs and so forth... but i decided that i would look up at the radio wiring anyway. i went to radio shack and bought the switch i mentioned above, but any SPST type switch will workif you dont like my style, and also a little baggie of connectors. the bag has male and female ends, and the shape that fit the switch prongs. i THINK i bought part number 64-3134, but im not totally sure. the style is called "Quick Disconnect" and its 3/16 prong size. i bought a bigger guage than i really needed for the radio wires, but the wire i ran to my switch was like 14 guage... overkill but its what i had around... so i bought connectors that would fit that guage of wire and i hoped they would work with the small radio wires (they did).
turns out getting at the radio is VERY easy. the panel to the right of the driver's feet comes out first. it has tabs that fit into the panel aft of it, so slide those out, and it also has a spring on the inside that pulls it tight to the panel to the left of the passenger feet. unclip that spring and set the panel aside. i took out the opposite panel as well (to the left of the passenger feet) which is attached in the same way, except the spring is permanently attached to this panel, no need to unclip. then i took off the black plastic that borders the front of the radio. be gentle w/ it, and it will come out. it has some clips... basically i just ran a tiny flathead around the edge, and started gently pulling on it. took maybe 10 min with some coaxing. no tabs broken =). once that was out, 3 screws hold in the radio. take those out, slide out the (huge) radio. unclip the connector in back (2 auxilliaries too i think). if you cant pull the radio out enough to get at the wiring, get behind that drivers-foot panel and try to get more room by pulling a connector off a metal tab... you'll know what i mean when you see it... its just on a metal tab to keep it in place. once you get the wires unplugged, look at the set going to the car. there are 3 greens. this is why i left the trunk connector unplugged. i clipped on test lead of my fluke meter to the remote line in the trunk then tossed my meter into the back seat through the pass-thru. then i sat in the drivers seat, put the meter on a continuity test and started touching green wires until i heard the beep (for anyone who isnt familiar w/ DVOM's, the continuity tester tests to see if there is a complete circuit between one test lead and another. in our case, it means that the leads are touching opposite ends of the same wire.) i THINK it ended up being a green that was between a brown and yellow? i cant remember for sure so thats why i suggest you test it. i clipped this wire, stripped the ends, and put a male connector on one end, a female on the other (this way i could just connect them together if i wanted it back to stock). then figure out where you want your switch. i put mine in the cig. lighter hole, because 1) i dont smoke, 2) i dont like people smoking in my car, and 3) if i make an exception for a hot lady, im sure she has a regular lighter anyway. if you choose the same, its easy to do. basically the lighter has 2 parts that screw together, one on each side of the surface its mounting on. kinda like a chicago screw, if you know what those are. hold the hole where the plug goes in still with one hand, and with the other hand reach around the back of where the panel we took out was and twist it and the two parts will loosen, and just unscrew it all the way. unplug the wire that connects to the back of the cig lighter and fight a place to secure it so it wont make noise. i kept my cig lighter, again in case i want to put it back to stock. the switch mounts in the same fashion. there's a nut you take off the switch, and then you put the switch through the hole from the front, and the nut screws on the back. the switch i bought actually leaves a little of the hole showing if you dont position it carefully, but i did it carefully so you cant tell the hole is slightly bigger than the switch once the nut is tightened down (and it doesnt move around in the hole, dont worry it looks good and nobody would guess its not factory if you do it right). anyway, once youve mounted YOUR switch in YOUR location, cut 2 lengths of wire to reach from the radio harness to the switch location. then put the quick disconnects on them... one wire will have 2 Female ends, one wire will have 1 male, 1 female. plug 2 females onto the switch, and then route the wires and plug the other ends into the radio harness ends we put on. plug the radio harness back in, the antenna motor harness back in, turn on the key, and test it all out =) it should work right away, let me know if you want/need any more info
Vizion
11-22-2004, 08:37 AM
Sweet - i'm going to print this out and try to do it to my 95 this coming summer...anway we could get a picture/image of it just for FYI purposes?
SublimeZ31
11-24-2004, 02:17 AM
i'm not sure if this is the picture you were requesting... but this is the finished project (switch indicated with red arrow)
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~bweed/AF/switch.jpg
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~bweed/AF/switch.jpg
Vizion
11-24-2004, 08:11 AM
YEP! That is exactly it...Thank you so much.
This coming summer I'm going to try and put in a monitor in my dash and not have to antenna up all the time....oh i can't wait just thinking about it...
Thanks again.
This coming summer I'm going to try and put in a monitor in my dash and not have to antenna up all the time....oh i can't wait just thinking about it...
Thanks again.
SublimeZ31
11-24-2004, 05:35 PM
no problem... im thinking about ordering some infinity kappa component speakers... if i get them, ill be doing the install myself, and i will take the dash back out and take pics of my splice-in job
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