Camshaft
A camshaft is a shaft to which a cam is fastened or of which a cam forms an integral part. An early cam was built into Hellenistic water-driven automata from the 3rd century BC. The camshaft was later described in Turkey (Diyarbakır) by Al-Jazari in 1206. He employed it as part of his auto…
What does a camshaft do in a car?
The camshaft rotates in conjunction with the crankshaft of a car. It performs a service that involves the mixture of air and fuel entering cylinders and the gases emitted from them, in an action repeated many thousands of times. The camshaft has attached to it protruding oblong lobes, one for each valve.
What is the function of the camshaft?
- Purpose: A camshaft acts as a timing device that controls the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves, as well as setting the valve overlap that occurs at ...
- Additional Functions of a Camshaft: In older engines camshafts may also have gears machined into them that operate the distributor and the oil pump.
- Reference Links:
How much should a camshaft?
The average cost for camshaft replacement is between $1,309 and $1,531. Labor costs are estimated between $850 and $1,072 while parts are priced at $459. This range does not include taxes and fees, and does not factor in your specific vehicle or unique location. Related repairs may also be needed.
How does camshaft connected to the crankshaft?
Camshaft and crankshaft gears are connected by a timing chain (similar to a bicycle chain) or timing belt (similar to a drive belt, but with teeth), or are a mesh gear set (two interlocking gears) located in the “front end” of an engine. To control combustion they must be indexed (aligned to manufacturer’s specifications) to work in ...
Does a performance camshaft increase horsepower?
Performance cams increase the duration and timing of the valve openings during the engine stroke, increasing horsepower and making your car accelerate more quickly. You'll idle slightly rougher with a performance cam, but get a throaty rumble that's desirable for some gearheads, depending on your vehicle.
How much power do performance camshafts add?
What Does A Camshaft Do In A Car? A quality camshaft can increase your car's horsepower by 10 to 20 times, depending on the camshaft you opt for. What is this? The camshaft is a rotating shaft that activates the engine's cylinder's intake and exhaust valves.
What is the best performance camshaft?
According to our BrandZoom™ Camshafts report, based on surveys of automotive enthusiasts who have shopped for or purchased a cam, the top 3 camshaft brands that are most trusted are COMP Cams, Crower and Edelbrock (in alphabetical order). Each of these three had a 90% or higher positive perception.
Do camshafts make car louder?
The main reason that cammed trucks are louder is that there's more fuel going into the engine, meaning a louder idle and more volume at any given speed. While this is mostly true, the extra noise doesn't just come from increased fuel intake. It also results from the larger size of the cams themselves.
How much HP does a Stage 1 cam?
How Much HP Does A Stage Cam 1 Add? A stage cam 1 can boost your vehicle by 50 to 100 horsepower. At the same time, it will also produce an increase in the torque output. Add a stage 1 engine to your car, and you'll experience an improved RPM throttle response.
Does performance cam reduce mpg?
Any performance cam will lower your gas mileage (period). If you are going for economy and not performance then there is no need to port the heads, since economy driving is done at low RPMs and velocities are low.
Do camshafts increase RPM?
Fortunately, choosing the right aftermarket performance camshaft for your particular combination will deliver big rewards. Increased power, increased torque, increased rpm potential and a broader powerband are just a few of the benefits that could result from choosing the right cam.
How much does a performance cam cost?
The Best in Auto Repair The average cost for camshaft replacement is between $1,384 and $1,614. Labor costs are estimated between $880 and $1,111 while parts are priced at $504. This range does not include taxes and fees, and does not factor in your specific vehicle or unique location.
What is the difference between a Stage 1 and Stage 2 camshaft?
Most Stage 1 type modifications are typically in the +10-15% power increase over stock. Stage 2: this is typically referred to an engine with a performance cam upgrade as well as the other components within a Stage 1 combination. A typical Stage 2 has generally +20-25% more HP than stock.
Is it worth upgrading the camshaft?
Upgrading the factory camshaft is a great way to gain more power and torque. It's usually the next step after improving exhaust and the cold air intake. The numbers below are above what a tuned car with the stock cam and full exhaust upgrade would typically get.
What does a Stage 3 cam do?
Product Description. The LS1 Stage 3 camshaft was designed for enthusiast who want to increase power while maintaining excellent drivability and manners. This cams can be used with stock torque converters, stock rear gears, stock intake manifold, stock exhaust manifolds etc.
How much horsepower does a Stage 3 cam give?
It is a lot more aggressive and worth an additional 20 hp on top of the gains from the 8710 grind or 123 hp over a stock LS3 when combined with a stroker kit.
What is a camshaft?
A camshaft is a rotating length of metal with strategically positioned lobes that operate another mechanical object each time they touch. In the case of an engine, the other object is typically a tappet and valve, or pushrod and rocker shaft. The camshaft is used to control the opening and closing of the inlet and exhaust valves in the cylinder head, allowing fuel and air mixture into the combustion chamber and spitting the burnt exhaust gasses out ready for the next cycle.
