RepairPal Certified shops can diagnose and repair your 1997 Ford Taurus. They provide transparent pricing with a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services.
Other easy way ( but may sometimes not quite be right ) is to go on line and look them up for both years and compare part #s. OR making 'friends' with your local ford parts guy (wouldn't hurt to buy a part or two from them either).