Viable replacement intake manifold/temp gauge

[JW]

It appears my intake manifold has a crack in it somewhere in the rear coolant passage on the driver's side. The leak isn't persistent but will drop about 1-2 cups of coolant each time it leaks. I'm searching for a replacement and can find lots of Mustang intakes, but nothing Explorer-specific. Rock Auto has nothing, Amazon has nothing for the Explorer but one for the Mountaineer, which *should* be the same thing, and local parts stores are, naturally, useless. The Mustang intakes have a coolant fitting on the rear passenger side that we don't have, so I assume it can simply be capped and clamped, but hate to spend $300 and be wrong. Does anyone have a source for a new replacement intake that will work? Are there any aftermarket/upgrade options that are worth the cost and trouble?

Also, where is a good location to add a sender for an aftermarket temperature gauge?

 

[JW]

Still seeking input on this...

 

[Number4]

Everyone uses the 2002 version. Just have to cap off some port in the back. A few threads here talking about it.

Was interested in checking out the Mustang version, though I believe it doesn't have our two knock sensor bosses. Dive into the Stang version and let us know. Or search out the 2002 version threads.

 

[JW]

Thanks! Apparently, adding the year to the search criteria helped tremendously. That led me to the alleged Mountaineer-only intake on Amazon I mentioned before, so that's the direction I'll go. (Upon further checking, Amazon says it'll fit a 2002 Explorer, so their database needs some tweaking...)

Anyone have any thoughts on the temp sender? Do I just "T" off the existing fitting and add the factory and aftermarket there, or is there another (or better) location for a sender?