Noise of the electric antenna

chris1roll · Post by **chris1roll** » Mon Sep 29, 2003 7:51 pm

cheers!

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 1:45 pm

I am near Cambs too, I am also having problems with my ariel, similar to the ones here.

Ben,

Any tips or advice to getting to the ariel mountings?

Cheers

Ben Harris · Post by **Ben Harris** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:28 pm

As with most things to do with the 480, the first time you try and do it, it's a nightmare! One you know how, it's easy!

You need to undo the screws on the plastic panel, that covers the rear-left wheelarch (i think there are about 5 screws - there are a couple in the little storage hole). Have you got ABS? If so, you'll probably need to remove the controller in the storage hole (I haven't, so didn't need to) - DON'T disconnect it though - I'm sure I read somewhere (most likely here!) that you mustn't disconnect it (don't know why though).

You also need to remove the plastic panel covering the rear light bulbs, and undo the furthest left screw on the panel under the boot lock. You should then be able to pull away the panel covering the wheel arch comply and get access to the aerial.

It's held in by two bolts which you need to undo (size 12, socket?) and you'll need to undo the single run which is on the outside of the car, on the black bit of the aerial itself (size 17 spanner?). Then it's just a case of disconnecting the aerial and manouvering it out.

.... then the fun begins of taking apart the aerial!

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:34 pm

I take it that the work is carried out from inside the car...The 5 screws for the wheelarch are located inside the car, you do not mean the plastic cover inside the wheel arch....

I think...that whilst installing the radio I triggered the ariel to go up, but killed the power about halfway up...from there I am unsure what happened, but I am hoping that it just needs to be reset...if not is it okay to use a normal electric ariel...is the black rubber variety (non electric) a big no no??

Ben Harris · Post by **Ben Harris** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:41 pm

yes.... all from inside the car, except the size 17 spanner, which is on the top of the aerial ouside the car.

I didn't bother trying, but was told that fitting a universal electric aerial would be more hassel than it was worth (by other peeps on here). If it is the plastic bit which has snapped (the most likely cause, and you can tell instantly when you take the aerial apart - it possibly snapped and then jammed inside which is why it looks like there's no power now), then it's about Â£25 + some pence, from Marshall's Volvo, in Cambridge - ring 'em up the day before, 'cause they won't have on in stock and will have to order it.

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 3:45 pm

Only kidding, thanks very much Ben, great help, I'lllet you all know what happens to "Big Vern" at the weekend.

Cheers

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 4:04 pm

Wierd huh, The ariel goes up about half way, then makes a terrible noise..and goes down when the radio is powered off without the noise. Could it be the ariel needs to be "rethreaded" with that white plastic thing, or realigned with the motor?

regardless, I can get the radio reception I need, but you want stuff to work right..don't you?

Ben Harris · Post by **Ben Harris** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 5:13 pm

That sounds exaclty like what mine was doing, except mine was stopping about 3/4 of the way up and making that grinding noise. Basically, that plastic bit inside has snapped (3/4 of the way up in my case, 1/2 way up in your case). Once you've taken the aerial apart, you can see exactly how it works, and it'll make sense why it snapping inside is causing it to make that noise. Unfortunatly, the only way to fix it though, is to replace the whole mast. The plastic itself is very hard/brittle, so repairing it with any kind of glue or adhesive is out of the question due to to the way it gets coiled up inside (it would instantly snap again). If it was possible to have repaired it, I would have!

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 6:34 pm

Still, will order one, but am now curious

hereagain · Post by **hereagain** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 7:27 pm

Took an electric ariel from a 440 at a scrappy, Cost Â£10, exactly the same ariel, you just need to retain the nut from the outside of the car and the "line up" washer type thing from the inside.

Ben, My ariel looked nothing like your pictures, perhaps as I took the whole unit, but I saw none of the plastic linkage.

By the way there is an F reg 480 at a Peterborough scrappy, Rusting arches, still has all wheels, seats etc...Rear lights are sun damaged, but all front lights and indicaters are ok...its a metallic grey colour..

Ben Harris · Post by **Ben Harris** » Sat Oct 18, 2003 11:26 pm

That plastic linkage is inside the black plastic bit at the bottom of the aerial, that contains the "workings". You need to undo the small nut on the side of the aerial, and the cover will come apart. Once it's open, there's a covering plate which you need to remove, and then you'll see the linkage, and how it coils round inside. - That's all assuming that you had a standard Volvo aerial, and that someone hasn't replced it with a non-standard one beforehand.

Cheers for the tip about the scrappy. I'm lucky enough to have a scrapyard just a few minutes away, in the next village from mine (Rampton Scrapyard). So far, they've had two different 480's in there, one was there for the firsts month after I'd bought mine, which I scrounged quite a few bits from, and last time I went down there, it had gone, but another one had taken it's place, so I scrounged some bits from that too! I've not been down there for a couple of months though, so I don't know what they've got at the moment.

Volvo 480 Club Europe

Noise of the electric antenna

Hmm

Cheers Ben..

So whats the Phone Number????

Ok, the ariel is now going up and down but only partly

Thanks again

Fixed