how to remove a hirschmann antenna from a w202 Mercedes and repair/replace a broken antenna clutch...other hirschmann antennas are similar follow me on twitter / fupabox
Thanks for the detailed description of how to fix the power antenna unit. I took mine out today and fixed it ... exactly as you described. Saved $400 and throwing the old one in a land fill! You are terrific! Thanks.
Once again you have helped. Fixed the antenna today. As you said the little knob that keeps the gears together broke. I super glued it, put a self tapping screw that went through both sides. I then cut off the screw head and ground down the other screw end. We are ready to play. Only thing we need now is the inner and outer rubber gaskets. Unfortunately Florida doesn't have many w202 to find that part. Also get a PayPal and open that Gorilla Pod Fund going. I would donate.
Thank you again for another great and informative video. I have two SL R129's and both antennas don't work. I wasn't sure of how to repair the antenna until I came across your video and your video covers alot , thank you . I automatically thought it was the motor . You said you've never experienced a bad motor or a broken belt (even though it could happen ). Knowing this , gives me reason that it must be a simple issue that can be fixed. I'm going to see if I can repair one of my antennas tomorrow. Thank you again. Two thumbs up 👍 👍.
Hi, this has been a massive help to me, thanks. Ive removed my unit to try to find the problem. Currently it seems dead. I tested the control unit alone with a probe and can see 14v running through it when the engine is on. I hook up the main unit and nothing happens. There's nothing obvious I can see, it looks the same as yours. What do you think I should try next? Thanks!
You are so awesome taking your time to help us Mercedes lovers / dealer haters save so much money and aggravation. My 1999 SL500 Sport's antenna started intermittently working- sometimes it would come up and sometimes not but it always came down. If I turned on the ignition and quickly tapped the body by the antenna mast it would trigger it to work. I finally took apart trunk panels because it seemed stuck for good. My wife turned on the ingnition while I tapped on the actual plastic housing of the antenna and it came up YEA but now it wont go down. Should I just try removing the mast only? Or does that not make sense based on what I described?
yes remove the mast then pull the whole antenna assembly out from inside . Likely the antenna motor needs electrical contact cleaner sprayed into it , then re grease . 9 out of 10 times I can get them working by spraying the contact cleaner into the motor
your w202 videos are most helpful, really great to have a place to go for help on all the things that keep these lovely cars in pristine condition! Sadly my automatic antenna doesn't work, although the 3-pin plug gets delivers the correct voltage to the antenna, the motor is lifeless. This means I can't get the mast out which in turn means I can't undo the retaining nut you talk about at 1:34. Have you any tips on how I might be able to remove the antenna in order to replace it?
Hi, can u tell me what is the diameter of the hole once antenna is removed. I need to plug it against rain, since I have to repair it off-site and it will wait until reassembly. Thanks
Hello Fupabox, I want to first start out thanking you for the videos, they are really helpful and very well put together. Now to the business end of my comment. Where might the antenna be on my 2000 W202 C230 Kompressor Sport? I recently had the non-factory radio replaced for a new one and when I asked the guys at the Car Audio place as to why the AM wasn't working on the radio they told me that my car had no AM antenna. I have HD FM radio but no AM? Thanks in advance.
For those of you out there that see this comment, I posted a long video on how to remove the W124 dash and how to replace the vacuum actuator pods for the climate control. th-cam.com/video/0SU6CFb0W7s/w-d-xo.html Just trying to spread the word. Note that there are only 2 PN's left of the 6 PN's that are available from Mercedes or aftermarket. On the dual diaphgram pods you can buy one of the two pods that are available, remove their arms (white plastic just snaps it on), and you can take off the old arm from the old pod and transfer it to the new pod. NOTE: This trick only works on the dual diaphgram pods. Last resort you can get just the rubber diaphgram inside the pod that you can replace at a place called Performance Analysis in Tennessee, although you can't order on their website. You have to call them. Their part numbers for the two different diaphgrams are 2010 and 2020. On the W124 and W126, you can use one of their diaphgrams on the "center" pod, which is a single diaphragm. They are inexpensive, not sure how long they will be in business from the conversation I had with them. . Get a bunch and store them the rest of your life!
