We tried “helping” out a customer who was down on her luck. Not a 2.3l but the same symptom on an eco boost escape. Coolant intrusion into cylinders

The deck on the block was warped ever so slightly, We re assembled and it lasted 2 weeks until the same symptoms re occurred.

Never again!! The amount of labour we wasted on trying to save the customer money ended up being a frustrating experience for everyone involved

Has it actually been diagnosed? If I remember correctly this is a GDI engine and is very prone to carbon build up on the intake valves which can result in misfires during cold starts

I’d hate to throw almost 1000$ at this and not fix your problem.