Power antenna repair, fail #1

SFAngus

SFAngus

New member
So, I just bought my '01 4Runner, and the power antenna wasn't working right, which was disclosed by the previous owner.

Thanks to the info from Ouki in his post here; http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/110684-power-antenna-fixed-but-new-issue.html I ordered a replacement antenna from Raderra on eBay, for $18, and it arrived almost immediately.

I looked for a DIY on the repair, and found this post; http://www.toyota-4runner.org/classic-t4rs/8838-power-antenna-fix-pics.html by Mikes4Runner, which seemed to be the only DIY for it, even though he has a 2nd gen.

(My plan was to write up a new DIY, specifically for 3rd gen, since I'm doing the repair anyways). That plan was quickly thwarted.

So, I started into it this afternoon, and after removing the screws that hold on the fender flare, I noticed that my wheel well looks like it has been covered in some kind of black spray-on paint or something. It's rough and textured, instead of being smooth and shiny like the driver's side wheel well.

Passenger side:





Passenger side again:




Driver side:




In attempting to remove the retention clips, I managed to break the plastic around the clips, but the wheel well liner still won't budge... it's absolutely stuck in place.

So, three questions...

1). Does anyone have any idea what the black stuff is that's covering the inside of the wheel well? It almost looks like a spray-on insulation or something... I just hope that it's not covering up prior damage, but it doesn't appear to be, since it's just on the plastic, not on the body.

2). Any tips for getting the plastic cover off?

3). Now that I've managed to break the plastic around the clips, (And since the plastic is covered with whatever that black stuff is), I'm thinking I might take it to the dealership when I'm all done, to get a new wheel well cover. Any idea on how much they are?


Thanks!
 
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yeah it just looks like someone sprayed it with a type of bead liner. i wouldnt worry about it too much.

yeah the clips are a pain to get off while trying not to destroy them.
 
shootmymime said:
yeah it just looks like someone sprayed it with a type of bead liner. i wouldnt worry about it too much.

yeah the clips are a pain to get off while trying not to destroy them.
Click to expand...

Virtually impossible not to bust a few. But NAPA has them, $5.49 for 5 which is more than you need to get the antenna out (Balkamp 665-1378) or dealer has them for $1.01 each (90189-06212)

NAPA AUTO PARTS

FINISH MOLDING GROMMET - 90189-06212 | Buy Genuine Parts at Mid Atlantic Toyota Parts

Liner (53875-35050) is $95 on Amazon:http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Toyota-53875-35050-Passenger-Fender/dp/B005VMDVYE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385519706&sr=8-1&keywords=53875-35050

or $71 from on-line dealer:http://www.midatlantictoyotaparts.com/oem-part/oem-toyota/fender-liner-right/53875-35050
 
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TheDurk said:
Virtually impossible not to bust a few. But NAPA has them, $5.49 for 5 which is more than you need to get the antenna out (Balkamp 665-1378) or dealer has them for $1.01 each (90189-06212)

NAPA AUTO PARTS

FINISH MOLDING GROMMET - 90189-06212 | Buy Genuine Parts at Mid Atlantic Toyota Parts

Liner (53875-35050) is $95 on Amazon:Genuine Toyota Parts 53875-35050 Passenger Side Front Fender Splash Shield : Amazon.com : Automotive

or $71 from on-line dealer:FENDER LINER - 53875-35050 | Buy Genuine Parts at Mid Atlantic Toyota Parts
Click to expand...


Awesome- thanks for the links! I searched around on Google for the liner part unsuccessfully. That's a big help.

I guess maybe I need to just tear at it, and rip out the liner. I struggled with it for a while, and it did NOT budge.
 
SFAngus said:
Awesome- thanks for the links! I searched around on Google for the liner part unsuccessfully. That's a big help.

I guess maybe I need to just tear at it, and rip out the liner. I struggled with it for a while, and it did NOT budge.
Click to expand...

If you want to be careful about it, use wire cutters to snip the head off the plastic clips or use an angle grinder or dremel to grind the heads off, then the liner should come right out.
 
I just saw on RockAuto, those fender liners are $16 a piece if you need to replace them. I don't know how good they are yet, I havent ordered mine...
 
SFAngus.....just to be clear is your antenna motor dead and/or are there chunks of the feeder whip caught in the motor??

If the answer is "no" to those questions then save yourself a lot of grief because you do not have to remove the fender flares at all. (see doc76239 reply to OuKi Post. )
Just unscrew the top mount cap of the antenna itself turn on your radio and it will push out the feeder whip...you can pull,coax, out the remainder with your hands or needle nose pliers (if it's in one piece or even two long pieces).
Take your new antenna, slide the feeder whip down (teeth facing the rear of the truck I believe) and have someone turn your radio off. If the antenna motor is good it will just autospool the feeder whip. Screw the antenna cap back on, and voila' your back in business.
I replaced my busted antenna back in March, took all of 8 minutes.

