Help an idiot with his antenna....no not power mast replacement

[MrMikeyG]

That was for the op.

 

[MrMikeyG]

I honestly can't tell what kind of wire or tubing that is in your picture. In original state, the whole mast housing, motor, and some of the cable are house inside the fender. There is one electrical connection that occurs in the engine bay I think, and then the antenna cable itself is fed entirely inside the fender, and through a hole in the firewall and into the dash.
someone please correct my if I am remebering this wrong.

 

[MrMikeyG]

everything below the rubber grommet lives inside the fender

 

[Francis K]

Unless its all tucked up in there to where I can't see it all I can see is that cut wire....

You mean to tell me they reached in there and unbolted the thing and took it out? That can't be right, really hoping I'm just missing the obvious here....

 

[Comet]

Looks like the Electric antenna is gone. The manual one you posted is a replacement. Its not hard to fish the entire electric assembly out of the fender. The manual one is the tits. I do have one in my supplemental parts stash for later install.

 

[MrMikeyG]

How long have you had the truck? prvious owner may have pulled the antenna assembly to "fix" it and never put it back in, or thrown it away, who knows?

 

[MrMikeyG]

The fun part is reaching in there and trying to re-seat the firewall grommet

 

[Comet]

Cut wire may be the coaxial for the antenna.

 

[Francis K]

Cut wire may be the coaxial for the antenna.

That’s what I was hoping….umm should i be hoping that?

I’m fine with a manual or hell just a crap autozone random one. My experience with the stock antenna has always been that it’s just going to fail again. But what do I hook it up to if nothing is there???

 

[Comet]

Interior. Radio install. Was there a plug behind the dash for the antenna? If so, you are only hooking up half the needed components.

Use that antenna plug to fish the other one through the firewall. That grommet on the firewall should pop outward. I usually take the glovebox out for easier access. I have been known to take put the passenger seat if I get passionate enough (read that as pissed and in need if a break).

 

[ppc]

That’s what I was hoping….umm should i be hoping that?

It could help to fish the cable back into the radio.


First you need to pull the radio, detach the current cable from the back of the radio, attach another wire/rope/etc to it and the pull the old cable in the fender out which should establish the proper path. Attach the new cable to the wire/rope at the fender. At the radio pull the fish wire/rope back to get the cable back to the radio.

 

[Francis K]

Alright thanks guys, I figured as much but I was hoping it was just in there somewhere and I was just the dumb donkey that didn’t see the obvious…

 

[retlaw]

I installed the manual collapsible antenna on my LX450. I cant remember but I dont think it came with the top hardware bezel and nut. That info is here on MUD somewhere. I found it impossible to use the route through the fender for the coax so I just ran it through a hole in the firewall and connected to radio.
I used fiberglass fish stick to poke around until I could reach it under the dash.

 

[MrMikeyG]

I used a single portion of some 14-2 nmb as a fish wire. I'm pretty sure I pulled my glove box as well. You fellows other posts triggered some memories.