Need to replace my 96 LX450 Antenna... what's the extra connector for? (1 Viewer)

[WannaCruise]

Well, my antenna repair went south when I buggered up the antenna tube trying to remove the frozen lock nut. Now the new lock nut doesn't have anything to thread onto...

So, I've started looking at the OEM replacement options and all the new antennas only have the 2 connector plug for power, but my original also has a 4 wire connector as shown below.

What was the 4 prong connector used for? Is that part of the manual control feature? If I get the new version specified by the parts lookup (# 86300-60050), so I lose the manual feature as it only has the two wires?

Also, there doesn't seem to be a difference in 86300-60040 and 86300-60050, just that 86300-60050 seems to be more available and cheaper now...

 

[samiam09]

The problem with the unit with only one plug is it continues to run on after its up or when its down.Doesn't seem to stop I just lowered it and unplugged it. I use sirrus radio with a removable head so i can move it from car to car and only pay for one subscription. also the new antenna unit has a different mast set up it cannot be replaced.

 

[DivByZero]

The extra wires are so that the auto antenna ecu knows the current position of the antenna mast, so it knows when to stop winding it up or down. You'll need a mast with these sensor wires unless you want to start hacking into the ecu.

If the only problem with your unit is that piece of tube, you might be best served trying to get any existing unit in any condition and swap the tube out. Or in the extreme case, you could order the new antenna assembly, take just the tube out, and fit it to your current one.

 

[WannaCruise]

I would much rather rebuild the one I have, but finding the appropriate tubing has been a challenge. I was hoping that I could just upgrade to the new one and call it a day, but I really want to retain the factory functions.

Perhaps I could find a broken one that still has a good tube...

 

[Kernal]

Try a search for the 97 antenna differences; someone has done a mod
to the auto up circuit board to allow the earlier model (non-auto up/down) antenna to work in the 97 80 series and 96-97 LX450.

 

[WannaCruise]

Try a search for the 97 antenna differences; someone has done a mod
to the auto up circuit board to allow the earlier model (non-auto up/down) antenna to work in the 97 80 series and 96-97 LX450.

Thanks, I think my best/only bet to make my factory one work is to rebuild using a new mast like @Nemesis1207 said above.

 

[WannaCruise]

UPDATE on my antenna search.

I was able to hack together the mechanical parts of a unit from a 100 series to make it work. I had to swap the 100 series mast and mounting bracket, of course, but those were direct swaps. The wiring was different as my 80 has two separate connectors, one 2 pin connector for power and one 4 pin connector for the position sensor. I could have spliced them, but it was just as easy to swap the front covers over to use my original wiring.

All is working as expected! Auto up/down, position memory, and everything. Super happy to finally put this back together and have it working as it should!

FYI, it was the actual armature of the motor that had failed. The copper plating had worn through so the brushes were not making contact 100% of the time. I tried copper tape to restore it, but could not make it work. While the 100 series antenna is almost identical, I don't think they fail nearly as often as the 80's simply due to lower use. I suspect that most 100 users did not leave the antenna's up all the way, or used CD's and/or SAT radio, so there was much less wear on the motor.

 

[Kernal]

Got any photos of the process, more details on how you did the swap?

 

[WannaCruise]

Sure, I can post some items. I can work on that this week.

It's actually pretty straight forward and would be super simple if I didn't care about keeping the original wiring.

 

[MA LX450]

Sure, I can post some items. I can work on that this week.

It's actually pretty straight forward and would be super simple if I didn't care about keeping the original wiring.

Hi @WannaCruise
My LX450 power antenna commutator bar failed. I'd like to try swapping my lx450 antenna (86300-60080) with the newer model.
Do you have the part # for the 100 series antenna? 86300-60161 or 86300-60151?

 

[WannaCruise]

DELETE

 

[WannaCruise]

Hi @WannaCruise
My LX450 power antenna commutator bar failed. I'd like to try swapping my lx450 antenna (86300-60080) with the newer model.
Do you have the part # for the 100 series antenna? 86300-60161 or 86300-60151?

I think it's the 86300-60161 one as it's the only one what really shows up with in the Toyota and Lexus parts sites.
That being said, I'd bet that either would work for the parts you need. You're just going to use the new motor, gearing, and back case. You'll swap over the front of your old case, antenna tube with coax lead, and the actual antenna mast.

