4Runner 2000 LE.

this forum helped a bunch, so i feel i should give back by showing you guys--step by step--how i did it. i'm also proud that a super amateur do-it-yourselfer like me actually pulled it off. that being said, you can too. now i won't give the extreme details, so use your common sense and actually try and understand the instructions (and look up the words if you have to!)

first, remove the antenna. see antenna removal instructions in the original post. i took out everything by hand: the screw, the antenna, and that black rubber thing. the teeth faced the rear of the car. i bought my antenna mast off ebay for 25 dollars.

now open your front passenger side door and you can actually see the antenna motor at the side of the fender. this will give you an idea of where it is. above the wheel is a mudflap that is attached to the fender. the mudflap is what you want to peel back (not detach) to get access to the motor. pull off the plastic tacks that hold the flap in place. remove as many tacks as necessary. now peel the flap back using the distal end from the fender. don't be shy when peeling the flap because it's actually pretty durable.

you now have access to the motor. put a flash light on the wheel so you can see the motor. the motor is secured by a bolt at the base. unscrew the bolt. now removing the motor requires some imagination. pretend the motor is a standing beer bottle. if you are facing the fender, rotate the bottle to the left as you guide it down, then up, and toward the wheel so the bottle is now tangent to the wheel. lay the motor on the wheel.

you might need more slack to put the motor on the wheel. you can get it by unplugging the motor. there is a plug that is directly on the motor. i unplugged it from there.

put on some disposable gloves. undue the electric tape and unsleave the the motor housing (see original post). remember all positions of the screws before you open the housing. make sure you not to drop and lose that center nut (like i did). when you open the housing, there will be this black, sticky, and gooey bullshit that i think acts as an insulating filler (hence the gloves). take care that none of this goes in the center of the housing. remove the leftover antenna chain, close/rescrew the housing, and sleave the motor with some new electric tape. screw the motor back in place as it was after you took the antenna out.

now put the rubber thing back on. turn the radio on. bother someone to turn the radio off so you can guide the new antenna in (remember where your teeth were facing). after the antenna retracts all the way, put the metal thing over the antenna and screw it in place. you're done!

this first time took me about 2 hours, but i imagine the next time will take me 15-30 minutes.