NEW antenna mast - But still a grinding noise

[JKnAR]

Hey everyone! Just installed another mast (3rd one in 10 years) but something is wrong.

When the radio is turned ON the NEW mast goes up all the way as usual but it makes the grinding noise for about 10 seconds afterwards.

When I try to un-install the antenna, the tip of the cable keeps getting stuck so I have to remove the motor/cover.

When I remove the motor cover I can see the tip of the cable keeps getting stuck/jammed in the same spot...right where it first touches the gears. I guess that's why I keep hearing the grinding noise.

Any help would be appreciated! THANKS!

2002 4Runner SR5

 

[kball]

Did you buy this antenna from the same place as the first 2? Some people have had trouble with cheap antenna's that have smaller than OEM teeth or the portion of the antenna with teeth that goes into the motor. It has enough slack inside the motor to jump teeth which may be the grinding you hear.

 

[TheDurk]

Read this thread and all will be revealed.

Did you open it enough to be sure that no tail fragments are stuck in the gears?

 

[JKnAR]

Did you buy this antenna from the same place as the first 2? Some people have had trouble with cheap antenna's that have smaller than OEM teeth or the portion of the antenna with teeth that goes into the motor. It has enough slack inside the motor to jump teeth which may be the grinding you hear.

I bought a cheapo on ebay....I guess that's the problem. Thanks for replying!

 

[JKnAR]

Read this thread and all will be revealed.

Did you open it enough to be sure that no tail fragments are stuck in the gears?

Hey - thanks for this! I bought a cheap ($13.99 w/shipping) one. It's got to be the problem.

 

[smallstar]

same thing

I have the same thing happening. cheap ebay replacement.

 

[JKnAR]

I have the same thing happening. cheap ebay replacement.

This is the one I bought that I'm having issues with....
Toyota 4Runner Antenna Mast 86337-34030 Replacement+White Drive Tooth Cable | eBay 1439.l2648#ht_4921wt_1186

 

[jkoni426]

this is where I got my new mast from, works perfectly:

4 Runner Antenna Mast 1996-2002

also make sure you get any broken pieces from the previous mast out of the motor as said above.

 

[JKnAR]

this is where I got my new mast from, works perfectly:

4 Runner Antenna Mast 1996-2002

also make sure you get any broken pieces from the previous mast out of the motor as said above.

Thanks - I'll be ordering a better one tomorrow.

$20 every 3+ years for a simple fix is okay with me.

 

[Brilliant]

mine was grinding so I replaced it with a tacoma whip. I dont use those drive through car washes as they destroy paint.

 

[thepogi]

Antenna mast noise

Buy from the dealership. I replaced mine 3 years ago and so far, not having any issues. a bit expensive but in the long run you'll still save time and money. Just a thought.

 

[TheDurk]

Buy from the dealership. I replaced mine 3 years ago and so far, not having any issues. a bit expensive but in the long run you'll still save time and money. Just a thought.

If I paid dealer price for everything I've replaced on my truck in 13 years of ownership I would be poorer by thousands of dollars. I now have six months on my OEM equivalent e-bay mast and it works just as well as the original. Plus I have the pleasure of knowing I didn't get reamed by the dealer. To each his own.

 

[Jakecapt]

Grinding sound still there

Did you buy this antenna from the same place as the first 2? Some people have had trouble with cheap antenna's that have smaller than OEM teeth or the portion of the antenna with teeth that goes into the motor. It has enough slack inside the motor to jump teeth which may be the grinding you hear.

I just replaced my antenna with one from Toyota and I still have the grinding and the shaft has difficulty extending. Goes down fine but has a problem going up and then the grinding. Dumbfounded!

 

[Hepar]

I just replaced my antenna with one from Toyota and I still have the grinding and the shaft has difficulty extending. Goes down fine but has a problem going up and then the grinding. Dumbfounded!

Did you take your motor apart? You may have some pieces of the old mast still inside the motor.

 

[Jakecapt]

Not yet, but that will most likely be my next try. Thanks

 

[Lastplace]

After a failed replacement. Tossed the motorised unit and installed an OEM whip.

 

[Jakecapt]

Grinding sound still there

Did you take your motor apart? You may have some pieces of the old mast still inside the motor.

I've checked the motor for broken parts and did find a 1" piece still in the motor body. Now the problem seems to be the gears in the motor section are damaged. Toyota wants $254 to replace and install the new one...not going to happen.
1. Can the gears be replaced and so where do I find them?
2. Can I just buy the motor assemble and what is the part number?
Thanks....

 

[Brian.]

I've checked the motor for broken parts and did find a 1" piece still in the motor body. Now the problem seems to be the gears in the motor section are damaged. Toyota wants $254 to replace and install the new one...not going to happen.
1. Can the gears be replaced and so where do I find them?
2. Can I just buy the motor assemble and what is the part number?
Thanks....

My '99 was bought with a bent mast and broken/snapped gear strip but the motor worked fine. I replaced it with a whip and tossed the motor in my shop trash..... which is still there IIRC. It was spinning along fine, but no idea about real condition/function. If you want it, yours for the cost of getting it to you. Like I said, it's trash otherwise (I'll dumpster-dive for you for free... :dizzy: )

You'd still need to rebuild yours though as I think I snipped the antenna cable and use it as my pull-string for the new antenna. Just PM me if you're interested.

 

[Hepar]

I've checked the motor for broken parts and did find a 1" piece still in the motor body. Now the problem seems to be the gears in the motor section are damaged. Toyota wants $254 to replace and install the new one...not going to happen.
1. Can the gears be replaced and so where do I find them?
2. Can I just buy the motor assemble and what is the part number?
Thanks....

Don't know if you can buy just the gears, but the part # to the motor itself is 86300-35111. That includes the mast.

The better plan may be to source the motor from a junkyard or from a source like above. Or do the whip mod. I know that personally I liked fixing mine because for whatever reason, I have a nostalgia to the motorized antenna. But my current head unit powers up the antenna anytime it is on. I did have a switch hooked up to my old one, so I could toggle it up and down as I wanted. However, this time around I just didn't hook up the power to it. If you have both the front and rear antenna hooked up, it doesn't seem to make much difference if the antenna is up or down.

 

[BoomerBob]

I've got this same issue on an 01 T4R I recently bought. Bought a new OEM antenna and it did the same thing only louder; grinds for about 7-10 seconds after the antenna is up.

I'm going to try a new product called "AntennaMastsRus - Conversion Kit is Compatible with Toyota 4 Runner". Has anyone tried this and what was your result? I'm guessing the motor still hums for a bit then quits. Is that what happens?