Great vid, repaired my antenna unit using this exact technique. Is it necessary to grease/lubricate the white clutch gears before resembling the unit? Thanks.
heya, was trying to fix my one after braking part of that small plastic wheel .... but no success :( what would happened if i would glue those plastic wheels together?
Mine doesn't work. the black box seen on 3:06 is removable from the antenna motor and there is an electronic board in it. I removed that black box and there was 2 pins coming out of the dc motor of the antenna. I tested the pins with a multimeter and it was showing short between them. So is the motor burned?
the glue trick didn't work for me so I got the aftermarkets, has anyone else had the gears slip over the antenna mast teeth after? Any solutions found?
Forgot to ask if there is a specific lubrication to use inside the plastic gear housing and is that different from the lube for chrome antenna mast? I have some Krytox but not sure exactly what # Krytox it is. MIA at the moment. ARGHHHH
@@billclark8241 Ah sorry I forgot about the mast .. You don't want anything sticky on it ,or it will gum up. A dry lubricant like the wd40 dry lube works well on masts
Forgot to ask where exactly does the black plastic tapered "sleeve" go and do I /should I feed the antenna thru that sleeve first or put sleeve up in "post" (in place) first? The sleeve fell out during cleaning. What keeps that sleeve in place anyway? I say "tapered" only because it looks like it is designed so that the plastic toothed tail will go thru it easier because it is angled inside. Does it stop mast from going into gears?
Yes that sleeve goes up into the main metal antenna post . it goes in before you install the telescoping mast . It does keep the plastic geared tail from binding as it feeds in and out of the main post . So slip it in ,put everything back together and then feed the mast in . you can feed the mast in manually by rotating the belt by hand , or by getting someone to turn the radio on and off and allow the antenna motor to wind the mast in
@@fupabox Thanks- thats where it came from so that's where its going back. I did see people replace their masts from the outside just by feeding it in after turning off ignition. But I saw you feeding it in slowly using your finger on the motor belt. Does it matter? I prefer your way rather than put antenna back into car and hope it feeds correctly.
@@billclark8241 either way is good. If the unit is out you may as well wind in by hand just in case something is wrong , you don't want to pull the whole thing out again .
@@fupabox I got the motor winding it in and out using a 12v battery but when I install it the antenna will not come out when turning on radio. Do I need to reprogram that darn thing? If so, I guess I will have to take it somewhere to get that done.
@@billclark8241 shouldn't need any programming. There is just a trigger wire coming from the radio to the antenna to signal the mast to go up or down . Is your secondary antenna button on the dash pressed ? There is the dash button on some models that will put the antenna down even with the radio on . also check the fuse for trunk lighting. It powers the antenna motor
Took everything apart and cleaned BUT I can't understand why The 2 white gears are thicker than the "center plastic post" that comes thru from the other side. When I go to put the final screw on the cover I can see the diameter of the center raised circle will be rubbing against the gears because the center post is not long enough. And yes I have the other side cover in those 2 little notches so that it protrudes as far as possible BUT it still isn't far enough to avoid that rubbing/friction. I swear I took this apart a week or so ago (while waiting for seals/grommets) and put it back together fine. It goes back together and nothing looks wrong but I know it will be rubbing against the cover. It'a almost 2am ARGHHH I will attack again tomorrow.
