maguirre

Hi all,

I need help with an issue I've been having with my power antenna in my 2000 4Runner. I guess a while ago when I turned ON my stereo the antenna went up and it has not gone back down. Now every time I turn the stereo ON I can hear the antenna motor working for about 5-10 seconds then its stops, the antenna however doesn't move from it extended position. When I turn OFF the stereo same thing... I hear the motor working but nothing happens. Please let me know how many sections the antenna is made up when fully extended. I don't know if the antenna is fully extended or if it's 3/4 extended.

Any advise with this will be appreciated.

TIA,

Snookster

more than likely the plastic push rod broke. I believe you can not just replace just this rod, you have to purchase the whole new assembly. I would suggest just purchasing a Tacoma Whip Antenna. Its a fraction of the price and you will never have to worry about this again.

habanero

Sounds like the gear thingy-the plastic strip that pulls the antenna in/out- is broken. Do you want to disconnect it or repair it? Both are relatively easy to do. Try a search for antenna repair for info on both.


In answer to your question, my 96 mast has 5 sections.

eschwandt98

My 01 runner is doing the same exact thing what is this Tacoma whip antenna you are talking about and how would I locate that at either an auto store or online?

Toyvana

I had to replace the mast when I had the same symptoms. Cold weather and power antennas don't mix!

Dare44

i think the power antennas are the worst design toyota has come up with, it looks nice parked but looks like crap after u bend it a few times and makes a ton of noise. im watching in the local scrap yards for a solid antenna to replace the electric one with.

warriors_03

You can order just the mast from toyota. Mine did the same thing on my old '93, and on my parents 2000 as well.

Remembering from memory -
unscrew the cap on the base of the antenna
you have to un-bolt inside the wheel well and pull the well back
then you have exposed the antenna motor and you can disconnect it and remove it.
Open and remove all the broken parts, clean, etc.
I used petroleum jelly as my lubricant inside the housing
Then closed it back up and re-installed the motor
Had the helper turn on the key and then fed the plastic gear into the hole and it pulled it down from there...

I hope that this is right...Its been 5 years or so...

Mark

Snookster

It is the antenna from a tacoma. Here is some good information:

Tools Needed
Flat-bladed Screwdriver
Philips-head Screwdriver
10mm rachet wrench

Parts
Antenna Assembly: 86300-35090 (list price $36.94)
Tacoma Whip antenna: 86309-AA040 ($27.38 at my dealership)



Please note that the Tacoma Whip Antenna is not picture above. If you want the Tacoma black whip antenna, buy part no. 86309-AA0400 and NOT 86309-35100 or 86309-32011. Also, I've received some feedback that the part numbers may have changed. If so, just ask for the non-motorized antenna assembly for a 4runner and a black whip antenna for the Tacoma.

Thanks to UKMyers from Yotatech.com who provided the following part number in this thread for 2nd generation 4Runners: Toyota Part # 86300-35070 (2nd gen 4Runners)

Addendum: 5/13/06
Based on the information in this writeup, a Yotatech member figured out how to do this mod without removing the wheel well liner. Read here.

Disclaimer
I am providing this write up for illustrative purposes only. Perform at your own risk. Any mods (including this one) you perform on your vehicle is your responsibility. Commercial use of this write up will result in legal action as well as the undying scorn from members of the online Toyota 4Runner community. You've been warned.


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Summary
One of the most common problems with any vehicle including the 4runner is its power antenna. Over time, the antenna mast's "teeth" usually breaks because the "teeth" themselves (that is part of the mast itself) wear out. In other cases, the mast is simply bends or breaks which will not allow it to retract back into the motor unit.

One solution is to buy a replacement mast, remove the old one, and hope that the new one feeds itself perfectly into the motor unit. However, many times the mast "teeth" breaks inside the motor unit itself, requiring removal and opening of the motor unit in order to remove these pieces of teeth.

An alternative solution is replacing the motorized unit with a non-motorized antenna assembly with a non-motorized (obviously) mast antenna. The advantage of doing so is that you really don't have to worry about anything motorized breaking ever again. Furthermore, the whip antenna is tough---I've hit many low hanging tree branches and the antenna just twangs itself right back into place. A motorized mast, I'm sure, would have snapped in half.

Step 1: Removing the Fender Flare and Running Board End Cap (front)
Depending on your type of fender flare trim and running boards, remove these pieces in order to access the wheel well lining:



After removing these trim pieces, you need to remove 2 of the 3 wheel well lining plugs. Here is a diagram of what you need to remove as well as a close up of one plug removed:



Step 2: Remove Wheel Well Lining
After removing the wheel well plugs, pull and invert the wheel well lining so you have enough room to access the motor unit. Don't worry, the material will not crack or break. The material is very similar to a kiddie pool, only much thicker and more durable:



Step 3: Removing the Antenna and Bezel Nut
At the top of the mast, unscrew the bezel nut by wrapping your flat bladed screwdriver with masking tape and putting the side of the blade into the bezel notches. Turn counter-clockwise to remove.



