OK, I have a 1997 F150 2wd 3 door with a 4.2, approximately 130000 miles on it. I am the 2nd owner and have only had it for a couple months.

I noticed it ran a little rough on start up but smoothed out after it warmed up so I wasn't too concerned. CEL was on but it ran fine. I got the truck from my FIL and he said that it just had new hoses put on and the CEL came on after that. I noticed a slight coolant smell and after a big leak by the water pump I discovered that the guy who fixed it didn't have any of the hose clamps as tight as they should have been.

The heat went from really good to non-existent the last few weeks, never had any over heating issues though. Last week I was driving it to work and the temp gage spiked the light came on. I stopped and checked the coolant and it seemed fine. After I sat for a minute or two I checked the temp and it came back to normal. I figured it was because I let some pressure out of the system. It got hot again when I got to work but didn't spike at all driving home. I figured the water pump or t-stat was bad.

I replaced those on Saturday. When I filled the coolant up it ran rough and smoked but stopped and ran fine. Temp was fine but heat was nada.

Today same thing, smokes like a steam engine for a few minutes then runs fine. Coolant smell is noticeable. I had the codes scanned and got P0303, P0174, and P0171.

I am thinking intake gaskets, since it seems to be an issue with these engines. I am going to fix it before I get a hydro lock situation, so what would be the next thing to look at before deciding that they need changed? Do I need any Ford specific tools to do this job?

 

You have to many unknowns at this point.
The poor cold starts is due to the cooling system problems.
You would need to hear how cold start works to understand why.
Get the cooling system straightened out first.
1. Is the thermostast good and in the correct way if it was worked on?
2. Fix any leaks on the outside.
3. If the exhaust tends to be whiteish grey, a head gasket or intake leak is present. Blackish or blue color is to much fuel or oil.
4. The 171/174/ 303 code may be a hint as to where the intake leak is located. Look at the plug for cylinder 3 as a clue.
After all this is repaired and all the air is out of the cooling system you should have heat again and a good cold starts.
Bottom line is good workmanship was poor to begin this whole chain of events.
Good luck.

 

Probably the too-common problem with intake gaskets for that era of 4.2.