Stupid Question
 

I read a lot of people want four stalk assemblies for their cars. What is the difference and or advantage?

The fourth stalk controls the OBC computer functions if the car is capable.

I believe that all of the cars are capable, just needs to be activated.

Porsche Boxster On Board Computer (OBC) Upgrade and Turn Signal Switch Replacement - 986 / 987 (1997-08) - Pelican Parts Technical Article
I installed one on mine and I'm kind of neutral about if I like it and think it's worth the effort

Is it worth it? Not really. But it is a good first project and it isn't expensive. Gives you the outside temperature and your gas mileage and a few other things. A good confidence builder! :)

Yeah, that's what I meant ... too early in the morning to be typing.

Mine shows outside temperature, so it must be activated. Personally don't care for all the other features, so I can't see myself installing the fourth stalk.

If you just need to add the 4th stalk for the OBC I think it's worth the effort, because you can just add that one stalk without removing the steering wheel and airbag. If you only have a 2 stalk car, I think it's worth the effort to remove the steering wheel and airbag if you also want to add cruise control.

I have a MY 2003 that has three stalk with cruise control. I'd be interested in just adding the OBC functions, if it wasn't too hard or expensive.

I like the stock look, so I would not want a dash switch. So, all I need is to purchase and install the 4th stalk, not remove the steering wheel, purchase and hook up the wiring harness to the cluster, and activate OBC (I have a Durametric Enthusiast cable)? Are there DIY for this version of the mod?

Sorry for the stupid questions!

I added the 4 stalk as described on Pelican's site.
(see link below thanks to NewArt)
I activated it with the Durametric that Santa gave me for Christmas.
The upgrade was pretty easy.
I had a little trouble with the airbag screws, but the rest of the project went very smoothly.

I don't believe you can purchase just the 4th stalk.

Pretty sure the existing DIY's (like the Pelican article) will tell you that you have to pull the airbag and steering wheel (including the clockspring assy) and swap out your existing 3-stalk switch with a 4-stalk switch. But there is another way - See below...

In my case I bought a 4-stalk off of ebay, and removed the 4th stalk (just 2 small bolts) and bolted it up to my existing 3-stalk. Then I sold what had become a 3-stalk switch on ebay (as a 3-stalk switch).

But you CAN install that 4th stalk without pulling the steering wheel or airbag. You need to remove the top and bottom steering column covers. To do that, you'll need to remove 4 screws that hold the covers together and 4 additional screws that hold the front cover (behind the steering wheel) to the top and bottom covers. To get to the screws behind the steering wheel you'll need to turn the wheel to a 45 degree angle (which means you'll need to remove those screws before disconnecting the battery). Once all 8 screws have been removed (4 on bottom, and 4 behind steering wheel) you can pry the front cover towards you to release the top and bottom covers. You'll then install the 4th stalk to the turn signal switch using the 2 bolts you removed from the 4-stalk switch you bought. From that point on you can just follow the Pelican DIY article.

For the harness, see forum member PDWIGHT. You can make your own, but his are awesome - they look factory and will cost you less than if you bought the parts and built it yourself. I made my own, but if I had to do it over again I'd definitely get one of his cables.

It will take you about a minute to enable OBC with your Durametric cable once the software has booted.

Once enabled, you'll be able to switch between outside temperature, miles remaining before you have to fill up, miles-per-gallon, and you'll also be able to set the speed at which an alarm sound will go off. It's easy to lose track of how fast you are going in our cars, they feel the same at 85 as they do at 60, and that feature will sound a gong when you exceed your alarm speed setting. It can save you from getting an accidental ticket.

Hope this helps!

Bill

That's perfect, Bill. Thanks.