Antenna Mast Replacement - How To
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Thank you @Ohashimi. My antenna is also broken inside, and I was not sure how to open the assembly, so I left it alone. And kudos for doing this in the middle of winter!
Great video. Attempted to replace mine. It the po damages the top of the opening so the new unit wouldn't fit. I'm going to have to order a new wire/antenna assembly. :/ my typical luck.
My antenna goes up and down but stops six inches from going all the way in then I turn the car off.
How do I fix this, is the mast broken?
How do I fix this, is the mast broken?
Unlikely your mast is broken if it is operating smoothly, but quite possible a piece of the nylon 'cable' from an earlier mast is inside the motor/mast housing....preventing the new one from retracting fully. Do you know if the mast you have now is a 'replacement'?
If the antenna is a little bent that could be stopping it from fully retracting also. That is what happened with mine after swiping a tree limb.
I bought the OEM mast and unscrewed the top cap and ran it all the way up with the button. I have tugged on the old mast assembly fairly hard and not been able to free it up to put the new one in. How hard do you have to pull on it?
I had to pull really hard. Like I was fully accepting that I was going to break something at that point. Then it came out fine.
That is the exact thought I had. I am having a hard time gripping it by hand and was hesitant to put pliers on it for fear of tearing it in two. It is still going up and down but has one section of the mast kinked slightly so it doesn't go all the way up
I am assuming pulling with even pressure is better than a swift yank and jerk.
I am assuming pulling with even pressure is better than a swift yank and jerk.
I think I had someone pressing the up button on the antenna and then I just yanked when I thought it was around the end.
Just replaced mine last week (Amazon $18 vs. $75 OEM, been great so far). When I had my kid turning the truck on, the antenna spit most of the way out, but not all the way. I had him suck it back in using the controls and then shut the truck off, which pulled the antenna in the remaining amount. Then he turned the truck back on and pushed the up antenna button and the antenna came all the way out, easy peasy. I was hesitant to yank on it too hard because getting the antenna motor out sucks.
This ^^^ Trying to get this done today - pulled even beyond fully accepting that I was going to break something and still no luck. Mine actually pulls back like it is somehow attatched to the gear spool. Should I keep going? Anyone else have this issue? Pretty sure it's OEM on a 2003. Maybe I have a lower 'fully accepting I'm going to break something' tolerance that I need to get over and stand on the fender to pull this sucker out.
Snapped my mast in car wash today....... Should I pull the antenna now and cover hole until part gets here or has damage been done?
Just completed the antenna mast replacement and followed along with the video by @Ohashimi . The antenna had snapped off with about 2ft of old track sucked down into the motor.
It may just be LX models, but the antenna wire was clipped to the lower portion of the antenna motor, and that clip had to be removed to allow enough slack to slide the motor through the fender access.
It may just be LX models, but the antenna wire was clipped to the lower portion of the antenna motor, and that clip had to be removed to allow enough slack to slide the motor through the fender access.
My mast snagged a tree branch last week and snapped off when backing into the driveway. The reviews on Amazon and the ebay aftermarket replacements seemed sketchy so I bought an OEM Toyota mast from ebay seller JP-Genuine for $32, Toyota p/n 86337-60151, "Rod & Pipe, Shield".
As per earlier posts, remove the mast base nut. I used angled snap ring pliers to engage the external recesses in the nut. Then turn the radio on and drive the old nylon geared "tape" section all the way up and pull the rest of it out by hand. The new mast installs with the gear teeth facing the front of the vehicle. Feed the new geared tape down as far as it will go. With the radio still on, you can reach in with the passenger door open and press the antenna down button and controllably feed the new mast in, and stop just before the plastic base of the mast enters the hole and engage it by hand. Power the new mast down as far as it will go until it stops and install the nut. With the radio on, I found the new mast would stay extended about 8" when the down button reached the end of its travel. When I turned the radio off, the tip of the new mast now retracts fully flush with the fender. I cycled it a few times and it seems to work as good as new.
As per earlier posts, remove the mast base nut. I used angled snap ring pliers to engage the external recesses in the nut. Then turn the radio on and drive the old nylon geared "tape" section all the way up and pull the rest of it out by hand. The new mast installs with the gear teeth facing the front of the vehicle. Feed the new geared tape down as far as it will go. With the radio still on, you can reach in with the passenger door open and press the antenna down button and controllably feed the new mast in, and stop just before the plastic base of the mast enters the hole and engage it by hand. Power the new mast down as far as it will go until it stops and install the nut. With the radio on, I found the new mast would stay extended about 8" when the down button reached the end of its travel. When I turned the radio off, the tip of the new mast now retracts fully flush with the fender. I cycled it a few times and it seems to work as good as new.
Thanks, this helped me replace my broken cable antenna on my '98 with a $20 Amazon replacement.
Our '04 antenna routinely won't go all the way up it down, you have to use the switch, go a little each way.... So I tried the new antenna on the '04 first and it behaved the same way. Is this indicative of a motor on its way out or ???
Thank god for MUD. My dealer wants $85 for an antenna mast...crooks. You all just saved me some $$$, again...
Has anyone tried or heard of this conversion antenna mast?
AntennaMastsRus - Conversion Kit is Compatible with Lexus LX470 (1998-2007) - Toyota Land Cruiser (01/1998-2008)
Amazon number: B07BB4KT2P
I can not paste the link but just plug that number into the amazon site and it’ll pop up.
It supposed to replace the metal retractable antenna. Which I’ve done once already so I would like to put this stubby on there.
AntennaMastsRus - Conversion Kit is Compatible with Lexus LX470 (1998-2007) - Toyota Land Cruiser (01/1998-2008)
Amazon number: B07BB4KT2P
I can not paste the link but just plug that number into the amazon site and it’ll pop up.
It supposed to replace the metal retractable antenna. Which I’ve done once already so I would like to put this stubby on there.
Nice find, I'd be interested as well if anyone else has used this and is happy. I have a new oem mast that I was going to replace and couldn't for the life of me get the nylon chord to come out. I was debating on cutting the chord and then disassembling the motor to get the rest out, but if this option works, i'm all for it.