My power antenna is not fully retracting (about 1/2 way) and making that awful grinding noise. The full unit was replaced in '04 by a previous owner by the dealer @ a cost of $170. I've tried lubing the tube but that hasn't worked. I don't want to spend that much again and am thinking of just disabling the power portion. Is this a viable option and if so what is the best way--unhook a wire, fuse ??If this is done can the antenna be manually retracted when going thru the car wash? What other options are available that wouldn't cost so much? I really don't want to put much money or labor into it.

 

I recently replaced the power antenna in my 94 EX w/ a short (~18") flexible black whip antenna, mercifully ending the grinding. I purchased on ebay for < $30 from AntennaX.com. There are others available at similar prices.

Only complaint is there was a gap between bottom of antenna once screwed down to the stud mount and top of mount that looked wrong. I filled gap w/ a short piece of rubber hose. Looks OK now.

good luck

 

You can pull the antenna motor out of the car and clean the motor out. My drain tube was clogged with dirt, so some water was backing up into the motor. Removal of the motor is pretty simple. Just take off the nut on top that you can see from the outside. You need a screwdriver and be careful not to use too much force, or you can scratch your paint when the screwdriver tries to slip out. There are two conections (power and antenna) that you unplug from inside the trunk. There is a 10 mm bolt underneath that needs to be removed.

I just removed the covers on the motor, removed the gears, and cleaned the gears and the plastic part of the antenna mast with soap and water. I got as much dirt out of there as possible. I used a bit of white lithium grease to lubricate the gears once they dried. There is also a metal pivot where the plastic part of the antenna enters that motor that can have an edge worn down. Its a stationary pivot where the plastic turns into the gear portion of the motor. That can get worn down over time. Once I put everything back together, it worked fine.

 

Any other suggestions?

 

Try this link;
http://www.freewebs.com/hondadude/90...D97antenna.htm
And putting petroleum lube on the antenna is not good; there is a plastic spool down in the motor and it can swell up and bind from dino oils soaking into it.

 

Installing a switch would work, but those instructions that hondadude gave you will most likely fix the problem.