anacortes

I replaced a bent shaft a while ago and it worked great. Now its developed a grinding noise once the antenna is fully up or down. Lasts
for a rather noisy 5 to 10 seconds. Will a new shaft and cord fix this?

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Depends, on the old one was part of the plastic part broken off at all? It could be still in there somewhere, or the new one could have broken and have something similar going on.
You can try replacing, or do what I do in every toyota/lexus that has one of those is disable the up/down part and leave it in the down position permanently.
You might not pick up all the weaker stations, but most of the time I can't notice any difference.
Generally just find motor in the trunk area and pull the connector to it = problem solved, and it is free.

- V -

iTrader: (1)

^Same here, I also never listen to the radio anymore, my phone hooks up to Bluetooth when i get in and i start streaming my music instead of listening to ads that are sometimes interrupted with songs.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

I more or less agree with the above two posts. If you listen to the radio at all, having the antenna go up and down every time you start/stop the car gets pretty annoying. Especially when I replaced the cable on my first SC, only to have it break again after a few uses...

Leaving the antenna in the down position only works if you have strong, local signals. Here, where the broadcasts are from 50 miles in either direction, you get basically no reception without a raised mast.

I opted for a fixed stubby antenna, although I usually leave a longer whip on the base because the stubby doesn't quite cut it in the reception department. It does look better, though.

Duck05

I repaired/replaced a broken mast on my ‘84 Cressida and years later when the mast on our ‘92 SC failed it turns out the assembly (mast and motor) were identical. So, I was able to repair that one, too.

Fast forward to 2013 and replaced the factory audio head unit with a touch screen Pioneer with Blue Tooth. After the install, regardless what your selected source was, the mast raised. Not ideal since 99% of the time AM/FM tuner was not used.

After assessing options with the installer, he rigged for me a toggle switch between the unit and the mast motor assembly which I can engage to raise (closed) or lower (open) the mast…. Way cool.

Not many have that option with most doing an antenna delete or using various aftermarket solutions.

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

When I got my SC300 it had a broken antenna mast and broken cable inside the antenna. At the time I bought a new OEM antenna part and followed DIY replacement instructions either on Clublexus or us.lexusownersclub or maybe another online forum which demonstrated the replacement process on an LS400 automatic antenna assembly. It has been in good shape ever since going ten years strong.

^^ This happened to me as well when I installed an aftermarket 1-DIN stereo. Even Beat-Sonic's SLA-10B plug-and-play stereo adapter module for SC's and Soarers did not let me avoid that issue. I even contacted them and escalated my inquiries to their engineers in Japan who confirmed that this was considered normal... but who also were able to confirm *some* of the wiring which wiring connections could be used to create a switch to allow manual antenna up and down function.

I've rigged a similar limit switch in my SC (although I do tend to use my FM function frequently enough to still want the mast function sometimes). However mine is wired in such a way that when the switch is in the off position the antenna trigger circuit is not activated but once the antenna is raised the antenna will not go down again.

I've been meaning to correct this with some of Raine's wiring notes (apparently I have to bypass the stereo power-on wire with a new one directly from the OEM Pioneer amplifier connector in the package tray) but I'm very curious if you recall how your stereo installer gave you this function with full up and down operation with the switch.

I Installed my toggle switch right above the factory fold-out cupholder location in the upper center console.

Bimmerbill

Has anyone tried one of the hidden antenna's mounted under the package shelf. Seems to me that would be the answer, Google for a list of the ten best. And with a hidden antenna you could disconnect the original one and leave it in place with it down. Also the Soarer used the one in the back glass, has anyone connected to that antenna? Would love to know.

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

It's been mentioned previously as working well enough, but again, only in areas that are strong enough reception to barely need a raised antenna in the first place.

That's the diversity antenna, which the SC also uses. It makes zero difference, as far as I can tell. I've experimented with and without it. There's probably one specific radio signal somewhere in the world that it's better than the mast at detecting the wave of.

Bimmerbill

The reason i mentioned the hidden ones is there are a lot of Street Rods and Customs ( including several friends ) that are running these hidden ones and I never heard anyone complain about reception. Maybe I just wasn't around when they did. In the fifties they started running antennas mounted on the frame on Customs and in the roof of Street Rods, if they had the old style cloth roof like on my '27 Dodge Brothers. I am sure you were not around in those days. The hidden antennas have improved a lot since the fifties.
Now I plead ignorance re your comment about the antenna in the back glass (diversity), am I to understand that it is hooked up together with the mast. I was hoping to use that when I painted my SC and removed the mast and had the hole filled in.
I do look forward to your answer to keep me from making a mistake.
Thanks, Bill

t2d2

iTrader: (8)

Run the test with a lowered mast on those same vehicles and get back to me. Again, it's all about what kind of reception you have in the area. Context is what's always missing in these discussions.

The two signals (mast and glass) merge behind the radio. You'd think that would just create conflicting signals, but the circuitry must account for it somehow, and only pick the stronger of the two. (I'm drawing a blank whether there are two inputs into the radio or if they merge into a Y and go in as one. I know a Y-cable is used when replacing the factory radio, for that reason. So, it's possible the glass' signal not helping is due to that pointless merge. I don't remember if I ever tried disconnecting it on the factory radio.)

Duck05

Sorry to say they did not share any details how they wired the switch. Mine is hidden in the ashtray cup and you would never know it was there. They closed their doors several years ago so I cannot contact them or refer you to them for information. They installed it pretty quickly, though.