Ford Repair: Engine trouble, coolant temp, engine coolant

Question
I have a 97 ford explorer with a V6 4.0 and a manual transmission.   It has about 132000 miles.

After starting it and it idles down it wants to stall out.  It is spitting and sputtering and the only way I can take off is to rev the engine up and ride the clutch when I take off in 1st gear.  However once the engine has ran for about 5 minutes and warms up it runs great.  It idles smooth operates correctly.  I ran some NAPA fuel conditioner through it 2 tanks of gas ago and there was no change.

What could be causing this problem?


Answer
Hello and thanks for the question...I'll try to help.
I would check the engine coolant and make sure it is up to the correct level. Then I would suggest that you have the ECT (Engine Coolant Temp.) sensor checked out. It sounds as if that might be faulty.
Hope this helps,
Erik