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My mother is driving a 2002 Toyota 4Runner and she is complaining that the antenna, not only it refuses to go down, it is making insane grinding and clicking. I like to fix the problem but I am having trouble removing the wheel well. Unless there is another way to disable the antenna motor, can someone give me tips to removing the wheel without ripping it?
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Unfortunately not well versed on ‘yotas, but the normal way to get at this would be removing the tire, then there should be a wheel well cover (that you’re referring to), that should have a few screws in it and others that are push-pins. Then you should be able to get at it. You’ll have to un-secure the antenna wire inside the vehicle, as it will be usually one piece, as in the antenna line going to the back of the unit isn’t detachable from the antenna itself; but you can see in more detail once the cover is off. The motor is likely bad.
You could simply kill the motor functionality if you don’t want to buy a new one, this is triggered by the radio unit itself by a remote line. Should be able to find the color of the wire used and simply snip it or use a small (glasses) flat-head screwdriver to remove that pin from the radio harness (once close to the raised position) from a wiring diagram. Or you might find the antenna itself has a detachable plug for it (if unplugged secure and cover it properly).
http://www.revbase.com/BBBMotor/Wd
http://the12volt.com is another good place to find this kind of information.
Thanks for the info. I’ve asked around and you are the first person who gave me clear information and references to go on. Thank you
here is a link for replacement.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/classic-t4rs/8838-power-antenna-fix-pics.html
To disable the motor, the antenna relay should be below the radio on the left side. Just unplug the connector. I have a 2000 4Runner, mine was gray in color.
This can get complicated and more difficult than you might think. You don’t need to remove the motor assembly or I should say that you shouldn’t have to remove the motor assembly. You can purchase the antenna assembly separately. You remove the old one by removing the ‘nut’ at the base of the assembly. Once you have that out you should be able to pull the old antenna out of the motor. If you’re lucky the entire piece will come out. If you’re not some will still be left in the motor. If that’s the case you’ll have to remove the motor and take the cover off to remove the bits that are broken inside if it. If that’s not the case installing the new antenna is pretty easy. Start by turning the radio ‘on’. Insert the new antenna into the hole the old antenna came out of. Turn the radio off and twist the antenna around till it catches in the motor assembly. The motor should draw it into the hole. Install the retaining nut. Then turn the radio on and off to make sure it works properly.
I know that’s a lot and to be honest the antenna will break again. Notice that new cars don’t have those anymore? Now you know why. You might consider replacing it with a ‘whip’ antenna and being done with it in the end if you can’t get it to work right. It’s cheaper in the end if I’m honest. Good luck.
My wife wanted everything original, of course, so I ordered the Toyota antenna assy from the web, and it came with the connector- no splicing. Installed it. Time consuming to install but it’s done.
Cool. Thanks for the update. Be happy you did it that way. Aftermarket stuff, especially when it comes to stuff like this, can sometimes be a pain. I know how proud Toyota is of their parts though. I hope they didn’t hurt you too bad as I’ve seen those assemblies get pretty pricy.
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