Antenna Mast Replacement - How To

[jasoncjung]

Haven't seen any write ups for how to replace the antenna if the cord/ribbon isn't actually broken. I wanted to replace my mast because it was bent, but it was still fully functional. Much easier process, but just to spell it out:

1. Remove cap (needle nose pliers work, but be careful)
2. Extend mast
3. Firmly hold mast in hand
4. Retract mast (while still holding it)
5. Extend the mast
6. Note the direction that the teeth on the cord are pointing. The FSM says they point towards the rear, but mine pointed towards the front.
7. Pull cord out. This part it the reason I decided to write this out. The cord will pull out almost all the way with ease, but then it gets difficult. I was hesitant to pull too hard, thinking I may break the cord or motor. I decided to just go for it and pulled with a lot of force. The cord came free, but I was worried I broke something.
8. Feed the new cord in. Direct the teeth in the same direction as the previous cord. As mentioned before, FSM says they point toward the rear but mine were towards the front. You will feel resistance after a little bit. Press it in a bit further.
9. Retract the mast. If it doesn't pull the new cord in then the teeth are probably pointed the wrong direction. Shift it around and keep trying. I fed them in facing the rear first, even though the old one faced the front. The cord didn't catch so I pointed the teeth toward the front and then it worked. It may not retract all the way at first. Don't worry.
10. Reinstall the cap
11. Power off the radio to fully retract the antenna. This should pull it in fully.

Anyways, not a hard process but I thought I would spell it to emphasize that force will be required to remove the cord and the teeth may not always point toward the rear.

^^ This. Mine is the original antenna so it's 20 years old at this point, and was black and grimy and slightly bent on the 2nd to last large one - so it would retract with about 6 inches left and just stop. I tried a bit of WD40 to try to see if it would slide easier, but obviously the bending was binding.

Following these instructions made it super easy. Another pointer was that once it's fully extended, you can press the "up/down" buttons to retract it if need be. The yanking of the cord out was pretty intense. I was pretty sure I was going to break the cord - then it came off. Fed the new one in manually, then pushed the up/down button with my left hand while holding the antenna in the right hand - ever so slowly. Then the rest was cake.

Thanks for the super easy instructions.

 

[Beto Cruiser]

^^ This. Mine is the original antenna so it's 20 years old at this point, and was black and grimy and slightly bent on the 2nd to last large one - so it would retract with about 6 inches left and just stop. I tried a bit of WD40 to try to see if it would slide easier, but obviously the bending was binding.

Following these instructions made it super easy. Another pointer was that once it's fully extended, you can press the "up/down" buttons to retract it if need be. The yanking of the cord out was pretty intense. I was pretty sure I was going to break the cord - then it came off. Fed the new one in manually, then pushed the up/down button with my left hand while holding the antenna in the right hand - ever so slowly. Then the rest was cake.

Thanks for the super easy instructions.

Glad it worked for you. The main reason I posted a write up was because it was so hard to pull it out. I wanted to let others know that you really need to force it! Good to know I wasn't the only one.

 

[ramangain]

My original mast ended getting bent enough right at one of the segment junctions which was exposed when the stereo was on but the mast in the lowest position. Over time, part of the cord snapped off in the motor.

To alleviate this, I trimmed the new cord enough so that only about 2" sticks up with the stereo on and the mast down. Hell if I was going to fish out cord and reassemble the antenna motor again.

 

[cruisingwithgreg]

Detailed video showing how to replace!

 

[suprasvobodea]

Hi Everyone,

I have a 2000 Lexus LX470 and am replacing the antenna. I purchased a new antenna off ebay from a reputable seller. At first the new antenna mast appeared longer than the old antenna mast, so I removed the antenna motor assembly and retrieved the broken off section of antenna mast only to discover my new antenna mast is about 6 inches shorter than the original antenna when factoring in the broken off piece. ...

So to put it simply is it ok to install a new antenna, that has a mast that is shorter than the original antenna.... will it still work?

Any help is appreciated and thank you in advance!

It's interesting that you say that it's shorter. I have a 2002 LX with an original mast that I replaced after brushing into a low-hanging branch in a parking lot. I bought an eBay replacement advertised with the Toyota part number 86337-60151. ( It was NOT in a Toyota-marked box, just a sticker that "looked" official but was most likely counterfeit. It was $21 bucks, I think.
I have been doing ALL the maintenance on my rig since I got it in 2004, including recently the entire AHC hydraulic height control system so I know this baby pretty well. ( have a full write-up within this forum with a couple of the die-hards from Australia and one guy in Denver) I only had to pull the antenna out and all the plastic tooth cable came out so I was happy! .

It has been 3 weeks since I did this easy fix, and when I went out to start the car 3 days ago, I heard this grinding noise and the antenna is NOT RISING! Since I just replaced it with a "New" mast, how could it be broken ??? GUESS WHAT... YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Those cheap aftermarket parts for ANYTHING on your Toyota are always a crap shoot. More SOONER than later, ............ they will fail, prematurely and you will be spending MORE $$$$ again to fix it right the second time.
Now ..... I have to remove the fender liner, and remove the motor to get into it so I can remove the broken white plastic tooth cable.!!! If I would have just bought the OEM, TOYOTA part for $69 dollars, It would still be working properly and I wouldn't have to take another 30-60 minutes to do this with MORE work the second time!

Im not saying all the stuff on AMAZON or EBAY is garbage, but .......... it's inexpensive for a reason. -remember that. BTW, this "inexpensive: a replacement was shorter and it did not pick up the distance stations that I always could get with the original mast. FYI....... just a polite warning for those who detest repeating the same fix or repair before its normal time.!