.....for what it's worth.
GrossMan
 
GrossMan said:
SFAngus.....just to be clear is your antenna motor dead and/or are there chunks of the feeder whip caught in the motor??

If the answer is "no" to those questions then save yourself a lot of grief because you do not have to remove the fender flares at all. (see doc76239 reply to OuKi Post. )
Just unscrew the top mount cap of the antenna itself turn on your radio and it will push out the feeder whip...you can pull,coax, out the remainder with your hands or needle nose pliers (if it's in one piece or even two long pieces).
Take your new antenna, slide the feeder whip down (teeth facing the rear of the truck I believe) and have someone turn your radio off. If the antenna motor is good it will just autospool the feeder whip. Screw the antenna cap back on, and voila' your back in business.
I replaced my busted antenna back in March, took all of 8 minutes.

.....for what it's worth.
GrossMan
Click to expand...

Hey-

Thanks for the tip... I'm pretty sure I have some broken off pieces of the old antenna in the motor, based on how long the tail is that came out, versus how long the new tail is. (See photo):



I read some posts from people who said that they fed their new whip into the motor, and it immediately broke because there was still some debris left inside, so I figured it was safest to take the whole thing apart.

I turned on the radio after removing the antenna, and I didn't see anything else get pushed out. I'll take another look to see if anything is visible in the antenna tube though.

Thanks for the help!
 
Yep. It definitely looks like you'll have at least a little debris in it once you get it out. Good news is that once you get that liner off, it's pretty easy.
 
I just went through this the other day with my fender liner. Those clips suck ass. The only way around them is going in from the engine bay and squeezing the clip tabs with needle nosed pliers while pushing towards the wheel well. I had limited success with the clips, but I can pretty much guarantee you won't get anywhere with them by trying to pull them out from the wheel well side. I wonder what the stealership mechanics use to pop those F'ers out...

Oh, and I was replacing my power antenna with a Tacoma fixed antenna. No more mechanical failures. Good luck with the fix.
 
Dezert4Runner said:
Oh, and I was replacing my power antenna with a Tacoma fixed antenna. No more mechanical failures. Good luck with the fix.
Click to expand...

Now, that's the smart way to go......I never did understand the need for power antennas. I've always regarded them as a WTF option.

GrossMan
 
Do yourself a favor, toss that POS power antenna and buy the Toyota non-power unit.

Fixed my daughter's power antenna (motor remove and clean out) and the SOB broke again 2 weeks later.
 
Lastplace said:
Do yourself a favor, toss that POS power antenna and buy the Toyota non-power unit.

Fixed my daughter's power antenna (motor remove and clean out) and the SOB broke again 2 weeks later.
Click to expand...

Two years ago, I gave mine 90 minutes worth of work for the first time in 11 years, and it's been back to trouble-free ever since. I don't get the hate. I like an antenna that disappears automatically into the fender except when I actually use the tuner and I can put it down as I enter the trees without stopping.

My e23 was the same, one fix in 18 years of life.
 
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TheDurk said:
I don't get the hate. I like an antenna that disappears automatically into the fender except when I actually use the tuner and I can put it down as I enter the trees without stopping.
Click to expand...

Count me in with that minority. I like the power antenna.
 
TheDurk said:
Two years ago, I gave mine 90 minutes worth of work for the first time in 11 years, and it's been back to trouble-free ever since. I don't get the hate. I like an antenna that disappears automatically into the fender except when I actually use the tuner and I can put it down as I enter the trees without stopping.

My e23 was the same, one fix in 18 years of life.
Click to expand...

Yup, I got a cheap one on amazon and it's been trouble free for almost 2 years. Easy peasy.
 
Hepar said:
Count me in with that minority. I like the power antenna.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I like it... partly just because I feel like it's one of those unique 4Runner features that most other cars don't have. That being said, if it fails again, (Assuming I can get it fixed this time), I might give up on it.
 
I'm officially giving up and going to a mechanic to have them replace it...

Thanks to Dezert4Runner's tip, I was able to remove two of the clips from inside the engine compartment, however the liner STILL would not budge at all.

I finally figured out that there are two more clips hidden behind my fender flare, making them virtually impossible to get to. I also noticed that none of the DIY write ups are trucks with the fender flares.

After struggling with it for the last hour, I'm giving up.

I still appreciate all the help and tips though!
 
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