1992 Es300

[Anovice]

My antenna will not go up and down and is "stuck" in the up position. When I turn the radio on or off (or the ignition), I can hear the motor trying to do its thing. Almost a grinding noise and different from normal operation. When I push down and pull up on the mast, there is about a 6" play at the bottom where the mast enters in the housing. It almost seems as if there might be some type of clip at the bottom and it came un-done. Any thoughts as to what the problem is and how I may go about fixing it? Thanks much

[jainla]

These telescoping masts (the metal antenna part) are finicky, they may not look bent but they are.

The mast probably bent, and the plastic cord that winds around the motor might have broken; or the motor stripped it. Have someone try to gently push the mast down right after you turn off the radio (or turn off the car). It might catch and retract the antenna...this means the mast is bent and/or the plastic cord is fried.

You might be able to replace just the mast (you'll have to take apart the antenna assembly), do a search on some parts sites and see if someone will sell you just the mast.

Otherwise you'll be replacing the whole assembly. This is more expensive (and probably what the dealer will recommend). If the motor is burnt out then this is your best shot. At this point I'm sure there are some aftermarket assemblies you can buy.

Also might be worth taking to a Toyota Dealer to see if a Camry part might fit, but you might lose the diversity antenna (self-adjusting feature). Not sure if the ES300 from that vintage had that or not.

Good luck!

[Toysrme]

^ what he said. There is a lot of infomration on a lot of lexus / Toyota forums about this.

The only difference in an ES/Windom VS Camry/Toyota masts are that the ES/Windom ones are a 2 position tuned length. Not that anyone cares hah!

One of these days I'm going to get around to doing the ever popular S2000 conversion.

[Anovice]

Thanks for both replys. Since this is a bigger problem than I can handle and possibly more costly than I want to spend (I will however bring it to a place I know that specializes in this), I have another question. Is there a way to disconnect the motor so I do not have to hear the "grinding" sound every time I turn the car on and off (regardless of the radio being in the on or off position). If so, please instruct me how. If the mast remains up all the time, so be it, so long as I still get reception.

^ what he said. There is a lot of infomration on a lot of lexus / Toyota forums about this.

The only difference in an ES/Windom VS Camry/Toyota masts are that the ES/Windom ones are a 2 position tuned length. Not that anyone cares hah!

One of these days I'm going to get around to doing the ever popular S2000 conversion.

←

[RichFowler]

Thanks for both replys. Since this is a bigger problem than I can handle and possibly more costly than I want to spend (I will however bring it to a place I know that specializes in this), I have another question. Is there a way to disconnect the motor so I do not have to hear the "grinding" sound every time I turn the car on and off (regardless of the radio being in the on or off position). If so, please instruct me how. If the mast remains up all the time, so be it, so long as I still get reception.

Yes, I just did it and was looking for info on replacing the antenna mast. I gently pulled the inside trunk covering on that side out (top edge) and and was able to reach in and disconnect the electric harness plug. There is a small release on the top front (facing the back of the car) that releases the plug and pull up. In Denver, we have been able to get good reception with the antenna down. Don't do much out of town traveling with the car.

^ what he said. There is a lot of infomration on a lot of lexus / Toyota forums about this.

The only difference in an ES/Windom VS Camry/Toyota masts are that the ES/Windom ones are a 2 position tuned length. Not that anyone cares hah!

One of these days I'm going to get around to doing the ever popular S2000 conversion.

←

←

[rosecityrain]

My antenna will not go up and down and is "stuck" in the up position. When I turn the radio on or off (or the ignition), I can hear the motor trying to do its thing. Almost a grinding noise and different from normal operation. When I push down and pull up on the mast, there is about a 6" play at the bottom where the mast enters in the housing. It almost seems as if there might be some type of clip at the bottom and it came un-done. Any thoughts as to what the problem is and how I may go about fixing it? Thanks much

←

I had a car stero place put on a new one. Didn't cost very much. The part cost $20 if I remember correctly. Works great.

They couldn't make the lighter work (no charging the cell :cries: ) without taking the dash off. (fuses all checked) Oh well.........

rosie

[Toysrme]

rosecityrain if the fuses is OK & electricity is getting to the fuse itself, then there's a break in the wiring.

It's fairly common on most of the late model camry platforms (Through gen4) (Not just es/windoms) to burn the wiring for the cig lighter in half. Toyota didn't design it to handle much more load than the cig lighter & many people inadvertantly use it to power something that draws too much -> burning the fuse & sometimes melting the wiring before the fuse can blow.

Or there could be damage on the backside of the lighter socket where the wiring goes, who knows.

[SKperformance]

FAQ