almost down...
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From: Rochester, NY
almost down...
Recently the radio antennae on my 99 xjr has been almost putting itself away when the car is shut off. The antennae stops with about 6" showing above the fender. Any ideas as to what I should start looking at to get this put away before my wife drives thru a car wash and makes this a bigger issue would be greatly appreciated!
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 373
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From: Wiesbaden, Germany
Hi,
inside the power antenna an electric motor drives some gears, which engage to a flexible toothed plastic rack inside the antenna. This makes the antenna to extend and retract.
There are two or three main reasons which can cause the issues that you're experiencing. First is that the teeth of the plastic rack inside the retractable antenna mast are worn.
Second is that gunk and dirt prevents the gears to do their job as there's no sufficient lubrication anymore. Third is that because of dirt or lack of lubrication the motor has to do some extra work which can cause the motor to dislocate a bit from its fitting.
Typically the issue starts intermittently and as time goes the antenna retracts just partially more and more often.
Either way you'll have to remove the power antenna assembly from the car and have a look inside.
No special tools needed for this. Spanner, ratchet + nuts and some screwdrivers will do the job.
I recommend ordering a new antenna mast right away, since worn teeth are a well-known failure.
There are some aftermarket masts out there from URO/APA etc, but I recommend the genuine Jaguar mast (LNA4134AA, fits x300 and x308). First its metal quality is superior to the aftermarket parts, which corrode and change color badly after a season or two. Second I do have the impression that its teeth last longer - I replaced the URO mast just after two years or so.
When disassembled take the opportunity to clean the inside and the gears and to re-lubricate the mechanism with some grease. You'll find a drain hose at the bottom end of the antenna housing. Clean it as well and take care not to loose the hose bushing in the bodywork's drain hole. Otherwise you'll have dirt and water splashing from the wheel arch inside the trunk.
Cheers, Alexander
inside the power antenna an electric motor drives some gears, which engage to a flexible toothed plastic rack inside the antenna. This makes the antenna to extend and retract.
There are two or three main reasons which can cause the issues that you're experiencing. First is that the teeth of the plastic rack inside the retractable antenna mast are worn.
Second is that gunk and dirt prevents the gears to do their job as there's no sufficient lubrication anymore. Third is that because of dirt or lack of lubrication the motor has to do some extra work which can cause the motor to dislocate a bit from its fitting.
Typically the issue starts intermittently and as time goes the antenna retracts just partially more and more often.
Either way you'll have to remove the power antenna assembly from the car and have a look inside.
No special tools needed for this. Spanner, ratchet + nuts and some screwdrivers will do the job.
I recommend ordering a new antenna mast right away, since worn teeth are a well-known failure.
There are some aftermarket masts out there from URO/APA etc, but I recommend the genuine Jaguar mast (LNA4134AA, fits x300 and x308). First its metal quality is superior to the aftermarket parts, which corrode and change color badly after a season or two. Second I do have the impression that its teeth last longer - I replaced the URO mast just after two years or so.
When disassembled take the opportunity to clean the inside and the gears and to re-lubricate the mechanism with some grease. You'll find a drain hose at the bottom end of the antenna housing. Clean it as well and take care not to loose the hose bushing in the bodywork's drain hole. Otherwise you'll have dirt and water splashing from the wheel arch inside the trunk.
Cheers, Alexander
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