Radio Antenna And Overdrive

[Rollingstone]

Can anyone out there tell me to what length the radio antenna should extend?

The antenna on my 1999 RX300 AWD only goes up about 18 inches. I removed the antenna expecting to find the nylon gear strip broken but it appears OK.

It does appear that the bottom two sections of the mast are frozen. I'm presently soaking the mast in WD40. I don't want to wreck the mast trying to extend it further than it is supposed to go.

Thanks in advance for comments and advice...

On another matter - I'm afraid my recently replaced transmission is not shifting into O/D. RPM is just under 4000 at 100 Km/hr (62 MPH). The RPM does not change when I manually switch the O/D off and on. Fuel consumption is terrible. (15 L / 100 km, highway) - gads I hate metric!

[jbarhorst2]

The antenna on my RX goes well above the roof when extended. I can measure it if you wish. Definitely sounds like yours is just dirty and stuck. There is an internal pressure switch that shuts off the motor when fully extended and will shut off early if the mast is stuck.

As for your overdrive, it definitely sounds like it is not engaging. Get it checked out because this will not only cause you problems with your fuel mileage, but will prematurely wear your engine and transmission.

Tom

[LexKid630]

It extends around 33.5 inches on my rx300

You can see how much it extends in the picture of mine to the left.

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[lenore]

You can purchase just the mast part of the antenna, if you are mechanical it is not too bad a job replacing it. Saves lots of money too. I wiped mine once and was pleased to find I could get just the mast part of the antenna. As for the tranny, get it replaced again while under warranty, my second transmission was defective and it took two months but Lexus finally replaced it and now it works fine.

[LexKid630]

You can purchase just the mast part of the antenna, if you are mechanical it is not too bad a job replacing it.  Saves lots of money too.  I wiped mine once and was pleased to find I could get just the mast part of the antenna.  As for the tranny, get it replaced again while under warranty, my second transmission was defective and it took two months but Lexus finally replaced it and now it works fine.

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Ebay has them pretty cheep too!