Camry Wagon XV20 aerial antenna replacement

[Willy wagon]

Hi all,

I have a 2000 Touring XV20 Camry wagon. The side mounted antenna on the rear right hand side appears to be cactus. The antenna is broken and has never gone up or down since  owning the car. A mechanic tested the antenna motor and found that power was going to the antenna motor, but the antenna would not go up or down when the radio was turned on/off. So, I am assuming that the motor drive is stuffed.

I'm located in Sydney. Can anyone tell me where I can get a replacement power unit and antenna? Also, is the whole unit the same as one for the four door sedan version or does it differ as regards the way it is mounted on the side of the rear fender as opposed to on top of the fender on the sedan model?

Cheers,

Kim

[Hiro]

Does the motor make any noise when you turn the radio on?  Often it is the plastic "cable" inside the antenna mast which breaks rather than the motor itself (so you get a crunching/whirring noise but no movement), in which case you can buy just a new mast and replace that rather than a whole new motor.  Finding a new one might be hard though as I'm pretty sure the wagon one is unique, plus online catalogues etc often don't list them due to the wagon not being sold in the US and Europe, plus a lot of them overseas (both sedan and wagon) had aerials integrated in to the rear windows rather than the older-style telescoping mast.

[Willy wagon]

Thanks Ian. No, there is no noise coming from the motor at all. It's as dead as a doornail. 

I wonder if it is worth trying to take the motor out and taking it apart? Is this possible?

If not, any thoughts on fitting an alternative antenna e.g. shark fin etc?

Has anybody done this at all?

Cheers

Kim

[Hiro]

21 hours ago, Willy wagon said:

Thanks Ian. No, there is no noise coming from the motor at all. It's as dead as a doornail. 

I wonder if it is worth trying to take the motor out and taking it apart? Is this possible?

Definitely doesn't hurt, but be prepared to get covered in grease.  Also make sure that you take notes as to how it all goes together, as well as being careful so that the mast cord doesn't go flying (it gets coiled up around the spindle when the antenna is retracted, so much like a whipper snipper or mower starter cord it tends to "release" itself very easily once you remove the housing.  Had to do this on the ex's SXV20 antenna (hers had stripped some of the teeth so you could "assist" the mast up and down through the stripped bits but otherwise it would just sit there and grind away non-stop until it timed out.

Potentially, if the motor is dead but everything else is fine you might be able to swap in the motor from a sedan one and keep the wagon housing, as sedans are much more common.

[Willy wagon]

Thanks for that extra info Ian! Re swapping the motor for a sedan one.....I have thought of that but I was under the impression they might be different units due to the fact that the wagon antenna protrudes through the side of the fender and the sedan one protrudes through the top of the fender if you know what I mean.

However, I could be wrong, I think I'll have a go at disassembling the existing motor and see what gives. If no success then go to Plan B as you suggested. Thanks again for your contribution.

Cheers

Kim 

Edited February 1 by Willy wagon

[Hiro]

2 hours ago, Willy wagon said:

Thanks for that extra info Ian! Re swapping the motor for a sedan one.....I have thought of that but I was under the impression they might be different units due to the fact that the wagon antenna protrudes through the side of the fender and the sedan one protrudes through the top of the fender if you know what I mean.

I'm talking about replacing the actual guts of the motor, you'd re-use the wagon housing to retain the mounting.  Both housings may actually be the same anyway, with the only difference being the shape of the "grommet" to suit the angle/curve of the rear quarter panel

[Willy wagon]

Yes thanks Ian. That's the plan!

Cheers

Kim