For those that fall victim to the power antenna failure (like I recently did), ordering the replacement mast will NOT solve all your problems. I was hoping it would come with the nylon cable that extends and retracts the antenna, but it DIDN'T. It looks like you have to order the entire antenna assembly to do this right. I'm attempting the redneck fix for my broken control cable now.........with the new mast.

Rat, I don't know what resources you have on the weekend, but can you tell me what other GM cars use the 88891021 Power Antenna assembly? That'* the whole freaking thing. I may be heading to the wrecker.

i got a replacement antenna from autozone but the thing is you have to wire it and its hard to get it to line up properly and get all the gasgets and crap to line up and you have to use a mounting bracket and ugh its not fun just be in for a long installation if you do this and my advise is if you dont have expirence in wireing stuff and rigging stuff up like this its gonna be really hard and you might want to have it professionally done but a replacement from autozone will be cheaper tho bout $30-$40. Good luck!

Just do what is says in the owners manual. Wipe it off every now and then with some harsh chemicels. Then it shouldnt snap

Wipe what off? The manual specifically states NOT to use harsh chemicals. Anything you use on your power antenna will migrate down to the hub and motor in the antenna casing, which can break down the grease. The reason this broke is because this antenna has gone up and down a few times too many.

Figure 2 times a day for 10 years.

7,300 cycles, but probably more. This will happen to everyone eventually.

I'm thinking it might not be clear what exactly broke here. There'* a motor that has a worm gear on it. The worm gear turns a hub that has a nylon cord (with a steel core). That steel core gets brittle over the years and breaks. When it breaks, it creates a weak spot in the cord. The cord is what pushes the antenna up and pulls it down. Since it winds onto a drum and then straightens out a few thousand times, I think it held up pretty well.

For at least the short-term, I trimmed off an inch to one side of the break, then shaved the nylon to the point where it would fit into a 22gauge butt-splice. Crimped, center punched, and jb welded it. It'* drying. If it doesn't hold up when I re-install it tomorrow (with the new mast), I'll ditch it and get a replacement from the wrecker. Hopefully from a 98 or 99. A little fresher.

FYI:

If you order the replacement mast, you only get the nut (the star shaped nut that holds the antenna into the rubber bushing on your fender), the BOTTOM two sections of mast, and a chrome AND black finial for the top.

You must re-use your TOP section of mast, nylon cord, and antenna assembly. This mast kit is ONLY for someone who had the middle or bottom antenna sections tweaked. The upper section should be fine. It'* solid stainless, not hollow tubing like the other sections.

Thats what mine told me to do, Maybe not harsh chemicles, but it said it will keep it in working order if you wipe it with a rag with cleaners on it.

Ok....I ran all the parts (with the motor/gear removed) through the dishwasher to remove the remnants of old grease. Spliced the nylon cord back together, re-packed the critical spots with Magnalube, used 3 in 1 oil on the limit switch tabs.

Lubed the new antenna mast with 3 in 1, and wiped dry. Reassembled it all and it works. If this lasts for a year, it will have been worth it. If not, it wasn't. A newer antenna from a wrecker would have been best.

The long and short of it is that I have a new mast, finial, and star nut, so it looks good. If the splice holds, I'm a happy camper.

USE: Dry Graphite or Silicone Lubricate! Anything harsh will just deteriate the ribbon (or tape) even faster.
Is that P/N a "Production" number or a "Service" number? I can run it if it'* "Service" number on Monday. BTW! if you're replacing the whole unit, just about ANY will fit & be workable. Just take the "Casting" number with you to the wrecker to see if you can match it up.

According to my GM Parts Manual, you ONLY can get the Mast (P/N 22110156) or the WHOLE Pwr Antenna (P/N 22110190) for the 92/93 H Body. The Antenna "Kits" ended in the 91'* BTW!

Thanks, Al. I may just call the wrecker monday, just in case. I'll see if it holds.

I normally don't put anything on my mast, cuz I don't want the residue from the oil attracting dust, then sending that dust down the mast into the gears/motor. In this case, I pre-lubed the nylon cord to reduce drag and prevent the splice from pulling apart. Because of that, I had a slight greasy residue on the mast when it was fully assembled. I used the 3 in 1 as a solvent to clean it more than anything. If I do ever put anything on it, I use a 100% silicon spray, then wipe it completely dry.

My antenna is so quiet, when I shut off the car and run around to the RR fender, I can't even HEAR it going down. That rebuild was VERY effective. Deadly silent.

I can't get at the article I wrote about fixing mine (it'* on the office machine, and I'm not), but basically mine broke at the point where it attaches to a metal tube that'* hooked onto the hub, after the nylon cracked and the inner core rusted and broke.

I got a length of aluminum tubing from the local Ace Hardware that was the right diameter for the nylon core, and stuck the remaining end of the antenna core into it. I bent it to the right radius to fit the motor hub by curving it around the lid of a Gerber baby food jar. I then twisted a hook shape on the end of it to fit in the hub, and put it all back together again. It'* been working fine ever since, except of course that the antenna comes up about six inches shorter than it used to.