What else should be fitted with a performance camshaft?
Performance camshafts are quite often sold as a kit, or the tuning company that produces them will offer a number of recommended extras to fit at the same time. These include upgraded camshaft pulleys, heavy-duty valve springs, and cam followers. It is advisable for the longevity of the new camshaft, and ultimately its performance to change these parts at the same time. The camshaft pulley is attached to the end of the camshaft and is driven by either a timing chain or a cam belt from the crankshaft. Adjustable camshaft pulleys, often called vernier pulleys, are also available which allow incremental timing adjustments to be made with all components in situ. Stiffer valve springs will control the opening and closing of the valves better at higher RPM. They will eliminate valve bounce, which is where the valve pops back open because of the inertia generated from closing too quickly. Depending on how far you are taking your performance tuning, it would make sense to couple a new camshaft with a ported and polished cylinder head and to fit larger valves too.
What do camshaft lift and duration mean?
The taller this cam lobe is, the further the valves will open. Camshaft duration refers to how long the camshaft lobe is in operation with the valve partially or fully open. This duration is measured in degrees, but critically degrees of crankshaft rotation, rather than that of the camshaft. As a rule of thumb, the larger the duration number, the higher up the rev range the power band will be. Both of these profile variables will affect the efficiency and performance of the Four-Stroke Cycle if adjustments are made away from standard specification.
How many camshafts does my engine have?
Most older engines including the aircooled flat 4 and early watercooled examples have a single camshaft. The majority of air-cooled 911s have 2, as does the Golf GTI 16v and the VR6. A special few were blessed with four camshafts including the 356 quad cam and V8 powered Porsche 928. A flat 4 engine, including the Wasserboxer and the Porsche 356/912 has a single centrally mounted camshaft in the crankcase. As this rotates it operates horizontally mounted pushrods to control the rocker shafts in the cylinder heads, which then open and close the valves. Porsche chose to move away from this antiquated and rather clunky set up in the back of the 901/911 model on the grounds of questionable pushrod reliability at high RPM and limits on peak engine power. Instead, the 911 engines make use of 2 camshafts, one in each cylinder head which directly moves a rocker shaft and in turn opens the valves. 8 valve watercooled VW engines and in-line Porsche engines have a single camshaft mounted at the top of the engine, just below the rocker cover. In comparison to a flat 4 engine, which requires the case to be split, changing a camshaft on an inline engine is a doddle! In 1986 Volkswagen launched their GTI 16v engine, which had a double overhead camshaft (DOHC) design allocating one camshaft to inlet valves and another to exhaust. A year later Porsche launched the 944 S, equally equipped with 16 valves albeit on a larger 4 cylinder block. The benefit of DOHC is a better airflow through the heads, leading to a more efficient operation and producing an increase in top-end power over a SOHC engine. With more camshafts comes more complication, as both the camshafts must remain in sync with each other, but also with the crankshaft too. 16v engines will also be more costly to service when it comes to replacing valve stem seals and cam followers as there are more of them!
What is the job of a camshaft?
The camshaft uses lobes (called cams) that push against the valves to open them as the camshaft rotates; springs on the valves return them to their closed position. This is a critical job, and can have a great impact on an engine's performance at different speeds.
What is a camshaft sensor?
A camshaft sensor feeds information to the engine about the components and conditions of the air, fuel and spark ignition.
How does a valve timing mechanism work?
A mechanism can slide the whole camshaft laterally so that the valve engages different parts of the cam. The shaft still spins just like a regular camshaft -- but by gradually sliding the camshaft laterally as the engine speed and load increase, the valve timing can be optimized.
How does a Ferrari cam work?
The camshafts on some Ferrari engines are cut with a three-dimensional profile that varies along the length of the cam lobe. At one end of the cam lobe is the least aggressive cam profile, and at the other end is the most aggressive. The shape of the cam smoothly blends these two profiles together. A mechanism can slide the whole camshaft laterally so that the valve engages different parts of the cam. The shaft still spins just like a regular camshaft -- but by gradually sliding the camshaft laterally as the engine speed and load increase, the valve timing can be optimized.
What are the different types of camshafts?
There are several different arrangements of camshafts on engines. We'll talk about some of the most common ones. You've probably heard the terminology: 1 Single overhead cam (SOHC) 2 Double overhead cam (DOHC) 3 Pushrod
Why do engines have double overhead cams?
The main reason to use double overhead cams is to allow for more intake and exhaust valves.
What is a pushrod engine?
A pushrod engine. The camshaft in a pushrod engine is often driven by gears or a short chain. Gear-drives are generally less prone to breakage than belt drives, which are often found in overhead cam engines. A big thing in designing camshaft systems is varying the timing of each valve.
