Missing unidentified computer part - Help!

[Rosy501]

Last week, I took my car (1998 318ti) to get checked out after returning from a 4500-mile cross country trip. What prompted me to get it checked out immediately was a computer part that a friend saw was dangling under the front of the car... about a foot in from the front bumper, closer to the passenger side.

I pulled over to check out the part and it had fallen off! I ccouldn't find it anywhere, and now all that remains is a little bunch of broken wires. When I took it to the repair place, they called up the manufacturer and determined it was probably the temperature sensor. HOWEVER, my temperature sensor seems to be reading fine - there is still a reading, and it changes throughout the day. There are no indicator lights on, and the car drives fine. Nothing different than before I started my trip.

Does anyone have further input or ideas? I'm getting worried...

 

[carcus]

Not sure what it is. All the gauges working OK and no check engine message so far? Take a pic of it and I am sure we can help you out and steer you in the right direction.

Did you check the turn signal on the passenger side to make sure the wires did not come out of the housing and the bulb fall out? Only thing so far I can think of but you would have a check engine light with the bulb being out of the socket. Please give us a bit more or a pic of the wires. For now, use electrical tape to seal off the end and zip tie the hanging wire somewhere. If your temp sender was a factor, gauge would not be working. So far nothing to worry about, do tape it up and secure it though.

 

[Rosy501]

Thanks for the reply! I'm a little more reassured. No indicator lights, no check engine light, nothing of the sort so far. I don't have a digicam, and I don't have my scanner with me, so I'm afraid I can't post a picture yet. However, I can describe the part a little - small, cube-like, about 2 inches all around (I got out in the middle of the road and glanced at it briefly before I went to pull the car over, wherein I lost the mystery part).

I should also mention that there was some damage to the front air intake shaft on the passenger side (the plastic parts in front of the front tire). But I don't know if they're related.

I just went to see if I could locate exactly where the wires broke off, and it seems that the mechanic tucked and secured the wire away already. As far as I could see, it doesn't seem that there are any noticeable "holes" or broken parts where that piece might fit. But I couldn't get my head very far under the car.

I'm thinking about taking it to another repair place and see if they can figure it out. If I manage to get a picture, I'll put that up too.