Limp mode maybe?

hi the whine if it were the pump would also occur in neutral as the engine was revved so i dont think it has to do with the coolent pump.but i have a feeling the prob could be fuel pump related could it be that a filter or the collector inlet is partially blocked .another source of whine is the engine oil pump and its collector plate in the sump being blocked but this would almost certainly set an engine warning ligtht .but both these possible causes would more thatn likely occur when the engine was revved in neutral .soo the obvious most likely cause of whine noise only occuring as the car is being driven is gearbox clutch drive train related .i would not expect a slipping clutch to set the limp mode in the motor though im open to correction on this .a sure way to test your clutch is drive the car to the nearest steep hill to your home and approach the hill in steady top gear and as you climb increase speed but dont drop down a gear if the clutch is slippiing the engine will immediatly start to rev.and the car will not respond to the engine revs.as it shuld .of course there is a static test you can do at home like starting the car and enguaging it in say second gear and trying to move forward whilst the hand brake in in the on position or wheeels are well chocked or as as stated above by the other contributer but as all these methods are slightly iffy for the amatuer mechanic i reccomend you take the car to a professional mechanic or garage to have conclusive tests done as there is a limit to what you can gleam depending on capabilities from these sites.good luck with it .s

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have done all the clutch tests and despite one garage telling me I definitely need a clutch I am not at all convinced!

The revs are not at all erratic - I do not see a sudden surge in revs under accelleration in a high gear going up a hill. The car does seem to struggle mightily getting up a hill though in a higher gear and at higher revs.

When stationary, if I let the clutch out whilst in gear and handbrake applied the car does indeed stall as you would expect - in any gear the effect is the same.

On a motorway, cruising along in say 70-80 mph in 5th gear there seems to be a distinct lack of power, as if there is nothing more to give. The revs rise steadily as I accellerate but the speed only increases a little and although I am not, it feels like when you push a healthy car to its top speed and there is nothing left for it to give and you can just feel it will not go any faster if this makes sense?

I have no engine warning light on so the whining which starts at around 3k revs in 4th gear and lack of power is really all I have to go on.

when travelling at say 80mph I find I am doing 3.5k revs. Is this a little high for my car do you think?

I am now wondering (after reading this forum some more) about the EGR valve - could this be causing the problems I am seeing? I don't have rough idle but the lack of power seems to tie in. Can this cause the whining / whistling also? If this was at fault, am I right in thinking I would see the engine management light come on?

Thanks again for info so far ...

Well I can get to garages around Sheffield / Rotherham so if anyone has any recommendations shout up!

Trouble is that could not have come at a worse time. I'm considering taking the car into Ford for diags, as I need the car back on the road asap. What will I get with diag report? Will it be a thorough asessment for the £88 they charge - ie will it tell me for sure that the issue is or will it just come back as no fault found, that's £88 please??

Not had a chance really to spend much time on it but in any case I'm not entirely sure what to check. Have had a listen under the bonnet but all I hear is engine noise when I rev it! Not sure exactly where I should be looking. Mechanic has had a very quick look at manifold and said it seems ok.

I was going to attempt removal of the EGR valve but I couldn't find it (Duratec HE).

Problem is a very strange one, feels like the clutch is slipping but all the clutch tests prove it's not. There is just no pulling power there. No erratic revving - best way I can describe it is that when in top it feels like there should be another gear. This is how I noticed the problem in the first place at the same time as the car started to whistle at 3k revs.

I really just need to get this sorted, any thoughts on best way to go about it and any comment on whether Ford diags is worth the cost?

Should I not expect an engine management warning when something like this happens?