F150online Forums - 1997 4.2L hesitation on cold starts

Hello: 1997 4.2L V6: My truck does hesitate like not all cylinders are running only for about 10 seconds then it idles out smoothly. It does that when it is very cold outside or when it is parked for two or more days without starting. I did not started it all morning and it did not wanted to start at all. Then it finally started about 10 try and it hesitated for about 5 seconds and then idle out normally. I let it ran for about 4-5 minutes until it warmed up and then shut it down. It has not been very cold here in Topeka today. I filled the coolant on Christmas day up to the line (it was lower then the line but not by much) and today it was low about 1/2 inch. It has been using coolant but not this much in 5 days.

Normally, there are two reasons, minor coolant leak in one or more cylinders overnight causing that cylinder not to fire until the water is expelled.
2: In the case of this model the lower intake gasket. NO engine check light is ON.

Question:How do I test for which one is causing the hesitation.

It is one of the early trucks that had lower intake leak issue which was fixed by the former owner. Since I purchased it several years ago. I have done some work on it and it drives really smooth. I am hoping it does not die on me during the winter as I do not have a place to work on it inside.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
msk59