Power antenna removal '97 Legacy GT wagon

[mrfixiter]

The problem is that the antenna motor is intermittent. Sometimes when you turn off the ignition the antenna will lower completely, sometimes not. If it hasn't lowered all the way, then sometimes a few minutes later when I've exited the car and its locked, I might hear the antenna motor energize and lower the antenna the rest of the way. Other times, the antenna will not fully retract no matter how much time has passed. Initially, when strange things started happening, I would hear the antenna motor energize, but the mast would only go part way up. Now, I'd like to remove the whole thing and give it a good inspection.
 
Attached are removal instructions for the power antenna in my 1997 GT Wagon which don't seem to match what I've found in my car. Maybe I've got the pdf for the wrong model/year.
 

 

What I do have in the rear of my wagon underneath the trim are 2 screws (not just 1 that is pictured in the diagram) that are attached to the mechanism. Those 2 screws go through an L bracket and then into the mechanism. There is a third screw that attaches from the bottom of the L bracket, which is incredibly difficult to access, that also is attached to the mechanism. I was able to remove all 3 screws but things are still kind of tight in there. I can barely reach the electrical connector to unhook it. It's also difficult to see where the release catch is on that connector. Does anyone have any tips on how to remove the whole assembly? Do I need to remove the nut on the outside of the car that holds the mast in place?

 

Thanks for your reply.

[Fairtax4me]

The nut on the outside also needs to be removed. The nut is what secures it to the body and seals the grommet so it won't leak.

 

Once the nut is off you will be able to lower the mechanism and tilt/swivel it around to maneuver it out so you can get to the connector.

 

There is a relay assembly on the antenna that controls the up/down. If the antenna still retracts all the way sometimes, the relay is possibly the problem.

 

You can usually pull the cover off the relay housing and check out the insides. Make sure all the contacts are clean. Also make sure the pins in the wire connectors are clean and free of corrosion.

[mrfixiter]

The nut on the outside also needs to be removed.

Thanks for that info! I'll report back with my findings.

[Fairtax4me]

The FSM I have for 97 shows the same removal process as what you have pictured above.

 

Sometimes parts that look like they're attached don't actually need to be removed to get these things out. Not sure if that's the case here.

 

The wagon unit and sedan unit are different. Could be the service manual depicts a sedan.

 

I've removed several of these, though never one out of a Subaru, so I know they can be tricky to get to sometimes.

[mrfixiter]

Once I took the nut off, it all became much easier. I needed as much wiggle room as possible so I removed the bracket with the 3 screws. I found the release pin for the electrical connection. There is a drain hose that's connected to the assembly and it's secured very tightly. I maneuvered the whole thing into position to get the best angle to pry off the hose. Then I realized that the other end of the hose isn't really secured firmly to an outside drain line with no hose clamp in between. (At least I think there's no clamp in between.) Then it all came out easily.

 

Thanks for your reply.

[mrfixiter]

I had to snip off the plastic studs to open the control box where the pc board is. This is what I found:

 

You might be able to see the connection that has a failed. The solder has cracked and it is intermittently making connection with the pc board. I reflowed the solder there and some other places as well.

 

I was just wondering, how are you supposed to securely reattach the cover to this mechanism once the plastic retaining pieces are cut off? I can't believe there aren't a couple of screws holding this together. I wrapped electrical tape around the box a few times. I tested it on the bench and it worked ok. I reinstalled it in my car (what a p.i.t.a. that was) and so far so good.

 

Thanks for your reply.

[mrfixiter]

The antenna recently stopped moving up and down even though I could hear the antenna motor turning. I ordered and received a new o.e.m. mast. When I removed the old mast I noticed that the plastic cable was shorter than the new one so I had to open the gear box again to remove the broken part of the cable. So far so good. When it came time to make sure that the new antenna was in good condition I noticed that the locking nut would not easily slide over the new grommet which is attached to a movable sleeve. I considered using a vise to push the nut over the grommet but I thought that may not be such a good idea. Is it normal to require that much force to slide the nut over the grommet? The nut slides quite easily over the old grommet. I used a caliper to measure the difference in the diameters. The new one is about 0.3mm larger.

 

Thanks for your reply.

[mrfixiter]

I used a low tech approach to solve this. Very fine sandpaper on the grommet. Eventually the sleeve slipped into place without a glitch.