even if youre able to see the temp sender, and the spade connector is on it, theres still the chance that the copper is suitably corroded after 20 ish years.
Certainly when I replaced mine I found the original was 'silted up' inside and the cars actual temp reading changed when the new one went in.
To be fair theres a ton of jobs that require the plenum off for a v6, so could be worth doing the lot in one go.
Plugs,
Plenum seals
Ht leads
Coil pack
Cleaning out the dried cruddy oil from the plenum
Ditto for the breather hoses (not strictly necessary to remove plenum, admittedly)
Coolant temp sensor
Check for potential leaks/corrosion on the bridge between cylinder banks
Possibly replace these hoses (sit above the exhaust, take a battering with extremes of temperature, a wonder they last as long as they do)
check conditon of oil cooler plate (they rot from inside out)
Thermostat
Joys of v6 ownership