This might be the antenna delay relay that is acting up. Replace it with a normal SPDT relay in and see if it works.
No can do…
The plastic feed cable is crimped to the mast and on the other side goes deep inside the motor casing. Maybe if you take the motor appart. .
A kinked mast may have enough friction to trigger the ‘endstop’, Derek - as may a damaged conduit, the white cable. This is more or less a ‘Bowden’ arrangement; a ‘wire’/driveline runs inside a spun conduit, like on a bicycle - easily kinked.
There are basically to types of drivelines; ‘smooth’ and ‘cogged’ the latter is driven by cogwheels on the motor to raise or lower the mast - and the excess, with the antenna down, is collected in drum. The former, smooth driveline, is attached to a rotating drum turned by the motor - and a smooth driveline is ‘easily’ replaced, but replacement masts are, sort of, available - and comes with either type of driveline. The two are not interchangeable; they are specific to the motor fitted…
In principle; if the motor continues to run (for a while) after the mast has stopped; either teeth are missing on the cogged driveline - or excessive resistance may cause the (adjustble) clutch to slip. if the motor stops synchronized with the mast; it’s likely excessive resistance causing the motor to trip.That the motor actually runs implies that the motor itself is OK - but identifying the specific fault may not be straight froward…
Generally; motors are controlled by relays, triggered by the radio’s ‘ant out’ connection - powered with the radio ‘on’. Two relay versions are used; an external relay - or relay mounted/integral with the motor - they require some different wiring, but are otherwise compatible - in both cases; permanent power is used to pull the antenna down when the radio is turned ‘off’. A ‘delay relay’, mentioned by Aristides, complicates matters - including symptoms…
The easiest is of course to replace the mast and motor as a set - though replacing the mast/driveline, if faulty and available, is fairly straight forward. For the highly motivated; various solutions are possible - but my experience with that, though successful, was laborious…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
Can you just swap one in? Terminals are the same? Or do you have to fiddle with the wiring?
Yes it works fine, but you have no delay of course
The terminals are loose on the original relay, no socket, and if I remember correctly I had to do some deciphering as to what goes where.
No modifications in the wiring needed.
The circuit is fairly simple:
Power from the radio energises the relay (85)
Ground (86)
Constant power (30)
(87) antenna Up
(87a) antenna Down.
If you leave that regular relay in place, do you end up with a battery drain?
No, the antenna motor has internal switches that open when the mast reaches the Top or Down position.
**
That’s presuming the relay is properly wired to the motor, Aristides - and indeed that an external relay is used.
In my case; the original motor had the built-in relay, and the replacement had the external relay. And it took some time to identify the appropriate wire connections from scratch…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)