1998 ford crown vic 4.6 engine has water in only one cylnder has been setting 60 - 90 with out starting?

1998 ford crown vic 4.6 engine has water in only one cylnder has been setting 60 - 90 with out starting?

The 4.6 has a water cross-over leg in the intake manifold, to move the coolant from one side of the engine to the other. This is the very first leg of the intake manifold. Now, Ford tried some ALL-PLASTIC intake manifolds early on on the 4.6, but they didn't work - The first leg, the water cross-over, cracked where it connected to the second leg, which was an air passage, & sometimes that let the coolant into that intake manifold runner. The replacement manifold used aluminum for just the first leg, then the rest were plastic. So, check your intake manifold - If the very first runner is plastic, that could be the problem. AND, replacing the intake manifold is cheaper then replacing a head gasket.