I put this repair off FAR too long, thinking it would be much more involved than it was!
Fixing a broken power antenna on a 2nd Gen 4Runner (mine is a 1992) turned out to be very easy and really cheap, and very worth it. I have tunes again! I’ll show you how to do it, as well as give you a link on where to get an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer, straight from Toyota) antenna for your 2nd Gen 4Runner for FAR less cost than the usual online places. I’ll also put a video at the bottom of this post so you can see and follow along.
The bottom line is it’s pretty common to break the old school power antenna masts on the 2nd gen 4Runner. They are right out there on the hood, getting whacked with branches and who knows what else.
I’ll run through the steps briefly here so you can see how easy it is. Plus I’ll put the video here I did on the topic so you can watch that and see how quick and easy fixing the power antenna mast really is.
Step One: Remove the round nut on the top of the power antenna motor where it goes through the front passenger side fender. Just use a pair of needle nose pliers; insert the tips into the grooves on that funny nut and give it a twist, it should come loose pretty easily.
Step two: Turn the key on in the ignition, and make sure your radio is ON. This will raise whatever is left of your old antenna mast so that you can remove whatever is left.
Step Three: As seen in the video, remove all the parts of the old antenna, as well as anything left of the white plastic toothed strip. (see photo). Now, you have to get the old sleeve out (see your new antenna, it’s obvious) as well as the old mast. Also, be sure to make note of which direction the teeth on the white plastic strip are facing. They will face either the front of the 4Runner or the rear. You have to insert the new antenna strip in the same direction!
(Pro Tip) if you don’t know which way it goes, you can open the passenger side door and peek into the front fender with a flashlight. There, you will see the power antenna motor. There will be the shaft coming down from the top of the fender, and the motor is attached to the base of that. If the motor is towards the REAR of that shaft, your teeth will face the REAR of the car. Conversely, if they motor is at the FRONT of that shaft, the teeth will face the FRONT of the car.
Step Four: Compare your old mast (what’s left of it haha) with the new mast. It should look the same, the parts should be the same size.
Step Five: You’ll now need a helper. Have someone sit in the drivers seat and turn the key on, with the radio on. You’ll here the power antenna motor whir and whine. Wait until it stops. Now insert the while toothed strip into the antenna hole in the fender (MAKING SURE THE TEETH ARE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION), until you feel it stop. Have your partner turn OFF the ignition key, and the motor will turn on again, to lower the antenna. At this point, it should grab the new antenna strip and pull it into the motor. It should go all the way down.
Now if it doesn’t grab, that’s ok, try again! If it doesn’t go all the way in, that’s ok too. You can turn the key on and off a few times and it should set itself in there just fine. If it does not, there is likely part of the old plastic toothed strip in there. Now you have a bigger project, so let’s hope not!
(NOTE) If any part of the old antenna is still left in the motor housing, you’ll have to get it out. If it’s not accessible from the top as I described above, you’ll have to remove the motor, open it up, and get the old parts out. This is beyond the scope of this article but you can find the procedure here: Toyota-4Runner.org power antenna fix article
Step six: Replace the top funny looking nut, and you’re all set! Again, just use needle nose pliers and snug that thing down. No need to get it super tight, just snug.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your tunes again!!
(Pro tip) I’m going to install a switch to manually power on and off the antenna, so I can lower it while I’m on the trails and leave the radio on so I can still listen to podcasts and such. Something to consider next time you have the dash apart!
Get your new antenna mast here. OEM at a very good price! I did some digging to find this one, so take advantage of my effort! No, I get no kickbacks or anything from these guys, they have no idea I exist.
OEM 4Runner power antenna masts