Radio antennta wiring question (87 4Runner)
 

Hi guys,

So my radio's reception has been spotty lately - fading in/out at will.

I took out the radio, and the thick black radio cable from the back. The plug on that thick wire was loose and pretty much slipped right off (hence the loose connectio and spotty reception!!).

My question is, to repair it, do I just need to crimp the end onto the same wire, as it is?

It appears that the thick black wire as 4 parts:
1) thin black outer sleeve
2) Copper wiring
3) white foam core center
4) very thin wire on the inside of the white foam core

Does the thin inner wire need to stick out beyond the other parts of the wire, when inserted into the plug? Is there a certain amount of copper wire that should be showing before I re-crimp the end? Is there any special way to crimp (use pliers or use a wire crimper to get a more "circular" crimp?

Here are some photos:

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...00822-1226.jpg

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...00822-1226.jpg
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...00822-1227.jpg


Also, I found this unconnected plug coming from the OEM wiring harness....it's not for the lighter or radio (I don't think...the 2 radio plugs are wired to the aftermarket stereo plug....were there 3 OEM plugs into the OEM radio perhaps?):

http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l3...00822-1225.jpg

Inner wire is the signal conductor, it needs to make contact with the center pin in the connector. Outer braid is the shield/ground conductor, it needs to connect to the outer barrel of the connector. Have to see how the old connector was attached, whether by solder or crimping.

thanks!

It was crimped on before - just don't know if it matters whether the crimp is flat (using regular pliers) or if I need to use a rounded crimper, like what comes in a basic electronics kit.

So it sounds like I'll need to cut down the wire to expose more ground and more signal wire (but more signal wire since it needs to stick out further) before attacking this again.

Thanks for the quick response!

Phil

I doubt the existing connector plug can be properly re-crimped. Not sure if you can buy a new plug (Radio Shack?) to be re-crimped properly. For the effort expended it may be better in the long run to simply replace the antenna wire to the mast. To do it right I would think you would want to solder the inner conductor inside the tip.

If your pillar is of a universal (round) fit you can probably get by with a cheapo auto parts replacement but I am picturing your truck is a fender mount and dang I just saw these at Yoda Jim's....

hopefully already solved....