flexkavana

08 ES 350 143k miles - bought 1yr ago w 123k mile - a/c evaporator went out (that's side issue now). The body of the car is in great shape.
On 8/19 VSC light comes on w Check Engine light. Car quits at intersection. Restarts and I get to next destination. Let sit for 30 min. Trouble restarting but finally did, progressively more racket (noise) while driving w eventually high revving and no going. Car quits and (thankfully) was able to stop on off-ramp on the side. Temp gauge on C. No liquid is reservoir. Prelim research made me think maybe water pump w hopes of not warping heads. I foolishly disconnected the battery terminals and did the gas cap thing hoping that might have been an issue with it starting. Subsequently no codes.
Got it towed and tech calls and says timing chain broke (thus the noise). New timing chain(s) going to be a couple thousand and then he introduces the idea of potentially a new engine ($6k). What?
Am I rolling the dice by just replacing the timing chain(s)? Are there other components that could have been damaged that could be a problem in the future? Seriously consider another engine?
Anyone else face this dilemma?
I'm just a dad (a tired one), not a car expert but I do love my ES and school starts in 2 days.
I'd really appreciate and benefit from the wisdom of other members here. Thank you in advance.

KMiles

The damage that can be caused by a broken timing chain depends upon how high the RPMs were when it broke - note that timing chains rarely break. I had a car with a timing belt that broke and on a 4 cylinder engine I had 5 bent valves and a damaged piston that all had to be replaced. I was driving at about 45mph and 3200 rpm when it broke. They basically had to rebuild the engine (which was under a warranty) and it took a week. The car ran great after that.
I think you need to know how bad the damage is and the cost to repair it vs. dropping in a used engine to make a good decision.

Clutchless

Get a replacement used engine. With that many miles and the fact the timing chain broke, they will find much more damage when they take it apart, greatly raising the costs. You will likely have bent valves or piston damage from bent valves or warped heads. This engine is used in a lot of Toyota/Lexus models and there are many lower mileage ones available. It is also much faster to replace an engine than to rebuild one.
FYI next time stop driving as soon as the VSC light comes on with Check Engine Light and get it towed to a shop.

flexkavana

Update: Seems like the rear timing chain is the one that broke. And all the advice I've been given lines up with what Clutchless and Kmiles have said, so thank you for replying.
I'm exploring the replacement engine option now.