Fully extend the antenna then spray it with Blaster or some such penetrating oil. Lower it a bit and then exercise each section of the mast to find out which one is binding.
I've had 2 sections of mast "weld" themselves together so firmly that I could *not* get them apart. Even after applying some heat from a mini-torch and using pliers/vise-grips to get ugly. At that point I was expecting to replace the mast anyway so I had nothing to lose.
To prevent the problem from happening again you may want to do what I do. Every time I check the engine oil level (ususlly while filling my tank) I use the dipstick wipe rag to lube the antenna mast.
BTW, those Hirschman antennas are another mechancial marvel. Look simple on the outside; *not* simple on the inside.
You do not want to put a lubricant like engine oil or WD40 on there. The reason is the antenna needs to be clean as a whistle for optimum operation. Those products attract dust and dirt and will penetrated the space between the sections and gum up the unit.
The first thing you want to do is extend the antenna as much as you can by hand as it is coming up. Then you want to get some rubbing alcohol and clean off all the gunk of the exposed chrome of the antenna. Pay special attention to the bottom of each section. Clean it until it is clean as you can get it. You will have to retract and extend the antenna a few times to get all the gunk out.
Then you want to buy a self cleaning lubricant, the kind that dries clean. Chain lube. Best place to find it is at a bicycle store. There are a lot of different ones, the one I use is Finish Line KryTech. Its designed to set up dry and shed dirt which is perfect for the antenna.
If all else fails buy a new mast and keep it clean clean clean
i had this same problem with my 300e. i took it all apart and found that the teflon geared "rope" was worn out. i have seen the mast and geared rope for sale on other sites. good luck.
Hi everyone!
I had the same problem, cleaning the mast helped it so it goes back in and out completely. But still the actual process is kind of retarded. After all I am planning to install new school antenna (black short plastic one) from newer MB models . If any of you guys have an idea of what MB model antenna will fit w124 with minimal or not at all problem.
Thanks in advance.
I replaced my Hirschmann unit with a Wisi. The guy at the used parts shop showed me the internals of the Wisi and all the parts are hard plastic, whereas on the Hirschmann the parts are pewter, eventually the pewter wears down and the teflon rope doesn't gear in properly... or so I'm told. No problems with the Wisi so far. Another thing that can lead to sticking is a slightly bent aerial, switch radio on, bend aerial where it looks skew, switch radio off watch for sticks, switch on, bend a bit more... you get the idea
RElated discussion: Is there any way to override the "Up when on" function of the antenna? I'm almost always listening to CDs or my iPod and was wondering. Every time up and down is getting me closer to eventual failure...
Just disconnect the electrical connection plug at the aerial unit in your boot. In my '92 230E the unit is in the boot (trunk) behind the carpetted panel on the passenger side. If you never listen to the radio disconnection seems the simplest fix in my opinion. My wife dropped her 60GB ipod and the hard drive now rattles... damn she's mad, 60GB HD's go for a hundred dollars on ebay - and that's used price!
i had the same problem, no time to fix it yet, but needed the antenna up for the radio. simply had assistant to switch antenna up as i helped the mast to come up. then unplugged the connector.
tks mountain.. so there you have it, you want the antennae up all the time? Disconnect the connection when it's up. You want it down all the time? Disconnect when it's down. The RF input is a different cable which you can leave connected.
I have noticed that some of our W124 antenna's are at a sloping angle and some are just at 90 degrees. Whats up with that? And to be honest I prefer the slanted look, it looks sexy !! Any way to do that ?
if your ant. is not slanted i would say something is jacked up with the way the entire antenna unit is mounted in the trunk. on my 89 300e there is only one bolt that holds it in and it is at the slanted angle.
So I should look inside the trunk eh? But its not only my car though. I have seen a good ratio of benz's with slanted and without slanted. So that makes me wonder what the dealio is !!
i only know a little about 300e's. i have never seen a 300e with a straight up antenna. not to say they don't exist. just have never saw one. i would hate to think if a man wanted his antenna slanted, look at how its mounted and make it happen.
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