One More Antenna Post

[tomeyeman]

I've look through many of the 'antenna' posts and can't find my problem. Got a 96 LS400 with a broken antenna mast. I got the old broken part out by taking the motor out of the trunk area and taking it apart. No problem. I got a generic replacement mast at Auto Zone and tried to feed it through the intact motor. It sorta went but then got stuck. Long story short, it goes all the way down but only half way up and then stops and goes down to 1/4 height. I've twisted to make it go down and it 'sorta' grabs but then won't come up. Eventually the cheap mast broke from all of my messing.

So after taking it apart about 10 times AND buying another generic mast, I still have the same problem. The motor works fine and the teeth line up but it just will not go up and down like it's supposed to. It seems to be binding up somewhere along the way. I've even carefully wound it up when it was apart and put it back together perfectly only for the same thing to happen...over and over and over....

MY QUESTION: IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THESE GENERIC MAST OR SIMPLE A PROBLEM WITH THE INSTALLER (ME)? I have no problem getting an OEM from the dealer--this was just quicker (not in hindsight).

Oh yea, one other thing, I forgot to check to see if the length of the mast/cord was the same on the original vs. the replacement. Could it be a length issue? (make up your own joke here : )

Thanks, Tom

[steve2006]

Hi,

First did you follow the tutorial below?

http://www.lexls.com/tutorials/audio/powerantenna.html

Also the antenna auto adjusts its length dependent on the frequency of the transmission so may not extend fully.

[tomeyeman]

Yep. And it's not doing anything except extending about 1/4 and staying there.

I did go ahead and order a OEM antenna. Maybe that will work better. I was just wondering if the generic auto store ones do not work as well??

[steve2006]

Yep. And it's not doing anything except extending about 1/4 and staying there.

I did go ahead and order a OEM antenna. Maybe that will work better. I was just wondering if the generic auto store ones do not work as well??

I did hear some of the aftermarket ones are no good, when you do the job make sure the drive cog is OK (no damaged teeth) and there are no bits of the old mast still inside the mechanism.

[tomeyeman]

Just an update:

Got a new mast from the web specifically for Lexus and it worked like a charm. Went down perfectly on the first try. So, one thing I know for sure, the generic mast from Auto Zone DOES NOT WORK. I don't know if it's too short, too long or maybe the diameter is different.

Nevertheless, I can listen to radio again :D

So I wasted $40 for two cheapies and $30 for one that worked. Oh well, live and learn. I'll know next time and hopefully my mistake will save some people a few bucks

[RDM]

I've found that the over the counter mast assemblies are more generic to fit a wider range of vehicles, that sometimes eliminates the fitment of a particular model.

[sizbob]

What is the web site that you got the good mast from?

[RDM]

The dealer. Any dealer. Where else would you buy OE Lexus parts?