help my engine is running like crap

ok so i drive my 53 to a local show this weekend and as we are coming home we start hearing a high pitched whistle coming from the engine bay. at first we thouhght the alternator was going bad but we checked it out and the noise wasnt coming from it and its putting out 14.4 at idle. i droveit yesterday and it seemed a little sluggish and today it just down right wont run. when you rev the engine up it make a low fluttering sound in the throat of the carb and when you let off of the gas it whistles through the carb. also i threw a vac*** gauge on it and it is only reading abpout 9"at idle it normally reads aroun 22". this engine is a bone stock 283v out of a 60 model wagon it has a cst iron square bore intake its running an hei distributor and a holley 600 carb.....d0 i have a dead engine ? im thinking that maybe a vale has gone away or maybe the cam but dont hear any knockin or valvetrain noise. so what do you guys think here

 

check to see if any of the screws holding the carb together are loose, or maybe the ones holding it to the manifold, or if a gasket is leaking. Also check the manifold to head bolts and intake gasket.

 

First is compression test.
That will tell you if its dead or not.
Then take it from there

 

thanksguys fro the replies, i have checked all of the bolts and sprayed starting fluid all around the carb looking for leaks. i'll check the compression tomorrow i really hate to think its dead its been a great little engine.

 

Might have a rocker messed up. Or a bent pushrod.

 

Is something plugging your exhaust?

 

Exhaust restricted maybe?


Gettin' slow I guess Engine man.

 

Whistling noise.

Low manifold vacuum.

I see what you did there. AND I LIKE IT!!!

 

I'll put my money on a vacuum leak also. Maybe some cleaning of the manifold and carb seal surfaces and a fresh carb gasket will get you going. Tight bolts don't give a complete diagnostic if the gasket has shrunk somewhere.

 

There's a million things to check, and I'd still do s compression test but ...

Check your timing and for a loose distributor. If its mobile back there and retarding that could give those changing symptoms especially if you've tweaked the idle speed adjustment lately

 

ok guys i found it ,thanks for all of the replies some times you cant see the forest for the trees. turns out the carb gasket had went away, this old intake that i have has an exhuast p***age running across the top i guess for a choke of some kind or maybe to help atomize the fuel in the stock carb setup. any way i went to the parts house and got an edelbrock spacer plate its only about 1/8 " thick put a new gasket top and bottom and it completely covers the crossover exhaust p***age and should keep it from blowing out again and letting exhaust gas back into the intake. also the whistle was coming from the bolts at the exhaust p***age on the head. guess im gonna go ahead and ghange the intake gaskets thgis weekend just for good measure. thanks again to everyone that replied

 

That squirrel knows his **** I tell ya !
Glad you found it

 

I have had that high pitched squeel on two different vehicles and both times turned out to be vaccuum leak around carb baseplate. Your prob sounds the same.