nyvram
New member
[TUTORIAL] 1998 antenna mast install..dealer wanted over $200.00.
I know this has been done a million times but I wanted to share my experience anyway and thank this forum for helping me out. The whole process below cost me less than $30.00 total.
Maybe the FAQ should be updated to say "replace antenna mast every 90k miles along with timing belt" since if you replace it before the plastic gets brittle and breaks..its much easier to do.
It looks like alot of steps, but its really super easy..just follow them and you can do this in under an hour..i could do it a second time in probably 10 minutes..most of that hour i spent making sure i understood what to do.
I would say just about anyone could do this swap and save a fortune.
Supplies
- $3 tube of lithium grease
- flat head screwdriver
- socket wrench
- phillips head screwdriver
- electrical tape
- pliers
Step 1 Get the OEM antenna mast from Bridgewood Motors ($20), don't attempt to save $5 by getting an aftermarket on off ebay.
4 Runner Antenna Mast 1996-2002
Step 2 unscrew nut (tapping a flathead screwdriver with a hammer to get it going) counterclockwise.
Step 3 turn on radio (or in my case i installed an antenna up/down rocker in my middle console) so that antenna mast goes up and grab it.
Step 4 if antenna doesnt go up just grab the metal end with some pliers and pull it out. NOTE if the plastic teeth mast is shorter than the new one, sad times. do the following steps. If its the same length, skip to STEP 5.
Step 5 with the antenna nut still off, have someone turn the car on and turn radio on and off so the motor is running in 'down' mode. thread the antenna mast (teeth point towards the front of the car!!!) quickly but carefully and it should catch. if it fails to catch before the motor stops running, just have the person repeat the process. ONCE IT CATCHES..carefully thread it in (including the metal antenna) but be prepared, it goes pretty fast once it catches so be ready to feed the whole thing into that little hole. (TWSS)
Step 6 if the antenna isn't completely down/flush no big deal. just cycle the up/down a couple times and it will seat itself properly.
Step 7 put the antenna nut back on tightly using the flathead hammer tapping to finish it off.
DONE!!! Way easier to do than it sounds..sorry I don't have pics but my hand were covered with grease and grime and didn't want to mess up my phone.
I know this has been done a million times but I wanted to share my experience anyway and thank this forum for helping me out. The whole process below cost me less than $30.00 total.
Maybe the FAQ should be updated to say "replace antenna mast every 90k miles along with timing belt" since if you replace it before the plastic gets brittle and breaks..its much easier to do.
It looks like alot of steps, but its really super easy..just follow them and you can do this in under an hour..i could do it a second time in probably 10 minutes..most of that hour i spent making sure i understood what to do.
I would say just about anyone could do this swap and save a fortune.
Supplies
- $3 tube of lithium grease
- flat head screwdriver
- socket wrench
- phillips head screwdriver
- electrical tape
- pliers
Step 1 Get the OEM antenna mast from Bridgewood Motors ($20), don't attempt to save $5 by getting an aftermarket on off ebay.
4 Runner Antenna Mast 1996-2002
Step 2 unscrew nut (tapping a flathead screwdriver with a hammer to get it going) counterclockwise.
Step 3 turn on radio (or in my case i installed an antenna up/down rocker in my middle console) so that antenna mast goes up and grab it.
Step 4 if antenna doesnt go up just grab the metal end with some pliers and pull it out. NOTE if the plastic teeth mast is shorter than the new one, sad times. do the following steps. If its the same length, skip to STEP 5.
Step 4a turn front wheel all the way to the right. i have oversized tires and still had plenty of room to work so no need to take the wheel off to get to the antenna motor.
Step 4b using a ratchet, remove 3 or 4 bolts along the fender clading directly under where your antenna is (or if you dont have fender guards, the splashguard cover itself)
Step 4c the fenderguard has plastic clips that are almost impossible to get out. I just yanked the guard off one or 2 of them..it pulled out leaving the clip but that doesn't matter since the fender guard bolt will go through the hole anyway. AGAIN don't stress if you pull the cover out and the clips stay in. remember you're going to secure it with a bolt anyway. just yank that sucker away enough that you can easily see both the antenna motor bolt and the wiring harness. you don't need to pull much of the fender guard away..i only pulled it out of 2 clips.
You should have enough room to see the bolt for the antenna motor and the wiring harness connector. You don't need to pull the fender splash cover all the way off because you're going to pull the motor assembly out and it will dangle in front of the tire where you can play with it easily.
Step 4d unscrew the bolt holding the antenna motor
Step 4e unplug wiring harness and using plier rip that harness clip out so you can easily hold the motor in your hand to work on it.
Step 4f pull off the old electrical tape securing the plastic covering and kind of hike it up (like a skirt)..its pretty stiff but if you pull from the TOP of the motor it will 'undress' enough to get it off the black round motor part.
Step 4g unscrew 6 TOTAL screws, 4 around the corners of the motor, one screw connected to ground wire and one screw in the middle of the little black motor assembly, it should now come apart. IMPORTANT the screw in the very center of the motor is secured with a TINY TINY nut recessed in the back of the motor that you won't notice until you try putting it back together. Make sure you don't lose it..mine was held in by the old grease so it didn't roll away. YOU WILL NEED THIS NUT LATER.