@@fupabox Yes absolutely I made sure the gears fit together so that plastic "post" keep the gears "locked" in place. They fit tight together around the perimeter in most areas but there is a slight gap/space but very slight. They don't actually "Snap" together they just go together. I keep saying , "Why didn't they make that center "starred" post that comes from the back cover a little longer to prevent it from "sandwiching" the gears when tightening completely. This is simple physics and it's not working ARGHHH. If I can't figure this out I will have to place a washer/spacer with a small enough diameter and a big enough hole for the screw to go thru. That will stop the squeezing/friction from occurring I just hate to rig things like that. I prefer original design to stay exactly that - original. I want my music back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forgot to say thanks again for tolerating my questions but I swear I am very good at things like this although this example would prove otherwise ;)
@@billclark8241 That one has me stumped . Not sure why there would be such separation between the 2 gears . There is a gap , but it should go together without binding
@@fupabox the center portion of white gear will be rubbing against the cover if I dont put a spacer. There is no separation between gears as they fit together well. I put 12 v to it with out cover attached yet its not running smoothly. It sounds terrible goes up and down but does get stuck. I wish I could send u pics. Almost 1am - hitting the hay - actually I have a bed - much better idea
@@fupabox OK so maybe this was in your video but I don't remember- If you re-install the motor/belt assembly first the gears will go in very easily UPSIDE-DOWN and won't go in correctly !!!!! But if you reinstall the actual gears BEFORE the motor you will see which side of the gear assembly should be facing up because the center hub of it will install "flush" with the gears as it should be. Yea. Time to reinstall entire antenna unit into car with new grommets.
@@fupabox Why cant I find the fuse for my antenna 1999 SL500 Sport? I have the original diagrams and the owners manual but I can't find "antenna" written anywhere. ARGHHH
@@fupabox Thank-you sir. Sounds like other things would not be working if that fuse was bad and the trunk light does work so probably not the fuse. The actual plastic "C" on the little black box with the "motherboard" that "clamps" onto the metal rod/pole had broken so I believe the whole time it was making contact intermittently because that is the power supply in my opinion. I put 12 volts to to motor and it worked perfectly. Belt looked great and nothing plastic wise was broken. No pieces inside to clean out. So I say the antenna stayed "erect" (can I say that on You Tube? ;) because that power supply finally vibrated away so it stayed up/out after pulling into my garage and turning car off. Has anyone ever recommended a zip-tie be used so it can't come disconnected from vibration? Unless you tell me otherwise I will be making sure it doesn't happen again using a zip-tie. New seals/grommets coming tomorrow - will let you know what happens. Thanks again FUPABOX I am sure you have been asked before about your name out of curiosity but I will tell you it is so strange yet so easy to remember thank goodness. Probably something obvious that I am not catching. Anyway Thank-you sir
@@billclark8241 The name has a not ready for prime time origin , but was born out of frustration . My first internet account 25 years ago was with AOL . while asked for a unique login name I kept trying and was continually told everything was taken already . After several hours (dial up slowness) I typed FUPA as a joke ( urban dictionary slang ) AOL replied with "not available we suggest FUPABOX " I decided it was good enough and I could remember it easily.
+Chris Troxtell wow.. that's a pretty heavy spring.. I haven't seen a broken one before...I think you can get a new spring in the rebuild kits I've seen on ebay, or grab one from a wrecking yard
+fupabox The kits I seen while looking on eBay only had the 2 plastic gears. I didn't see any that contained a spring in the first few pages of eBay. Might find one at a wrecking yard, they tend to like to crush these cars rather fast it seems around here.
New question entirely- Can I improve the reception of the radio by replacing that silver Hirschman "signal amplifier?" with the coax-like connections? If my allotment of questions has been exhausted ignore this one.
Those signal amplifiers usually work quite well , but I'm sure like anything they can go bad. The usual problem is with poor grounding , so check that the booster is grounding properly before getting a new amplifier. You can check once the radio is on and antenna hooked up , by running a wire from a body ground bolt to the outer nut on the coax connector . If this improves the reception you know the ground is bad . LOL no such thing as an allotment of questions , I'm here to help if I can :)
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA Finals D2 | Fall | ต้องรักษาฟอร์ม อย่ายอมให้ใครแซง](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/x38QsGn7A3M/mqdefault.jpg)
"Hey whisky voice" limey rolf here . Saved me, w202 diesel no tunes ariel shagged .Great info thanks
Good stuff!
Thanks for the detailed description of how to fix the power antenna unit. I took mine out today and fixed it ... exactly as you described. Saved $400 and throwing the old one in a land fill! You are terrific! Thanks.
Once again you have helped. Fixed the antenna today. As you said the little knob that keeps the gears together broke. I super glued it, put a self tapping screw that went through both sides. I then cut off the screw head and ground down the other screw end. We are ready to play. Only thing we need now is the inner and outer rubber gaskets. Unfortunately Florida doesn't have many w202 to find that part.
