Shark Fin Antenna swap, observstions and why they leak

[SS502]

20 minutes ago, qwank said:

I think if that was the case, the antenna would be on the right front corner of the roof, since the wires run to the right side and go to a junction on the right side of the dash.  

Stand corrected.

[Bob cleary]

Has anybody experienced Sirius XM radio reception problems due to their shark fin antenna? It takes 30 min each time I start my Sierra 1500 to receive the XM signal. Once it does, it works perfect. Any other ideas? Thank you!

[wforrest08]

6 hours ago, Bob cleary said:

Has anybody experienced Sirius XM radio reception problems due to their shark fin antenna? It takes 30 min each time I start my Sierra 1500 to receive the XM signal. Once it does, it works perfect. Any other ideas? Thank you!

I’d start by going to XMs website and follow the instructions for a radio “refresh” 

[David Schmidt III]

On 1/27/2019 at 5:16 PM, qwank said:

The bigger antenna with the yellow plug is for trucks with XM  radio 

Is this confirmed that the yellow wire is xm? I have a early 2015 Tahoe with Nav, Xm and Onstar. Replacing shark fin because it was getting water inside antenna luckily not inside car. However it only has one burgundy plug on it not the yellow. I ordered a color matched one off amazon  and one like the original that came off it. Just curious if the color matched one will work or if I’m going to have to put the other one on.

[David Schmidt III]

Just now, David Schmidt III said:

Is this confirmed that the yellow wire is xm? I have a early 2015 Tahoe with Nav, Xm and Onstar. Replacing shark fin because it was getting water inside antenna luckily not inside car. However it only has one burgundy plug on it not the yellow. I ordered a color matched one off amazon  and one like the original that came off it. Just curious if the color matched one will work or if I’m going to have to put the other one on.

We had some snow and usually we do not park outside however we had to this time. Pulled car in snow melted off roof.  XM stopped working. Had rain last night now Nav isn’t working. Pulled antenna apart and it had water inside of it. Ordered new one won’t be in till tomorrow. Hope this fixes it.

[David Schmidt III]

On 12/17/2018 at 7:35 PM, 2003 SSEi said:

New 15+ antenna 

I’m assuming with this being a Denali you have XM, Nav and Onstar. Did it all work once you swapped antennas?

[Bob cleary]

That only refreshes the XM signal to the truck. Have done that a 100 times!

[SeanSmith]

Another great thread.  I have had intermittent leaking at the fasteners of my driver side visor for the past year.  I haven't been able to figure out where the water comes from and didn't think about the shark fin antenna which is located directly above the leak inside.  Went to GM and input my VIN to get the correct part number (23447542) for my 2014 Silverado with satellite radio and OnStar and got a new one on the way from eBay for only about $20 with free express shipping compared to $55 from GM directly and 2-3 weeks shipping.  A few good videos are out there detailing the swap and giving some suggestions to reinforce the totally inadequate weather seal on this thing.  Will update when received and installed.  Not currently having any operational systems issues, just an annoying intermittent leak.

[SeanSmith]

On 12/17/2018 at 5:28 PM, 2003 SSEi said:

You can see the new seal on the new antenna

 

New crush washer that came with the antenna that is required for a tight seal 

 

you can easily tell new vs old

There's your tell-tale of what damage the leak is doing right there!!

[Eneerge]

My dealership quoted me $2,000 to fix this issue...

 

So anyways, what kind of programming is required after replacing? I'm sure as hell not paying 2k to fix this issue after paying 55k on the truck.

[Skibum]

On 2/24/2019 at 6:17 PM, David Schmidt III said:

Is this confirmed that the yellow wire is xm? I have a early 2015 Tahoe with Nav, Xm and Onstar. Replacing shark fin because it was getting water inside antenna luckily not inside car. However it only has one burgundy plug on it not the yellow. I ordered a color matched one off amazon  and one like the original that came off it. Just curious if the color matched one will work or if I’m going to have to put the other one on.

I just did the same thing and didn't realize the new fin separates the xm from the GPS. GPS works fine, but I need to figure out how to run a dedicated wire from the plug to the radio.  If it's even possible. 

[Ravenkeeper]

On 12/17/2018 at 5:20 PM, 2003 SSEi said:

Ok so I want to put a post together about the onstar, XM, sharkfin, and whatever else antenna we have on the K2xx platform.  I know there have been water leaks plaguing all years from 14-18.  All the posts here I have seen, don’t really have any info or “the dealer fixed it”. 

 

A lot of people have commented that there is a break in the seal in the rear of the antenna.  Please understand that is not a water seal for water intrusion into the cabin.  That is only a rubber trim from the plastics of the antenna to the metal roof skin. There is a foam seal that goes around the wires and the mount that does all of the sealing of the elements.  When the foam seal deteriorates is when the water issues start.  I will explain with pics a little further down in the post.

 

So I have a 14 Denali, vehicle was Daily driven, until 2 months ago, has 90,xxx miles on it, sat out side during the day, and garage kept at night.  I have never had any water issues from the antenna (or the 3rd brake light for that matter) 

 

Here you can see the square seal around the home in the roof was still sealing with no issues 

 

 

One of the reasons this post happened was because I found a color matched shark fin brand new for VERY cheap.  And my Denali has the black plastic fin from the factory.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

On 1/27/2019 at 9:14 AM, chuckworkb said:

I assume you had to remove the headliner to get at the mounting bolt and wires. How hard was it to get the headliner out of the way?

Looking at replacing mine with a color matched antenna, similar to the one that @2003 SSEi installed. 

 

On 12/17/2018 at 5:24 PM, 2003 SSEi said:

Differences in antenna size

 

I believe. That the 15+ antenna and the bigger size is extra plug is for the WiFi 

On 2/3/2020 at 5:55 PM, Skibum said:

I just did the same thing and didn't realize the new fin separates the xm from the GPS. GPS works fine, but I need to figure out how to run a dedicated wire from the plug to the radio.  If it's even possible. 

I'm wondering if @2003 SSEi's original antenna had two connectors too?

 

[jbowden718]

Just started to get a leak in my truck.  Just a few drops came out of my visor so I researched an found this thread.  I have a 2014 Silverado with XM and GPS navigation.  I took picks of the old and new parts.  The new part is available on both Rockauto and Amazon.  GM hasn't updated the part to fix the back slit.  When I removed the old antenna the interior gasket was totally soaked and the antenna was filled with water.  I installed the new part with a bead of silicone around the center gasket and along the metal base on the underside.  I only had one red connector coming from the antenna.

[2018GMC]

I got a new color matched sharkfin antenna on ebay. Was $17 shipped. I noticed the new color matched one has a cut on the rear of the seal. My 2018 factory black one has a cut on the front with a inner straight flap of rubber to help keep water out. 
 

I took the 6 screws out and swapped covers to keep my original antenna hardware and seal. 
 

The cut on the front is the updated seal. I guess it makes since since the roof is sloped and water would gravity drain out. Of course it would get pushed in by driving and that’s why the inner flat rubber damn is behind the cut. 
 

Edited April 8, 2020 by 2018GMC

[2018GMC]

On 1/27/2019 at 11:33 AM, SS502 said:

Very viable guess...I’ve read where some manufacturers will remove two threads off a screw or bolt to save weight and cost. When you consider how many screws and bolts are used that adds up. I would suspect you’re correct

It is mounted on the font because it is the lowest point on the roof. If mounted in the middle or back, it would be the highest point and interfere with low parking garages, low garages, etc.