Accessing antenna base

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Sep 17 2007, 06:05 PM) [snapback]513962[/snapback]</div>

WOW time to order a white sharkfin and cover it up

 

Hi Doc,

There is another post which shows the large nut on the underside of the roof. You will have to remove the inside covering to get to the nut. Most likely there is a large hole which a threaded bushing goes through. The hold is either D-shaped, or there is a second smaller hole which a molded key pin on the antenna base fits into. So, you wont be able to turn the antenna base without breaking it.

 

This will probably offer no comfort at all, but I've been running
around without the antenna mast for, what, like 2 years now. I
unscrewed it once when parking in a sketchy neighborhood, and just
never put it back on. The base seems to have enough metal in the
air to received the local clear-channel AM news station which is
about all I ever use the radio for and that's rare anyways. If you
don't particularly care about the radio, there's no harm in running
around with the stub; you might find a tidy way of taping down the
broken-out metal piece in the meantime.
.
There are threads about pulling down the rear part of the headliner;
those will probably help but you'll still have to fix or replace the
antenna fitting because it looks like you ripped the metal part
right out of where it was molded or glued in or whatever. I defer
to the antenna-replacement wizards for the real info here..
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Sep 17 2007, 09:27 PM) [snapback]514067[/snapback]</div>

if the metal stub with the threads in it are still attached to the wire the shark fin will work . the fin has a wire lead serpentined inside and comes with two diff sized screws to go in that metal piece. I have XM so my fin is for looks anyways

 

There is a thread about removing the headliner and accessing the nut for the antenna base.

I found it after I already did it.

1. remove the three plugs above the rear seat. I used a door panel tool to safely pry it out.
2. pry the rear dome out. I think there's a trick but I don't remember if one side was fixed and the other side allows you to release it.
3. carefully remove the plugs from the handles in the headliner. The plugs retain the metal clasps holding the handle to the roof. Repeat on the other side of the car.
4. I slowly pulled one corner of the headliner out of the c-pillar panel, then out the side. Be careful that the headliner does not cut into rubber seal.
5. with one side free, work the headliner free of the other c-pillar panel.
6. with the rear half of the headliner free to peel down, you can see the wiring for the antenna and mount.
7. from the passenger side, you can unplug the antenna and the antenna power lead.
8. using the door panel tool, you can separate the wire harness from the roof.
9. using a 21mm or 22mm open-end box wrench, you can break the nut loose. Once loosened, you can unthread the rest by hand. I can't remember the size as I took both out to the car.
10. there are two brass clasps securing the antenna to the sheet metal. Squeeze the sides together until it is loose.
11. feed the wiring through the roof.
12. once removed from the car, there are three screws in the base of the antenna mount.
13. removing the screws will expose the circuit board and single black lead to the antenna.

I found this picture on priuschat from another user who installed sound deadener but the picture is reversed. The picture appears as if from the left (driver) side of the car because the antenna lead goes towards the rear of the car. But on my car, I would see the wire from the right (passenger) side of the car with the antenna lead going towards the rear of the car.

While you have the antenna base removed from the car, you might as well clean that area of the roof.
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I hope I rembered everything I need to tell you about this.

 

Here's another thread about the same/similar issue.

http://priuschat.com/Broken-antenna-t38807.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Doc Willie @ Sep 17 2007, 07:27 PM) [snapback]514067[/snapback]</div>

My vote is white (and I've seen the pictures of your modded 1701 prius). I think if you can match the color of the car it will look much more professional.

 

Here are illustrated instructions for replacing the antenna base:
http://www.wallwatcher.com/Antenna

 

Those illustrated instructions are FANTASTIC. Thanks Charlie!!!

 

If you decide to get the shark fin......get the white! Because the car is white and getting the white will make the car top look more uniform and therefore look more "classy".

 

January 20, 2017: Instructions have moved to here: http://www.foofaid.com/antenna

 

March 5, 2017: Instructions have moved to here: Replacing the Antenna Base in a 2nd Generation Prius