Also get a PayPal and open that Gorilla Pod Fund going. I would donate.
Thank you for this. I cleaned and lubed mine up, and all is well, now. 28 years, and I guess it might need some grease!
Thank you again for another great and informative video.
I have two SL R129's and both antennas don't work.
I wasn't sure of how to repair the antenna until I came across your video and your video covers alot , thank you . I automatically thought it was the motor . You said you've never experienced a bad motor or a broken belt (even though it could happen ). Knowing this , gives me reason that it must be a simple issue that can be fixed.
I'm going to see if I can repair one of my antennas tomorrow.
Thank you again.
Two thumbs up 👍 👍.
Thanks for the video! Do you happen to know if the grommet set from a w124 will fit the w202? Many thanks
Very informative Video helped me a lot thank you
Hi, this has been a massive help to me, thanks. Ive removed my unit to try to find the problem. Currently it seems dead. I tested the control unit alone with a probe and can see 14v running through it when the engine is on. I hook up the main unit and nothing happens. There's nothing obvious I can see, it looks the same as yours. What do you think I should try next? Thanks!
You are so awesome taking your time to help us Mercedes lovers / dealer haters save so much money and aggravation. My 1999 SL500 Sport's antenna started intermittently working- sometimes it would come up and sometimes not but it always came down. If I turned on the ignition and quickly tapped the body by the antenna mast it would trigger it to work. I finally took apart trunk panels because it seemed stuck for good. My wife turned on the ingnition while I tapped on the actual plastic housing of the antenna and it came up YEA but now it wont go down. Should I just try removing the mast only? Or does that not make sense based on what I described?
yes remove the mast then pull the whole antenna assembly out from inside . Likely the antenna motor needs electrical contact cleaner sprayed into it , then re grease . 9 out of 10 times I can get them working by spraying the contact cleaner into the motor
your w202 videos are most helpful, really great to have a place to go for help on all the things that keep these lovely cars in pristine condition!
Sadly my automatic antenna doesn't work, although the 3-pin plug gets delivers the correct voltage to the antenna, the motor is lifeless. This means I can't get the mast out which in turn means I can't undo the retaining nut you talk about at 1:34. Have you any tips on how I might be able to remove the antenna in order to replace it?
Hi, can u tell me what is the diameter of the hole once antenna is removed. I need to plug it against rain, since I have to repair it off-site and it will wait until reassembly.
Thanks
Hello Fupabox,
I want to first start out thanking you for the videos, they are really helpful and very well put together. Now to the business end of my comment. Where might the antenna be on my 2000 W202 C230 Kompressor Sport? I recently had the non-factory radio replaced for a new one and when I asked the guys at the Car Audio place as to why the AM wasn't working on the radio they told me that my car had no AM antenna. I have HD FM radio but no AM? Thanks in advance.
For those of you out there that see this comment, I posted a long video on how to remove the W124 dash and how to replace the vacuum actuator pods for the climate control. th-cam.com/video/0SU6CFb0W7s/w-d-xo.html
Just trying to spread the word. Note that there are only 2 PN's left of the 6 PN's that are available from Mercedes or aftermarket. On the dual diaphgram pods you can buy one of the two pods that are available, remove their arms (white plastic just snaps it on), and you can take off the old arm from the old pod and transfer it to the new pod. NOTE: This trick only works on the dual diaphgram pods. Last resort you can get just the rubber diaphgram inside the pod that you can replace at a place called Performance Analysis in Tennessee, although you can't order on their website. You have to call them. Their part numbers for the two different diaphgrams are 2010 and 2020. On the W124 and W126, you can use one of their diaphgrams on the "center" pod, which is a single diaphragm. They are inexpensive, not sure how long they will be in business from the conversation I had with them. . Get a bunch and store them the rest of your life!
Great vid, repaired my antenna unit using this exact technique. Is it necessary to grease/lubricate the white clutch gears before resembling the unit? Thanks.
Dan Anstey I usually put a bit of grease on everything inside...
heya,
was trying to fix my one after braking part of that small plastic wheel .... but no success :(
what would happened if i would glue those plastic wheels together?
