First time post on here but need some guidance. I have an 01 sequoia that I bought with about 90K on it, had the timing belt replaced by a reputable shop at about 130K along with the water pump. Never had any engine problems with the truck and then last feb 2010 at around 175K the engine abrubtly died and would not restart. I had it towed to the same shop that put the timing belt and water pump on and they said it had slipped timing. I feared the worst knowning that it was an interference engine, but the mechanic acted like it was no problem to put a new timing belt on and all would be fine. The reason they claimed it slipped timing was because of a slow coolant leak, so they repaired that as well (replaced a hose). They replaced the timing belt and surprisingly all was good the truck ran fine and I did not notice any performance change from before it slipped.

Fast forward to dec. 2010 10 months later (195K), a dome light was left on in the cab that along with a cold december night drained the battery and it wouldn't start, the next night I took the battery out and charged it overnight. Put it in the next morning and it started right up...I let it run for a few minutes to warm up and wanted to drive it a few miles close to home to make sure the battery had a good charge. After about a mile the engine started to stall and it acted as if it wasn't getting any fuel and after about 30 seconds the engine lost all power, but no warning lights. Tried cranking it a few times and nothing, hoping it was the battery again I tried jumping and still nothing it wouldn't start. So i had it towed to the dealer. Dealer says it has slipped timing again!! But could not tell me why without taking it apart, they said I am better off replacing the engine due to the amount of miles and that there is most likely valve damage. I got lucky once but not so sure I can again...

Has anybody else had anything like this happen? If so what is the likelihood the engine is OK? And what in the Heck is causing it to keep slipping time!?

The shop that has put the other 2 timing belts on said for me to bring it to them and that it may still be under warranty. Of course I'm sure that depends on what the cause is, and I'm at their mercy since I know very little about it. I should also point out that I have replaced the trans at 150K, and have all new brakes & rotors, new radiator, and new tires all within the last 15K, so it's very frustrating. I thought I still had a lot of life left as it was running great before this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated?

Take it back to your original mechanic. Parts and labor should be covered for at least a year on that type of job. Good luck!

I think you are right... if the timing belt fell off or broke you will know from the crashing sound in the engine that your interference engine is crunching on valves. However, I don't think a slip will cause the engine to simply shutdown in the middle of a drive. A slip should result in back firing or chugging.

Sounds to me like electrical problem. Dead battery, alternator, wiring, sparks plugs, coils to multiple spark plugs, etc.

A fully charged battery is around 12.7V or higher (13.2V). A battery staying dead (internally shorted cells) less than 11.5V will kill the engine during drive due to lack of spark. Toyota typically connects to the battery on a primary line which then runs to the rest of the electrical system, meaning a dead battery will kill the engine.

There are a bunch of places who will test your alternator and battery charging ability for free. In the East coast, Advance auto and Pep boys will load it up and test it out. You don't even have to buy anything. If your check engine light is on.... and it should be for major failures.... they will give you the code from the OBD computer.

Good luck.