 

[canman]

The extra wires are so that the auto antenna ecu knows the current position of the antenna mast, so it knows when to stop winding it up or down. You'll need a mast with these sensor wires unless you want to start hacking into the ecu.

Was wondering recently what that 4-way connector was for as I extended the factory harness to move the antenna from the PS fender to the DS fender because I had to remove it to clear the Toyota snorkel. I noticed when I replaced the factory head unit with a Kenwood there were two antenna connectors. I wonder if the antenna ECU would decide which one to use if the power antenna was in the fully down position?

 

[Bsteimel]

I saw this on eBay. Has anyone taken a chance. Mine was removed when i got the car. I bought a manual one to put in the hole in the fender but it would be nice to have it working again, because it's just 90's cool:

Power Antenna Aerial Radio Kit For Lexus ES300 LS400 RX300 SC300 400 GS300 LX450 | eBay

Replace your vehicle's old or broken antenna aerial in OEM quality and lowest cost. 96-97 Lexus LX450. 90-00 Lexus LS400. 93-97 Lexus GS300. 92-00 Lexus SC300 / SC400. 99-03 Lexus RX300. 92-98 Lexus ES300.

www.ebay.com

 

[retlaw]

Looks like it just has motor control wires (2) and no sensor wires (4) that the LX uses. It'll run but I'm thinking it wont know when to stop and there will be some grinding of the gear and toothed driver. There may be a time-out on the antenna ECU but who wants to hear grinding? There's a bunch of info here on other threads. Modifying the antenna ECU is the way to go for a 2 control wire antenna. That allows the dash buttons to be used. The mod is on here as well.

 

[WannaCruise]

It's a lot more expensive than what you linked to, but you can use they Lx470 antenna and just swap out the antenna tube for the 80 series one.

 

[idyllwild]

I may be able to shed some light on rebuilding.

Scoured all of the threads on this antenna variation, 86300-60080. Was going to try the lc100 hack but wanted to see if it was possible to cobble together a working unit.

I ended up just rebuilding my antenna. Took every piece apart to diagnose. Same issue as WannaCruise, copper plating on the armature worn and flaked off.

You can get the armature rewound locally at an electric motor shop.

Next was brush refurbishment, which was difficult to source. The best option I found is the old Toyota brushes- but you will have to modify accordingly. Link below to a 10 pack.

10pcs Window Lift Motor Carbon Brushes Fit For Toyota Corolla New | eBay

(10Pcs 4x4.5x8mm Car Glass Lift Motor Carbon Brush Fit For Toyota Corolla. Item included: 10 x Car Glass Lift Motor Carbon Brushes. Compatible With: fit for Toyota Corolla. Condition: 100% new. 2) Perfect match for the original one.

www.ebay.com

Our brushes for 86300-60080 are 4.5 x 4.5 5.5mm.

The brushes listed above for eBay are 4 x 4.5 x 8mm.

The brush housings with the springs are a tight fit to the OEM brushes .

To Modify:
A. Sand down the 4.5 mm side slightly to 4.35mm. 4.5 has too much friction for the spring to work.

B. The 8mm is challenging in two steps. Taking a razor isn’t ideal for carbon brushes, fragile material. So a lot of sanding. 5.5mm

You can’t simply remove material from the back since the copper wire is seated about 3/4 of the way back in the brush.

You need to sand the material from the front, then bed in the front of the carbon brush to have a semi-circular surface. I used a pencil and sandpaper to spin to give the concave surface.
220 grit was fine, not too much material removed at once and you could go finer if you want to for all sanding purposes.

Soldier on new brushes.

Attached, brushes seated and armature in place. Using thin painters tape on each side, then pulling the tape once the armature sits was my method.

Hopefully this is helpful to someone. I would consider helping repair one of these if there is a need.

 

[WannaCruise]

That's great @idyllwild! I did the same thing originally. Found brushes, filed them down, etc. My issue was getting the armature fixed. I tried copper tape, but it failed after a few cycles.

How much did it cost to have the armature rebuilt? Who did the work?

 

[idyllwild]

I had the local alternator shop ask around and they knew someone who did that kind of stuff. Charged $150 I think.

 

[WannaCruise]

I had the local alternator shop ask around and they knew someone who did that kind of stuff. Charged $150 I think.

Yikes, but I guess with labor rates these days it was bound to be pricey. But still cheaper than the FJ100 unit!