Unless you run like Speedy Gonzales, you might call your friend to help you here. To remove the broken mast, turn off your stereo and let the mast retract as far as it can go. Then ask your friend to turn the stereo back on. While it is going up, pull it up until it comes out of the unit. You will see the metal antenna and a long, white strip of "teeth." Some people have tried with some success to just pull it out, but my dealership advised me to pull it out this way.


Step 4: Removing the Motorized Unit
Unplug the power wire that is connected to the motor unit. Then unbolt the single bolt holding the motorized unit to the bracket inside the wheel well. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the motorized unit prior to removal, but here a blurry picture of the non-motorized one after installation (the bolt is the same):



You can now partially detach your motorized unit. You will see that there is a wire leading into the body of the 4runner. This is the antenna wire that connects to the back of your stereo. If you intend to possibly re-use the motor again, do not cut this wire (like I did). To remove it, continue reading below.

Step 5: Removing the Passenger Side Bottom Panel and Front "Radio" Panel
The antenna wire starts from the motor unit itself into the 4runner passenger compartment area, above the A/C duct, and into the back of the stereo. Here is the path it takes to get there:



You must remove both the passenger side bottom panel and front center "Radio" panel to properly remove the antenna wire. To remove the passenger side bottom panel, unscrew the following screws to remove the glove box and bottom panel:



To remove the rest of the radio panel, follow this excellent write up that SLC_Punk wrote, which is contained in Yotatech's "Tech" section. Go as far as "Step 5" in Travis' write up and continue below.

Step 6: Removing the Antenna Cable
Pull out the stereo as far as you can and detach the power and antenna cables. I believe the cable marked "2" (the furry one) is the antenna wire. Pull this one out and leave "1" as is. From my recollection, the "1" cable is the power cable.



After unplugging the antenna cable, follow the path of the antenna cable to the right and cut the zip ties in the four places marked here:



After you've done that, go back to the outside of your 4runner and then you can pull out the antenna cable.

Step 7: Attaching the Non-motorized Tacoma Whip Antenna
You can now bolt on the non-motorized unit. Then thread the antenna cable through the hole, run the cable all the way to the stereo, zip tie it along the top of the A/C duct, and then plug it into the back of your stereo:



Attach the bezel nut at the top of the non-motorized unit and screw in your Taco whip antenna.

I would suggest at this point to test the antenna connection before attaching all the panels you removed in Step 4. If the test goes well, re-attach all the panels in reverse order and enjoy hassle-free radio listening pleasure!


LEARNING POINTS
If you take your 4runner to a car wash (gasp!), I would highly recommend you carry a small adjustable wrench in your glove box to remove the antenna. Some car washes may not have the wrench or do this for you. Now I did say the whip was tough, but those large, heavy, wet blanket car wash strips would probably rip the antenna off in a second.

habanero

My antenna stayed up for both radio and cds. I listen mostly to the latter so put a switch in. Now it goes up/down when I want it to.

Bighead

Go to Bob's write-up here if you want to see the pictures associated with the write-up Snookster copied/pasted.

GhostriderTx

If it is the plastic chain that forces the mast up then that is an easy fix. There are several how to's on it. I did it two years ago on my 01. The 2000 probably has the same issue I had. You have to get inside the fender well lining. Mine did not use screws- it used a push pin that is one time only. If you have this then buy 3-4 from Toyota when you buy the plastic chain. Otherwise it's another trip.

Hugo

Funny, mine started doing this today. Oh well... it lasted 9 years!

ktincher

Can you somehow just unhook the motorized unit so it doesn't try to move it up and down? My stereo still works fine without it being up so I could live with it being stuck in the position it is.

Nate08

Had the xact same thing happen to me. I'm just gonna cut the power wire.

rezrunner

Hey Habanero could you write up how you went about putting a control switch on your power antenna? It seems easy but don't wanna screw things up. Also which switch did you go with and where did you put it?

Tim-in-TX

Must be a program put in by Toyota because the antenna on mine did the same thing yesterday - motor runs but antenna stuck in up position (I can get it down some if I push it by hand, but it will go down half way that way).

wormhole

Mine did the same things about month ago. I'm just going to leave it at half mast so I don't have to worry about breaking it off while off roading.

I'll fix it down the line sometime.

jason191918

On my after market stereo it was the blue wire that goes to an amp. Just put a switch in it. It should be the blue wire that goes to the front right of the truck.



This is where I put mine, but you can do whatever suits you.

OverTheEdge

You can remove the inner fender to gain access to the power soarce and un plug it. The relay will still cycle but no power to the the motor ='s peace and quit.