Need help hear:

Antenna motor would not shut off when I turned car off the other day. I had to locate the fuse to stop the battery from running down. A couple of questions:

How do you access the anntenna, from inside the hatch or under the fender or both?

Is there a way to just unplug the antenna motor for now until I replace? I noticed an orange wire in the battery compartment with a 20 amp fuse next to it. Is this a power lead to the antenna?

Thanks for any help!

You access the antenna from under the left rear quarter panel, above the muffler. If it's a factory power antenna, there's a relay inside your console, behind the shifter where power leads from the radio go, and wires to the antenna motor lead from. That would, at least for now, be a good place to unhook the power. You may have a bad relay, since your antenna motor won't stop...it's told what to do by the relay.

If it's a factory power antenna there should be a plug in connector at the antenna. Sometimes it is stuffed into the inner fender beyond the rubber grommet. It could be the relay, but when bench testing a power antenna(not using a relay but hooking the wires up directly)the motor stops by itself when all the way up or all the way down. There is a cam inside the motor housing that controls a couple of contacts. I would open the housing and check the contacts. Some housings need to have the rivets drilled out and some just unscrew, depending on year. 78-early79 is one style. Late79-82 is the riveted one. Mike

I think the relay in the 1980 model is in the storage compartment behind the passengers seat and fastened to the panel closest to the seat. I don't think it is in the console - at least not in the front part. I was looking in there (the rear compartment) the other day and saw three relays - all with some fairly heavy wires coming out of them. I have not had a chance to check my wiring diagrams against the car but it makes sense that both the antenna and the rear window defogger relays are here. They are not something you find with a casual inspection, however.

I can't find specific fuses for these units. Are they in the same compartment? They don't seem to be in the fuse block under the dash.

My antenna does not work at all and apparently has not for some time. You can't buy a true replacement so I really want to fix mine. So far no luck in finding the problem but I have yet to pull the antenna itself. Apparently you either have to take out the taillights or drop the exhaust to get at it. I looked the other day and I don't see many other options.

So far your messages have given me some new insights. Any more information you can provide would be most appreciated.

By the way, is there any easy way to identify an original antenna without removing it from the car? Mine looks like it judging by all of the wiring but it would be nice to know for sure before I try real hard to fix it.

The relay does indeed tell the antenna up or down. But the limit switches inside the antenna stop it at the end of its travel. Unplugging the relay will stop the antenna from running by killing the power to the antenna.

Ken Styer

There is a nylon ribbon on the end of the antenna mast that breaks. You have to take the cover off the motor to see and it just pulls out with the mast. To put the new one in you just run the motor and let it pull the antenna back in. It should stop when it gets to the end. Close the cover on the motor and your done. I think the general has replacement masts.

|UPDATED|3/30/2004 9:13:04 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Herb, the 80 antenna is a black plastic housing with clips around the perimiter of the motor housing and a rivet in the center of the motor housing and I think a few other rivets. There is one bracket at the bottom and the top is held in place with the chrome bezel. Removal IS easier if you pull the muffler but is not really necessary. Are you sure the motor does not run? Put you ear to the fender and listen while someone turns the radio on and off. If it runs, you need the antenna leader and "driveshaft" as mentioned above. They ALWAYS break. That part is available from most Vette part suppliers. The other fix is a replacement tube with mast but is very hard to find, no longer available(I've been told)but they sometimes turn up on Ebay. I have a Delco "service part" antenna that I removed from my 78 as it was TOTALLY incorrect for that year but is very similar to the original late79-82 antenna. I could email you a pic so you could see what the 80 ALMOST looks like. As shortlived as the factory units were, you may allready have one of these. Mike

After reading here and going to corvetteforum.com here is the itnerim fix to my antenna problem. I decided to decided to stop the antenna motor from continuosly running until I could replace or repair the unit. I located the rubber plug behind the driverside rear speaker. I downloaded the wiring schematic off of a thread on corvetteforum.com (Just do a search!) I put the fuse back in and the antenna motor started running with the car off. I them clipped the white lead and the antenna motor stopped. (White lowers antenna). I then started the car and the antenna motor kept running and I clipped the grey lead and it stopped. (Grey raises antenna) My antenna is in the up position waiting for me to repair or replace. But at least my courtesy lights/alarm/radio work! Thanks for all your help! By the way after crawling under the car to look the antenna it looks like it would be much easier to get at by dropping the muffler.

OK NEW QUESTION I WANTED TO CHECK AND SEE IF MINE WORKED THE OTHER DAY AS IT DOES NOT GO UP OR DOWN WHEN OPERATING THE RADIO (AFTERMARKET) UNIT ALREADY IN CAR WHEN I PURCHASED IT, SO I CRAWLED UNDER THE LEFT REAR QUARTER AND COULD SEE THAT THE WIRES GOING TO IT HAD BEEN SPLICED, (I GUESS ITS BEEN REPLACEED) PUT 12V DIRECTLY TO IT AND UP IT WENT ! REVERSED THE NEGATIVE AND THE POS AND DOWN SHE CAME, THE ANTENNA MAST IS BLACK ? IS THAT CORRECT OR A REPLACEMENT? AND BELIVE ME THE MESS BEHIND THE RADIO IS UNREAL,I LOOKED BACK THERE AND IT SCARED ME BIG TIME (WASP NEST OF WIRES) SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHATS GONE ON BACK THERE AND WOULD LOVE TO HOOK IT BACK UP AGAIN BUT DOUBT I WILL EVER FIND TH EWIRES THAT GO TO IT.....

VETTHEAD1963

Vettehead, definitely sounds aftermarket. Original would have 3 wire leadin with different hookup combinations to raise and lower. I've never heard of a black mast from the factory. These things don't last very long at all. If not the heat from the exhaust on a driver, then it's brittleness from lack of use on a "collector". Can't win!Mike