Toyota Repair: 1988 Camry 4 cyl,130 K miles, timing, timing belts, extreme lack

Question
Car was sluggish on the way to work. mostly highway. lacked power on the hills but didn't seem to be running rough. Same day on the way home had to give up and limp back to work due to extreme lack of power, very sluggish. Not responding to the gas pedal etc. Starts a little hard now. Idle slower than should be, doesn't want to (but will if taken slowly) rev up when parked either. I checked timing. Seems it has shifted (retarded)I think. What could make timing shift? Do timing belts slip? (original belt). How is spk advance controled. Can plugged cat. converted cause this symptom?

Answer
If you have gotten 130,000 miles out of the original timing belt you are extremely lucky, it should have been replaced at 60,000 miles, frankly I have never seen a timing belt last this long.
I suggest that the timing belt be replaced right away and see if the performance gets back to where it should be, yes the belt can slip and so change the distributor timing and affect engine performance but it will be only a matter of time before the engine will stop running.
A clogged up catalityc converter can cause a power loss also, but I think the problem is the timing belt.