facing your truck it should be mounted on the radiator core support to the right of the radiator.
The 1997 Ford Explorer ambient temperature sensor can be found on the bottom of the drivers side mirror. The engine coolant temperature sensor can be found on the front of the engine.
Yes, the power train management computer needs input from this sensor to time the spark to each cylinder. With a bad sensor there will be no ignition and the engine won't start.
on the intake
What kind of heat sensor did you have in mind??
I4 does not have MAF.
located in the cylinder head
Bank 2 is the drivers side of the engine in a Ford Explorer Sensor 1 would be somewhere in the exhaust before the catalytic converter ( upstream )
For a 1997 Ford Explorer 4.0 liter V6 engine ( EFI and SOHC versions ) ( There are 6 spark plugs )
its bolted to the cylinder block near the rear of the right cylinder head
on cylinder 1 side mounted on the manifold
It is item 24 on the diagram
You can identify whether or not your 1997 Ford Explorer has an overdrive drum sensor by looking at the identification tag on the transmission. The identification tag will list the overdrive drum sensor.