I replaced my broken antenna mast (thanks SkyRat for the LTD Fender Removal Thread). It now goes up and down fine. However...There is a pretty rough grinding noise when it goes up and down. I was wondering if I can remove it and try to re-install it?

How would I do this?

BTW...It wouldn't feed when I tried to point the teeth towards the rear. I had my teeth pointed to the headlights.

 

Sounds like you might need to take the motor apart and remove broken pieces from the previous mast.

I think you can only point the teeth one way or else it wouldn't go down.

 

phx,

i would say:

1) that there might be pieces of the old teeth in the plastic gears, hence grinding sound
2) you need to feed it the right way (teeth facing rear)

bob

 

How would I go about removing the antenna? Unhook everything and feed it back out? I doubt there are any pieces in there? I checked when I had my fender taken apart.

 

have someone in your 4runner, turn the radio off, the mast should retract down. have him turn the radio on and the mast should go up and at the same time, keep pulling the mast up until all the teeth come out

or at least this was explained to me bythe dealership---never done it myself.

hey, why not just ditch the motorized always breaking mast and do the tacoma whip (fixed) mod? then you'll NEVER ever have to worry aobut this again. http://www.4runners.org/articles/whip

Bob

 

I just replaced the mast on Nina's 95 (5 minutes ago) and it worked in an identical manner to the 2000 I replaced last year. You remove the power antenna from under the inner fender. Then you take the plastic housing apart (4 screws around the edge and one in the center of the circular part.) Open the sandwich and remove the plastic cable with the teeth on it. There are almost certainly pieces in there. If you took the original out and the cable was not broken then perhaps there are not. Everyone I have spoken with and the two I have done had pieces. That cable is the usual reason the mast fails in the first place. Put the housing back the way it was (minus pieces) and remount it to the inner fender. Feed the mast as Bob says, Teeth Rear. Screw the chrome retaining ring and you are done.

PM me if you have questions.

 

I tried to feed my mast back in about 5 times w/ the teeth to the rear of the vehicle. Finally I noticed the back (non teeth side) of the white plastic piece was kind of scratched up. So I fed it in teeth to the front and it went in w/no problems, works great now. BTW Its a 2000 4Runner SR5.

BTW thanks for all the advice in this and other threads on antenna repair. Taking the mast out, fender liner removal, and disassembly of the antenna motor went great based on all of the given advice.

Dave