Anyone know how to tighten aerial base please?

[dt7734]

After removing the aerial on my Z3 to use a car cover I have loosened the aerial base as I removed the aerial.
When I put the aerial back on the base it is now loose and won't tighten back up by turning it and the radio reception is now very poor.

Does anyone know how to access the base to tighten it back up.
I can't seem to find any access to do this???

Thanks in advance.
Dave

 

[Brian H]

The aerial base is accessed via the boot assuming you have a standard aerial base, does the aerial whip keep on turning or does the whip tighten but then flop about a little?

 

[dt7734]

The aerial base is accessed via the boot assuming you have a standard aerial base, does the aerial whip keep on turning or does the whip tighten but then flop about a little?

The aerial is standard as far as I know.
The aerial tightens onto the base then the base spins.
I need to try and find a way of tightening the base to the body work but access seems impossible?

 

[Brian H]

The aerial is standard as far as I know.
The aerial tightens onto the base then the base spins.
I need to try and find a way of tightening the base to the body work but access seems impossible?

Open the boot and move the carpet on the left hand side, you will see the aerial base hanging inside the boot well. There should be fixing bolts to secure the unit.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

It will be the conical part at the top of the base that fits into the grommet that's spinning. There is a silver gland at the top of the square base section that will need tightening.

The downside is that the core wire may now be broken, due to the spinning, as it is soldered to the threaded part where the antenna fits.

 

[colb]

Odds on the small copper core wire will have snapped with the base turning, had it happen to mine but managed to solder a thin wire to bridge the gap, so far its held up. You will have to remove the unit from inside the boot as explained above. Be careful one of the wires is a live feed and can easily short out on the body when disconnected.
Once out you can explore the top to strip it down. Suggest you fit a new grommet in the wing if yours shows signs of hardness or perishing. Get it from BMW, the ebay sellers will rob you.

 

[dt7734]

Odds on the small copper core wire will have snapped with the base turning, had it happen to mine but managed to solder a thin wire to bridge the gap, so far its held up. You will have to remove the unit from inside the boot as explained above. Be careful one of the wires is a live feed and can easily short out on the body when disconnected.
Once out you can explore the top to strip it down. Suggest you fit a new grommet in the wing if yours shows signs of hardness or perishing. Get it from BMW, the ebay sellers will rob you.

Thanks for the heads up guys.
I suspect you are right about the wire being broken.
Does anyone know if there are any instructions on how to remove the base as it looks terribly tight to work on from the boot area?
Are the bases still available to buy new in case I can't repair it with my limited diy skills?
I attached a few pics from the boot area.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

You will need to unbolt the roof pump / resevoir and move to one side to gain access to the aerial. Then it's just a case of disconnecting the leads and fasteners and pulling the whole base downwards to release it from the grommet (it will be tight so it needs a good tug). As mentioned previously one of the wires is a live feed so you may want to disconnect the battery.

New bases are expensive, best try to repair or source a second-hand one. When replacing, a blob of grease on the end will help it back into the grommet.

 

[t-tony]

If you end up needing a replacement try one of our resident breakers, in no particular order,

@Synclare, @spurs fan in a coupe , @mrscalex and hopefully one of these guys will be able to help.

Tony.

 

[mrscalex]

Thanks @t-tony We're away on hols until next week. But you're welcome to PM me and I'll check when we're back.

 

[dt7734]

You will need to unbolt the roof pump / resevoir and move to one side to gain access to the aerial. Then it's just a case of disconnecting the leads and fasteners and pulling the whole base downwards to release it from the grommet (it will be tight so it needs a good tug). As mentioned previously one of the wires is a live feed so you may want to disconnect the battery.

New bases are expensive, best try to repair or source a second-hand one. When replacing, a blob of grease on the end will help it back into the grommet.

I've taken the base out as per instructions above and indeed the wire is broken as cs be seen from the attached photos.
How do I remove the base from the bodywork.
I've attached a photo from the inside and there is no obvious way to take it off???

 

[dt7734]

I've taken the base out as per instructions above and indeed the wire is broken as cs be seen from the attached photos.
How do I remove the base from the bodywork.
I've attached a photo from the inside and there is no obvious way to take it off???View attachment 64430 View attachment 64431 View attachment 64432

I've taken the base out as per instructions above and indeed the wire is broken as cs be seen from the attached photos.
How do I remove the base from the bodywork.
I've attached a photo from the inside and there is no obvious way to take it off???View attachment 64430 View attachment 64431 View attachment 64432

Quick Update
I've managed to get the remainder of the base out and as you can see the plastic tube has broken.
It looks like it's going to be impossible to solder from the attached pic :-(

 

[colb]

As you found out the top part is held in by the grommet the metal bracket in the boot is the main support for the unit.
You could try soldering a small guage wire from the broken wire into the broken top then trying to glue it with araldite epoxy glue, I don't think superglue would be successful.
Other than that look for a used part from one of the guys on the forum who break Z's.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Quick Update
I've managed to get the remainder of the base out and as you can see the plastic tube has broken.
It looks like it's going to be impossible to solder from the attached pic :-(View attachment 64433

As @colb says you can solder in a new piece of wire. A good tip here is to drill a 2mm hole right through the remaining solder/ wire in the broken part and then you can feed the new wire into the hole and solder in place.

 

[g8jka]

I had the same problem on my old zed and fixed it by soldering a small piece of wire on the end of the original wire with a female bullet connection on the other end which pushed over the part where you will have trouble soldering onto. Then I glued the two parts back together. I think you can remove that nut as well to give a bit more access to the wire so an extension can be soldered on.

 

[dt7734]

As @colb says you can solder in a new piece of wire. A good tip here is to drill a 2mm hole right through the remaining solder/ wire in the broken part and then you can feed the new wire into the hole and solder in place.

Thanks guys for all your comments, much appreciated.
I ended up following Eddie's advice and drilling a 2mm hole down the centre and feeding a wire through once it had been soldered and heat shrinked and then glued it back together.
Job done and works perfectly again.
Thanks again.

 

[Eddie Zedder]

Thanks guys for all your comments, much appreciated.
I ended up following Eddie's advice and drilling a 2mm hole down the centre and feeding a wire through once it had been soldered and heat shrinked and then glued it back together.
Job done and works perfectly again.
Thanks again.

Glad you got it sorted and to be of help. That's what Zorg is all about .

 

[colb]

Good job, saved yourself at least £60 which is what I have seen used parts go for.

 

[spurs fan in a coupe]

Great repair well done

 

[Dickymint]

Something satisfying about doing it yourself good job!