Great video, thanks
Mine doesn't work.
the black box seen on 3:06 is removable from the antenna motor and there is an electronic board in it. I removed that black box and there was 2 pins coming out of the dc motor of the antenna. I tested the pins with a multimeter and it was showing short between them. So is the motor burned?
I was wondering about that board myself because it looks absolutely brand new but maybe there is a short.
the glue trick didn't work for me so I got the aftermarkets, has anyone else had the gears slip over the antenna mast teeth after? Any solutions found?
I love it thank you!
how can a test the antenna motor if it work?
hook the power leads directly to a 12v battery
Forgot to ask if there is a specific lubrication to use inside the plastic gear housing and is that different from the lube for chrome antenna mast? I have some Krytox but not sure exactly what # Krytox it is. MIA at the moment. ARGHHHH
any sythethetic dielectric grease will work fine. Petroleum based will degrade the plastics and rubber seals over time
@@fupabox Thank-you sir once again but you didn't say if the syn dielectric grease is also used for the outside/inside surface of chrome antenna mast?
@@billclark8241 Ah sorry I forgot about the mast .. You don't want anything sticky on it ,or it will gum up. A dry lubricant like the wd40 dry lube works well on masts
Forgot to ask where exactly does the black plastic tapered "sleeve" go and do I /should I feed the antenna thru that sleeve first or put sleeve up in "post" (in place) first? The sleeve fell out during cleaning. What keeps that sleeve in place anyway? I say "tapered" only because it looks like it is designed so that the plastic toothed tail will go thru it easier because it is angled inside. Does it stop mast from going into gears?
Yes that sleeve goes up into the main metal antenna post . it goes in before you install the telescoping mast . It does keep the plastic geared tail from binding as it feeds in and out of the main post . So slip it in ,put everything back together and then feed the mast in . you can feed the mast in manually by rotating the belt by hand , or by getting someone to turn the radio on and off and allow the antenna motor to wind the mast in
@@fupabox Thanks- thats where it came from so that's where its going back. I did see people replace their masts from the outside just by feeding it in after turning off ignition. But I saw you feeding it in slowly using your finger on the motor belt. Does it matter? I prefer your way rather than put antenna back into car and hope it feeds correctly.
@@billclark8241 either way is good. If the unit is out you may as well wind in by hand just in case something is wrong , you don't want to pull the whole thing out again .
@@fupabox I got the motor winding it in and out using a 12v battery but when I install it the antenna will not come out when turning on radio. Do I need to reprogram that darn thing? If so, I guess I will have to take it somewhere to get that done.
@@billclark8241 shouldn't need any programming. There is just a trigger wire coming from the radio to the antenna to signal the mast to go up or down . Is your secondary antenna button on the dash pressed ? There is the dash button on some models that will put the antenna down even with the radio on . also check the fuse for trunk lighting. It powers the antenna motor
Took everything apart and cleaned BUT I can't understand why The 2 white gears are thicker than the "center plastic post" that comes thru from the other side. When I go to put the final screw on the cover I can see the diameter of the center raised circle will be rubbing against the gears because the center post is not long enough. And yes I have the other side cover in those 2 little notches so that it protrudes as far as possible BUT it still isn't far enough to avoid that rubbing/friction. I swear I took this apart a week or so ago (while waiting for seals/grommets) and put it back together fine. It goes back together and nothing looks wrong but I know it will be rubbing against the cover. It'a almost 2am ARGHHH I will attack again tomorrow.
