What Is This???
 

Okay. Even though this is my second Box, 4th Porsche...blah, blah... I don't know what this is. It is located below the right side of the bumper. Can someone tell what this air-speed-indicator-looking-thing is?

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/j...rCrain/box.jpg

Temperature sensor

Factory Option 47: Front Laser Beam Attack Weapon

All joking aside, the poster above me is correct.

I don't have that option. Is there an electronic "activation" for the temp. display like there is on some vehicles that can be flashed to operate? Thanks by the way for the answer.

You don't need to know what the temperature is but your engine does according to Porsche. I looked into the OBC hack and I think it is more trouble than it is worth for me anyway.

Two different sensors.

There's the one in the grill, which reads outside air temp and it's displayed in the gauges if you have it active (search OBC hack) and probably used by the automatic climate control system.

There is another sensor built into the MAF that tells the DME what the incoming air temperature is. This is used to control fuel metering and spark timing.

I beg to differ...I did the OBC hack WITHOUT the stalk, using just the single footwell switch option mounted into one of the blanks on the dash. The entire project was done in less than one hour and I have all the functionality of the stalk, without the hassle. I agree the OBC hack is not worth it with the stalk, but choosing the dash button option makes it totally worth it. Complete cost was about $60 and it was really easy. I highly recommend it.

The two readings from the OBC I use most are the temp and DTE.

I thought the outside temp was displayed automatically...? I definitely don't have the OBC active from the factory, and neither does my sister's '99, but both always show the ambient temp right under the digital speedometer.

In any case, I had the same question not too long ago, Steve, so don't feel bad even if you're multi-Porsche owner. Now you know what the thing does, and apparently it likes to fall out of its little holder on the grille from time to time, so keep an eye out for that. It only wedges into place, doesn't have any sort of lock on it.

Hey Ron will you come do mine? I would rather pull the motor than deal with pinouts and other electrickery. Too many years with the Dark Lord Lucas in the Land Rover world.

Happily...if I wasn't 3,000 miles away! It really was easy though. If you can snap two Legos together, you can do this.

you have a link to the non stalk method?

This particular sensor...
 

... does two things:
a) It displays the outside temperature for cars that have the OBC activated and,
b) It lets the HVAC system know the outside temperature so it can compensate accordingly.

Happy Boxstering,
Pedro