2007 Ford Escape. 2 problems, don't know if related. When accelerating, a loud whining sound coming from engine. Whining seems to get a little better after it warms up, but still faintly whines when accelerating. Secondly, Escape will not go above 60 mph, and when going up a hill, drops down to 40 mph (or less) no matter how much gas I give it. When starting, starts right up, but sometimes smell gas right after starting. Also sometimes smell faint exhaust smell while driving. Any ideas what problem(s) are?

 

Any check engine light?

An exhaust system leak can sound similar.and when heated parts expand and leak may quiet down some.
An exhaust leak can cause false oxygen sensor info to vehicle computer and cause what might seem like unrelated problems..

 

Would have useful to know what engine you have.
Look at your live data with a scan tool. Fuel trims can give good direction for troubleshooting. The whining noise could be the power steering pump which is fairly common with Fords. You could momentarily disconnect the belt before starting the cold engine to see if the whine is still present. Don't run it very long like that.

 

yes, my check engine light is on, so I brought vehicle to auto zone to check. Computor said catalytic converter clogged and needs replaced. I listened to the whine, and it doesn't seem to be coming from any belts. Could a clogged cat. conv. cause this whine?

 

yes, my check engine light is on, so I brought vehicle to auto zone to check. Computor said catalytic converter clogged and needs replaced. I listened to the whine, and it doesn't seem to be coming from any belts. Could a clogged cat. conv. cause this whine?

 

Not belts but the P.S pump. Removing the belt disables the pump from rotating.
CATS should last a very long time. You need to look closely at how well the engine is burning. A clogged CAT is only a symptom of an engine problem.