Ford Repair: Gasket Problem?, ford escort lx, air control valve

Question
Hi James,
I have a 1995 Ford Escort LX, 4cyl, 1.9L engine with 93,500 miles. Automatic. Sometimes when I start the car it idles rough for a minute and then runs smoothly until I shut it off and the engine gets cold again. I have also noticed white smoke or steam from the exhaust only when it does  idles rough. But the car never overheats and I've noticed only slight coolant use. The oil looks clean and seems to be no oil in the coolant.
Someone told me it could be a possible leaking head or intake gasket. What do you think? Thank you very much for your time.

Answer
The coolant is going somewhere. How do the spark plugs look. Run a compression test when you pull them and replace. A coolant pressure test couldn't hurt. It may reveal something as simple as a defective hose. As far as the rough idle goes, it is probably long overdue to have the throttle body and idle air control valve cleaned. You will notice a large hose coming off the valve cover "after" the air cleaner. This is full of carbon deposits, and gunks up the throttle body. All that aside, gasket failure is still a possibility. Stand to the rear of the car, if you smell coolant, its probably an intake gasket since you say the car has never overheated.