Hi everyone. I've got a 2003 Volvo S40 with an electric aerial. The aluminium shaft attached to the motor was snapped so I bought replacement aerial assembly from a scrapyard (motor and housing accessed from the boot). The new assembly I bought had no antenna in it as it was snapped off, so I'm trying to transplant my antenna into the new assembly.

The problem here is that its not the toothed cable within the antenna. Its the smooth cable that's on some 2003 and all 2004 S40's. The end of the smooth cable has a ball on it which catches a ledge inside the assembly, pulling it in when the motor turns. This ball however prevents you from inserting the antenna from the top of the assembly through the tube because there's a stopper inside it.

It seems like there's plenty of videos showing how to install the TOOTHED antenna but absolutely none on how to install the SMOOTH cable antenna. Its hard to explain all this online but if anyone has any advice or even a link to a video showing how to install the smooth cable ​​​​​aerial with NO TEETH it would be much appreciated.


Here's the ball on the end of the smooth cable

Here's the whole antenna assembly with the housing opened and gear removed

 

Vida shows same method for both styles

 

Thanks for your reply, unfotunately this does not work. There seems to be something else in the tube that acts as a stopper for the ball on the end of the mast cable. It prevents me putting the ball end through the tube of the new one. I've attached a picture of this stopper and also a picture of my old broken assembly dissasembled and the new one beside it. For the old one on the left I placed everything in the order it came out.

The black tube and the stopper on the left is all still inside the new one on the right. The only reason I could take them out of the old one is becasue the aluminium snapped (hence the reason I'm changing it). I've tried to remove it from my new one but its held in place because the black tube you can see below is actually placed under the thread at the top so its not possible to remove it.

The only option I can think of now is to cut the ball off the end of the mast cable, insert the cable, then reattach something similar to the ball.

 

I'm having the exact same issue. Only difference is I only have a broken about antenna mast. I purchased a new OEM Volvo antenna mast. So it would appear there is some method just not easily retrievable.

I used a borescope and can tell it's the same shape as what you have
Did you ever figure this out?

Is that stopper made of rubber?

The only thing I can think of is maybe I need to push harder. Just afraid I might snap the brittle plastic mast pushrod.

 

I haven't had time to try anything out yet unfortunately. The stopper is made of a hard plastic, theres no way of pushing the ball through from the top of the antenna it simply would not go through the stopper.

I had another look today and it seems like the ball at the end of the mast is held in place by a metal pin. I may try replicate the ball and pin somehow. I'll update you if I try it out.

Any luck yourself?