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What does a camshaft do?

What does a camshaft do?

An engine contains many complex parts, making it hard to understand their individual functions. One component that works seamlessly together is the camshaft; this part synchronizes your car's engine by controlling when and how intake and exhaust valves open and close - our blog post on camshafts offers further insights!

What is a camshaft?

Also known as a timing shaft, this part is vital to the smooth running of your vehicle's engine.  A camshaft is a mechanical component used in internal combustion engines and other mechanical applications to control the movement of intake and exhaust valves.

It is a shaft that is usually mounted in the engine's cylinder head and has eccentric lobes or cams, hence its name. This component consists of a long steel cylinder containing the "cams". Cams are mechanical projections in the form of drops whose positions and orientations are designed to adapt valve opening and closing times to the needs of the engine.

How does a camshaft work?

Camshafts and camshaft sensors play an essential role in an engine's performance and efficiency by controlling when and for how long valves open and close - impacting how much air and fuel enters its combustion chambers. A well designed camshaft can enhance engine power, torque, fuel economy and the bottom line.

Starting up an engine triggers the camshaft to rotate. As it does so, its cams exert pressure onto valve tails mounted on springs mounted by their cams; this pressure pushes them outward to allow air in or allow combustion gases out.

After the cam has passed, the springs act on the valve to return it to its initial position. The speed of the camshaft depends primarily on the vehicle's engine speed.

The shaft controls the opening of the valve. A spring keeps the tail closed when the cam is not advancing. In fact, the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves depend on engine speed.

The degree and time of opening depend on the shape of the cams. The rounder they are, the longer the opening time. The longer the opening time, the sharper and longer the cams.

What types of camshafts are there?

There are several types of camshafts, each with a different function depending on engine requirements:

  • Side-mounted camshaft
  • Overhead camshaft
  • Dual overhead camshaft

Side-mounted camshaft

Side-mounted camshafts were once common on many engines but are no longer popular today due to their unique functionality of not directly activating valves but instead transmitting engine speed fluctuations via steel rods called rocker arms, located along either side of an engine block.

The Overhead Camshaft

An overhead camshaft sits atop an engine's crankshaft and connects directly with valves at its top for driving engine speed directly between the crankshaft and valves at the top.

The Dual Overhead Camshaft

Although its operation is similar to an overhead camshaft, adding two overhead camshafts can increase an engine's efficiency at high rpm - an integral component in cars designed for competition.

How much does it cost to replace a camshaft?

Based on the type of camshaft your vehicle uses, the cost to repair or replace this part can range anywhere from simple to triple. In general, prices typically fall within $100-300 range with sensor replacement costs adding on an estimated average of $10 to $100 more.

And then there's the cost of labor - typically an experienced mechanic may take anywhere between 2-7 hours of work depending on where your camshaft resides, with total expenses likely falling between $300 to $1,000 including parts and labor expenses.

Now you are equipped with all of the knowledge about camshafts and signs of wear that could indicate their need to replace or repaired, it will allow your engine and vehicle to keep operating optimally.


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