Step 4h pull the thing apart..ewww..lots of gross black gummy stuff sealing this box. there are only 2 pieces that come off, the white donut and the black cover. (oh and all the pieces of coiled plastic nasty broken mast cable)
Step 4i marvel at how nasty the yellowed grease is and be appalled at the fact your existing plastic mast cord is broken into about 5 different pieces. NOTE important to notice which way the white plastic circle goes in..take a picture or write down how it goes in so you don't put it back backwards.
Step 4j wipe as much of the super nasty grease off the motor still dangling from the car. take the 2 pieces that came off, wipe them down then i soaked them in some simple green and really cleaned them good.
Step 4k take the little white donut and squirt some grease in there..then spread it around with a shop towel so its even and not too much. remember you just want a little grease here to help the plastic mast coil smoothly. no need to go crazy with the grease.
Step 4l put the motor back together. NOTE the middle screw/nut combo i talked about would NOT thread. the screw teeth were slightly bent at the end and getting the nut on properly was not in the cards since the nut is recesed roughly 1/2 inch. Solution? I just reveresed the damn bolt so the screw head is in the recessed part and I could get a grip on the nut with some pliers. easy peasy.
Step 4m pull the shroud back on, secure with a fresh piece of electrical tape, reattach harness and bolt back to the car. DO NOT PUT THE FENDERGUARD BACK TOGETHER YET IN CASE YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG
Step 4b using a ratchet, remove 3 or 4 bolts along the fender clading directly under where your antenna is (or if you dont have fender guards, the splashguard cover itself)
Step 4c the fenderguard has plastic clips that are almost impossible to get out. I just yanked the guard off one or 2 of them..it pulled out leaving the clip but that doesn't matter since the fender guard bolt will go through the hole anyway. AGAIN don't stress if you pull the cover out and the clips stay in. remember you're going to secure it with a bolt anyway. just yank that sucker away enough that you can easily see both the antenna motor bolt and the wiring harness. you don't need to pull much of the fender guard away..i only pulled it out of 2 clips.
You should have enough room to see the bolt for the antenna motor and the wiring harness connector. You don't need to pull the fender splash cover all the way off because you're going to pull the motor assembly out and it will dangle in front of the tire where you can play with it easily.
Step 4d unscrew the bolt holding the antenna motor
Step 4e unplug wiring harness and using plier rip that harness clip out so you can easily hold the motor in your hand to work on it.
Step 4f pull off the old electrical tape securing the plastic covering and kind of hike it up (like a skirt)..its pretty stiff but if you pull from the TOP of the motor it will 'undress' enough to get it off the black round motor part.
Step 4g unscrew 6 TOTAL screws, 4 around the corners of the motor, one screw connected to ground wire and one screw in the middle of the little black motor assembly, it should now come apart. IMPORTANT the screw in the very center of the motor is secured with a TINY TINY nut recessed in the back of the motor that you won't notice until you try putting it back together. Make sure you don't lose it..mine was held in by the old grease so it didn't roll away. YOU WILL NEED THIS NUT LATER.
Step 4h pull the thing apart..ewww..lots of gross black gummy stuff sealing this box. there are only 2 pieces that come off, the white donut and the black cover. (oh and all the pieces of coiled plastic nasty broken mast cable)
Step 4i marvel at how nasty the yellowed grease is and be appalled at the fact your existing plastic mast cord is broken into about 5 different pieces. NOTE important to notice which way the white plastic circle goes in..take a picture or write down how it goes in so you don't put it back backwards.
Step 4j wipe as much of the super nasty grease off the motor still dangling from the car. take the 2 pieces that came off, wipe them down then i soaked them in some simple green and really cleaned them good.
Step 4k take the little white donut and squirt some grease in there..then spread it around with a shop towel so its even and not too much. remember you just want a little grease here to help the plastic mast coil smoothly. no need to go crazy with the grease.
Step 4l put the motor back together. NOTE the middle screw/nut combo i talked about would NOT thread. the screw teeth were slightly bent at the end and getting the nut on properly was not in the cards since the nut is recesed roughly 1/2 inch. Solution? I just reveresed the damn bolt so the screw head is in the recessed part and I could get a grip on the nut with some pliers. easy peasy.
Step 4m pull the shroud back on, secure with a fresh piece of electrical tape, reattach harness and bolt back to the car. DO NOT PUT THE FENDERGUARD BACK TOGETHER YET IN CASE YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG
Step 5 with the antenna nut still off, have someone turn the car on and turn radio on and off so the motor is running in 'down' mode. thread the antenna mast (teeth point towards the front of the car!!!) quickly but carefully and it should catch. if it fails to catch before the motor stops running, just have the person repeat the process. ONCE IT CATCHES..carefully thread it in (including the metal antenna) but be prepared, it goes pretty fast once it catches so be ready to feed the whole thing into that little hole. (TWSS)
Step 6 if the antenna isn't completely down/flush no big deal. just cycle the up/down a couple times and it will seat itself properly.
Step 7 put the antenna nut back on tightly using the flathead hammer tapping to finish it off.
Step 7a IF YOU PULLED THE FENDER GUARD APART, make sure you reattach the 3 or 4 bolts you took off. I only had 3 bolts (one is missing) but most people will have 4. Make sure the hole you pulled out on the fender splashguard is UNDER the bolt so your splashguard and the fender guard are both secure.
DONE!!! Way easier to do than it sounds..sorry I don't have pics but my hand were covered with grease and grime and didn't want to mess up my phone.
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