LoanWolf

The antenna on my 500E is stuck in the "up" position. I saw a DIY when I did a search on the subject. Is the antenna the same on all 1992 E class cars or does the 500E use a different one?

TIA

PaulX608

I'm pretty sure that there were only two different antennae used, one with provisions for the factory installed phone and one without.

ashman

the antenna should be a hirschman 6000EL it should be the same for all w124s, but the later cars from the 90's had the cell phone enabled antenna. the way to tell is if the top of the mast is a black or grey plastic and the rest is metal, then it is the cell phone enabled one. if not it is the regular one.

You do not need to replace your whole unit with this antenna unless you a. have the factory phone. b. want to keep it all original. c. have the factory phone and actually use it. you can use an aftermarket antenna, hirschman aftermarket preferred, but first you should determine what the problem with yours is.

To start,t he most simple thing is to check the wiring. you shoul dhave 3 wires required for the antenna to work. one will be 12 volts ocnstant power. another will be 12 volts whent he radio is on, and the third is ground. if all these wires are working properly, you know that the unit is getting power. so the next step is to determine what is not working. is it the mast just not going up, is the motor inside not working? to determine this, there are some tips below to help.

Now a few things could have happened to your antenna.

The most likely culprit could be the antenna mast has the cable broken. the way to fix this is to first check to see if you hear the motor moving when you turn the radio off or on. if so, the next step is to figure out if it is the mast that needs to be replaced, or if it is something else.

If the mast cable has broken off the mast, you will need to remove the mast, remove the antenna, open it and remove the broken cable and inspect the gears to make sure nothing else is broken. if all looks good, close it up and put it back in the car.

insert the new mast with the ignition on and radio on. this is the tricky part. a persont o help you is best so they can switch off the radio. have the mast in position with the cable inserted in the empty antenna hole, and have the helper turn off the radio or ignition. then you will need to rotate the mast cable until it grabs the teeth. the antenna will start to pull downt he cable and wind it up ont he gears. when you get the base of the mast into the antenna, you have to act quickly. if it does not go all the way down, do not worry, have the helper turnt he ignition or radio back on, and hold the antenna letting the cable push the mast upwards, but keep the lowest part in the antenna so that it can reach the foll top then have the helper turn it back off.

Most benzes use the auta 6000EL antenna, the body is usually identical, but there can be slight differences in the shaft which is specific to the model line, and or the relay box control unti and harness. the gears inside should be identical and most parts can be swapped.

These antenna are rebuildable, but sometimes finding parts is difficult. masts are the easiest to find.

LoanWolf

Wow!
Thanks for the detailed reply. I will tackle it this weekend and post an update after it's done.
Thanks again!

LoanWolf

Ashman,
I have some more info....
I opened it up and there are no broken parts (gears, ramp, mast, etc.) visible.
The motor works fine to extend the antenna to the "up" position but does not retract to the "down" position.
1. Is there a fix for that?
2. If there is no fix for that, then I need to replace it. I want to keep the
short mast. I found original replacements for about $250 and universal
Hirschmanns (with long mast) for $52....Can I purchase the universal one and replace the mast with my original (short) mast?

Thanks In Advance!

Bigpete123

Does the motor operate when you turn the car off as well? If so, it sounds to me like some kind of linkage problem. I've never done this though.

LoanWolf

The motor only operates when the mast is down. When the mast is up, the motor remains silent when I turn off the radio or the ignition.

Bigpete123

gotcha, it sounds like you know you need to replace the motor. Is there a specific reason that you would like to keep the short antenna? It sounds like much less of a headache and maybe money to replace the antenna mast as well. Although you might also need to replace the cap that goes around the base of the mast if they are different sizes...

I guess I'm talking about of my *** though because I've never done this for a 500.

LoanWolf

Really only to keep the car original as much as possible....I think mine is just about the only 500E that has not been modified in any way...kind of want to keep it like that
I was thinking to use the short mast I have with the universal Hirschmann or do I need to go with the proper unit for $250...?

Bigpete123

lol, it depends on how bad you really do want to keep it original!

But you're a smart man. That car will be a collectors' item for sure.

LoanWolf

It sure is a lot of fun to drive...now if I could only get the antenna to work again.... :-)

ashman

Try applying power directly to the motor and then reverse the connection. if the motor spins both ways the motor is fine, and the problem is most likely the relay unit inside. just make sure you remember which leads go to the relay section of the antenna. if the motor moves both ways, it may be the relay is malfunctioning.

I do not believe you can use the oem mast with the universal aftermarket hirschmann.

Can you e-mail me pics of your antenna insides, and model and part numbers.

I believe I have an extra base sitting around as a spare in case mine breaks, that is from a 1994 e420 which should be similar to yours. I am like 99% sure I have one.

I would be happy to help with it if it is the same and you could use the relay portion or the whole thing to get your working. you may have to swap some parts but that is all good.

My antenna on my ce is from an 88 model which had different relay unit, but with a few swaps of the shaft for the mast and some of my own rewiring on the wires, only 3 needed for my application, it has worked perfect.

New mast was only $20.00 on ebay when I got it.

Let me know.

Alon

w124mbz at gmail

ashman

also test the wiring going to the antenna. you should have probably 5 wires, but only 3 are required.

1 is of course ground and should be brown,

1 should be constant 12 volts and one should be a trigger wire and work via the radio turning on or off with 12 volts when the radio is on and no voltage when the radio is off.

If power does not leave that trigger wire when the radio or ignition is off, then the antenna will not go down.

IF you have the factory cell phone check to make sure it is turned off as well as the antenna you have is most likely the combination cell phone / radio antenna and the cell phone module will also trigger it to go up.

Alon

LoanWolf

Ashman,
More research on my part is necessary based on your helpful hints....
I really appreciate your detailed info on this..
Will cycle back to you when I know what I'm talking about...

No cell phone connected currently

xudeck

Since the talk of antenna is going on, I might as well throw in one of the issues that I have in mind.

I have seen the newer w124's have a slanted antenna compared to the older ones. Mine is a 1988 so mine is almost at a 90 degree angle. The newer ones have it at about 75. Is it possible for me to do that too? Would I have to buy a complete new setup? Or is there something else that could be done.