hmm ... it should fit flush so as not to bind. Are you sure the posts of th opposing gear wheels are both centered inside the gap in the spring
@@fupabox Yes absolutely I made sure the gears fit together so that plastic "post" keep the gears "locked" in place. They fit tight together around the perimeter in most areas but there is a slight gap/space but very slight. They don't actually "Snap" together they just go together. I keep saying , "Why didn't they make that center "starred" post that comes from the back cover a little longer to prevent it from "sandwiching" the gears when tightening completely. This is simple physics and it's not working ARGHHH. If I can't figure this out I will have to place a washer/spacer with a small enough diameter and a big enough hole for the screw to go thru. That will stop the squeezing/friction from occurring I just hate to rig things like that. I prefer original design to stay exactly that - original. I want my music back !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forgot to say thanks again for tolerating my questions but I swear I am very good at things like this although this example would prove otherwise ;)
@@billclark8241 That one has me stumped . Not sure why there would be such separation between the 2 gears . There is a gap , but it should go together without binding
@@fupabox the center portion of white gear will be rubbing against the cover if I dont put a spacer. There is no separation between gears as they fit together well. I put 12 v to it with out cover attached yet its not running smoothly. It sounds terrible goes up and down but does get stuck. I wish I could send u pics. Almost 1am - hitting the hay - actually I have a bed - much better idea
@@fupabox OK so maybe this was in your video but I don't remember- If you re-install the motor/belt assembly first the gears will go in very easily UPSIDE-DOWN and won't go in correctly !!!!! But if you reinstall the actual gears BEFORE the motor you will see which side of the gear assembly should be facing up because the center hub of it will install "flush" with the gears as it should be. Yea. Time to reinstall entire antenna unit into car with new grommets.
Mine won't go up when I turn the radio on please help me.
Danke
welcome
My antenna is stuck in the UP position. I do not hear the motor make a sound when on, or off. Any thoughts on the order of process?
Thanks,
Tyler
check the antenna fuse,and electrical contacts on the antenna
@@fupabox Why cant I find the fuse for my antenna 1999 SL500 Sport? I have the original diagrams and the owners manual but I can't find "antenna" written anywhere. ARGHHH
@@billclark8241 #5 in trunk fuse box ..shared with other stuff like trunk light
@@fupabox Thank-you sir. Sounds like other things would not be working if that fuse was bad and the trunk light does work so probably not the fuse. The actual plastic "C" on the little black box with the "motherboard" that "clamps" onto the metal rod/pole had broken so I believe the whole time it was making contact intermittently because that is the power supply in my opinion. I put 12 volts to to motor and it worked perfectly. Belt looked great and nothing plastic wise was broken. No pieces inside to clean out. So I say the antenna stayed "erect" (can I say that on You Tube? ;) because that power supply finally vibrated away so it stayed up/out after pulling into my garage and turning car off. Has anyone ever recommended a zip-tie be used so it can't come disconnected from vibration? Unless you tell me otherwise I will be making sure it doesn't happen again using a zip-tie. New seals/grommets coming tomorrow - will let you know what happens. Thanks again FUPABOX I am sure you have been asked before about your name out of curiosity but I will tell you it is so strange yet so easy to remember thank goodness. Probably something obvious that I am not catching. Anyway Thank-you sir
@@billclark8241 The name has a not ready for prime time origin , but was born out of frustration . My first internet account 25 years ago was with AOL . while asked for a unique login name I kept trying and was continually told everything was taken already . After several hours (dial up slowness) I typed FUPA as a joke ( urban dictionary slang ) AOL replied with "not available we suggest FUPABOX " I decided it was good enough and I could remember it easily.
That metal spring inside of mine is broken, it broke pretty much in half some how.
+Chris Troxtell wow.. that's a pretty heavy spring.. I haven't seen a broken one before...I think you can get a new spring in the rebuild kits I've seen on ebay, or grab one from a wrecking yard
+fupabox The kits I seen while looking on eBay only had the 2 plastic gears. I didn't see any that contained a spring in the first few pages of eBay. Might find one at a wrecking yard, they tend to like to crush these cars rather fast it seems around here.
New question entirely- Can I improve the reception of the radio by replacing that silver Hirschman "signal amplifier?" with the coax-like connections? If my allotment of questions has been exhausted ignore this one.
Those signal amplifiers usually work quite well , but I'm sure like anything they can go bad. The usual problem is with poor grounding , so check that the booster is grounding properly before getting a new amplifier. You can check once the radio is on and antenna hooked up , by running a wire from a body ground bolt to the outer nut on the coax connector . If this improves the reception you know the ground is bad . LOL no such thing as an allotment of questions , I'm here to help if I can :)
Братан а можно по русски??