Toyota Repair: 98 4Runner attena, antenna mast, toyota dealer

Question
hello,

the motor turns on and off, but the antena does not retract. I also cannot manually push antena down.  I use to, but over time i gave up and now i can't get it down.  it may be bent.

do i need to replace whole unit or???

thanks

Answer
In most cases the antenna mast can be replaced, first get the new mast from the toyota dealer.    remove the old mast by removing the chrome nut on top of the fender then turn the radio on until the antenna mast comes all the way out, compare the length of both of the masts, if the old one is shorter than the new one then a piece of the old mast is still stuck inside the motor, in that case the motor has to be removed and taken apart to get the broken piece out. Installing the new mast is done by turning the radio on and feeding the mast in until the motor catches it and pulls it in.