Antenna Mask Issue

[lcc014]

Hi,

The antenna mask in my 2000 4Runner does not go down all the way when radio is off. All the segments go down correctly except the one right above the fender. What is the cause of this problem and how can I fix it ?

Thanks,

Ching-Ho Cheng

 

[Andrew_I]

I'm sure you've tried greasing and lubricating it but if you haven't try it. Mine stuck before and that was all it took.

 

[lcc014]

I'm sure you've tried greasing and lubricating it but if you haven't try it. Mine stuck before and that was all it took.

Thanks for the response. What kind of lubricant or grease did you use to solve your antenna issue ?

Thanks,

Ching-Ho Cheng

 

[Andrew_I]

I started by spraying wd40 into the cracks between each rod which can break down any grime etc in there. I then used a silicone spray and grease to lube it up in hopes that it wont happen again in the near future. You should also check to be sure the rods are not bent at all.

 

[animator]

First of all, it's mast, not mask.

Is it a recent problem, or has it been like this for a while?

If it doesn't go all the way down, and you don't hear any grinding or other odd sounds, it's possible that whoever installed the mast fed it in wrong, and the motor missed the first few inches of teeth before beginning to draw it in.

Or the plastic piece has broken somewhere inside the mast or motor, which means the mast will need to be replaced.

First, I'd remove the mast to check if the ribbon is not broken, it's not difficult to remove.

 

[lcc014]

First of all, it's mast, not mask.

Is it a recent problem, or has it been like this for a while?

If it doesn't go all the way down, and you don't hear any grinding or other odd sounds, it's possible that whoever installed the mast fed it in wrong, and the motor missed the first few inches of teeth before beginning to draw it in.

Or the plastic piece has broken somewhere inside the mast or motor, which means the mast will need to be replaced.

First, I'd remove the mast to check if the ribbon is not broken, it's not difficult to remove.

Thanks for your response and correction. How can you remove the mast and replace with a new one is the old one's plastic ribbon is broken ?

Thanks,

Ching-Ho Cheng

 

[animator]

Thanks for your response and correction. How can you remove the mast and replace with a new one is the old one's plastic ribbon is broken ?

Thanks,

Ching-Ho Cheng

Start by searching, since there's tons of information on this site and others dealing with the issue.


But basically you'll want to turn you radio on to extend the antenna fully. Then loosen the nut at the base of the antenna. It's a chrome piece, with the 4 notches in it. A screwdriver and light tapping works just fine.

Once the nut is removed, the rest is self-explanatory. Pull straight up on the antenna, and a few inches of plastic ribbon should come with it.

If the ribbon is broken, you'll want to remove the motor and open it up to remove any broken pieces. This is a bit more involved, but is fairly simple to do.

Once the mast is completely removed, turn off the radio and your ignition. You will hear the motor wind back down.

Remove the inner splash panels from the passenger front wheel well. Once the splash panel is removed, you can feel/see the motor. It will be attached to the fender panel, just below the opening for the antenna. It is held in place by 1 bolt. I believe it is either 10 or 13 mm... somewhere around that size.

Remove the bolt, disconnect wires into the motor, and pull the motor from the fender. It'll be wrapped in a protective covering, which you'll want to carefully remove and reuse. It's held in place with tape.

To open the motor, there's 5 (if I remember correctly) small screws that need to be removed. Once removed, the cover pops off, and reveals the spool that winds the ribbon. In this area you should find and remove any broken bits of plastic. There should be a some grease in this spool.

Assembly is the reverse of removal.

Once the motor is back in the fender, you'll then need to install the new mast.

Turn on the radio, and let the motor spool up. Once it has finished, feed the ribbon down into the motor, keeping in mind which way the teeth are facing. They need to be orientated to mesh with the motor's spool. Once the ribbon is set, hold the mast straight up, fully extended. Have someone help you by turning off the radio. The motor will wind down, and begin to draw in the mast. If you've done it right, the antenna will be fully retracted when the motor stops. If not, pull the mast back out and try again. Once it's in, install the nut and test the antenna again.

That should be it. I'll post pics if needed...

 

[lcc014]

Start by searching, since there's tons of information on this site and others dealing with the issue.


But basically you'll want to turn you radio on to extend the antenna fully. Then loosen the nut at the base of the antenna. It's a chrome piece, with the 4 notches in it. A screwdriver and light tapping works just fine.

Once the nut is removed, the rest is self-explanatory. Pull straight up on the antenna, and a few inches of plastic ribbon should come with it.

If the ribbon is broken, you'll want to remove the motor and open it up to remove any broken pieces. This is a bit more involved, but is fairly simple to do.

Once the mast is completely removed, turn off the radio and your ignition. You will hear the motor wind back down.

Remove the inner splash panels from the passenger front wheel well. Once the splash panel is removed, you can feel/see the motor. It will be attached to the fender panel, just below the opening for the antenna. It is held in place by 1 bolt. I believe it is either 10 or 13 mm... somewhere around that size.

Remove the bolt, disconnect wires into the motor, and pull the motor from the fender. It'll be wrapped in a protective covering, which you'll want to carefully remove and reuse. It's held in place with tape.

To open the motor, there's 5 (if I remember correctly) small screws that need to be removed. Once removed, the cover pops off, and reveals the spool that winds the ribbon. In this area you should find and remove any broken bits of plastic. There should be a some grease in this spool.

Assembly is the reverse of removal.

Once the motor is back in the fender, you'll then need to install the new mast.

Turn on the radio, and let the motor spool up. Once it has finished, feed the ribbon down into the motor, keeping in mind which way the teeth are facing. They need to be orientated to mesh with the motor's spool. Once the ribbon is set, hold the mast straight up, fully extended. Have someone help you by turning off the radio. The motor will wind down, and begin to draw in the mast. If you've done it right, the antenna will be fully retracted when the motor stops. If not, pull the mast back out and try again. Once it's in, install the nut and test the antenna again.

That should be it. I'll post pics if needed...

Thanks for the detail information.

Ching-Ho Cheng

 

[gapboi210]

First of all, it's mast, not mask.

Is it a recent problem, or has it been like this for a while?

If it doesn't go all the way down, and you don't hear any grinding or other odd sounds, it's possible that whoever installed the mast fed it in wrong, and the motor missed the first few inches of teeth before beginning to draw it in.

Or the plastic piece has broken somewhere inside the mast or motor, which means the mast will need to be replaced.

First, I'd remove the mast to check if the ribbon is not broken, it's not difficult to remove.

I was thinking, what the *ell is an antenna mask? Maybe the Jack in the Box head that goes on the antenna? LOL