I won a power antenna off of eBay (from this auction) and it arrived in the mail today. However, when I went to install it, I discovered I don't know how to wire it.

This is the antenna:



This is the only free connector I could find in my trunk, near the RF cable:



As you can see, the power antenna has a dual rectangle, three spade connector. The only free connector in my trunk, the one I presume is for a power antenna, is T-shaped, with two metal spade tabs.

Will this antenna work in my car? How do I go about installing it?

I don't understand why the connector is different, unless what I've grabbed is not the right power antenna cable. The power antenna was purportedly removed from a 1989 (same year as my car) 240 DL sedan--I believe the seller, and don't think that this is a 740/940/something else antenna, because he was selling simultaneously a 240 dash switch that had to have come from a 240 and not any other car.

Finally, why are there three wires? Is one a ground wire (black?), one a live wire (solid red?), and one the radio power wire (red/green?)? How would things be done with "my" connector, which only has a black and a green wire?
--
'89 244 GL -- 111,474 miles (see profile for info on car)

Do what Dave Shannon says about making a set of adapter wires.

Two wires that are 2 or 3 inches long, with a female spade connector on both ends. One from black wire, one from green wire. Connect them between the 2-wire connector that is in the car and the connector on the antenna. The R-GN antenna wire goes to the GN in-car wire.

One black wire about 12 to 16 inches long. Female spade connector on one end and a 1/8 inch (or so) ring connector on the other. This will be the ground wire. The spade connector goes into the 3-wire connector on the antenna, the ring goes under the screw that is used to attach the antenna bottom bracket to the fender seam. The bracket came with it, right?

(Note that the Volvo antenna is a 3-section unit, not the after-market 5-section type. This allows the motor part to be lower in the trunk, and the spare tire will therefor fit without banging into motor as badly.)

Test the antenna:

Connect the ground. Connect 12 volts to the red wire, there may or may not be a noise. With these two wires, the antenna will retract. Next apply 12 volts to the R-GN (red/green) wire, and be holding tightly to the motor when you do. With both the R-GN and R wires hot, the antenna will extend.

That motor has a good bit of startng torque, and it can jump right out of your hand it it's lightly held BTDT.

If you hear noises but the antenna does neither extend or retract, or if yo hear no noises, you have bought a dud. Sorry. I have bought a few duds, fortunately not a ton of $$ lost.

I enjoy having a power antenna, and am working on fixing one up for the wifemobile. If you decide to go JunkYard diving for another, the units from 244 and 744 and 944 are the same - so they tell me.

Good Luck,

Bob

:>)


PS: Above the spare tire, attached to the undeside of the fender, is a bendable metal long tab that can be used to hold up any extra wire lengths. Makes for a neater installaton.

In Addition: Visiting in the Volvo Parts store that I patronize here in Houston, I noticed he had a brand-new Volvo power antenna awaiting customer pickup. His price was $120 or so, and he said at a dealer it would be around $180. If your eBay antenna works, you done good. !!

The following is a post by Dave Shannon in response to the same question by myself about 2 years ago:

Looking at a couple of spare antennas and the trunk of my '88.

Red/green goes to the green wire, red goes to the black wire, the black wire on the antenna is extended to a ground.

You are missing an adapter that is about 4" long and has a white plug on one end and a large black plug on the other. It also has the long pigtail for the ground. I'd just use crimp on spade connectors.

This I've done, I installed the dash antenna switch so I could listen to tapes without having the antenna up. The black wire is the signal wire from the radio/tape head it provides a signal to the antenna electronics that the radio is on. It should run along the antenna wire all the way to the radio. Find it up front, cut it and extend the wires, one to each terminal on the antenna switch. The switch simply make or breaks the circuit, the antenna electronics take care of the rest.
Dave Shannon

--
don '89 740ti, '81 242t,