follow your top radiator hose ,its inside the cover.
You can find the 1997 Nissan Maxima thermostat on the front of the engine. You can follow the top radiator hose directly to the thermostat housing.
follow your top radiator belt,its inside the thermostat cover.2 bolts hold it on.
96 and 97 go together .no 87.
engine diagram for 97 3.0 v6 Nissan maxima
follow top raditor hose to intake ,its inside cover.
go to auto zone site and enter both vehicles info,year ,model.eng. size,and look up thermostat,then look on right side of screen for repair guide,click on ,it will show and tell you how to replace and you can compare the 94 to the 97.
not with out some modification
thermostat is located inside thermostat housing, this is where the top radiator hose connects to engine
In most cases the thermostat is located where the coolant leaves the engine on it's way to the radiator. On your explorer this should be where the upper radiator hose connects to the engine. In some cases there is a short metal pipe extension that the hose connects to and in turn bolts to the front of the engine. This bolted connection is normally where the thermostat hides.
You need to replace the thermostat, be sure to use the same temp as the factory thermostat.
The 97 Ford Explorer thermostat is located inside of the engine inlet. The inlet is where the top radiator hose connects to the engine.
Follow the upper radiator hose from the radiator to the engine. It will lead you to the thermostat housing. Drain coolant from radiator, remove upper radiator hose from engine, remove the two bolts holding the thermostat housing to engine, remove housing, remove thermostat.