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Automotive vocabulary · Engine and Fuel Systems

Camshaft

Meaning in automotive, with examples

/ˈkæmʃæft/nounCommon term

In automotive, camshaft means: A shaft with shaped lobes (cams) that opens and closes the engine valves at the right time. It is driven by the crankshaft through a timing belt or chain.

In Turkish: eksantrik mili, kam mili

How it is used

Common in engine specs and repair manuals. A DOHC engine has two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank; variable valve timing changes camshaft timing while the engine runs. The related sensor is the camshaft position sensor.

Example sentences

  1. The timing marks on the camshaft and crankshaft must line up before you fit the new belt.

  2. Code P0016 means the camshaft and crankshaft signals don't match.

Common collocations

  • camshaft position sensor
  • camshaft timing
  • overhead camshaft
  • camshaft lobe
  • crankshaftThe main rotating shaft at the bottom of an engine. It turns the up-and-down movement of the pistons into rotation that drives the gearbox.
  • timing beltA toothed rubber belt that keeps the crankshaft and camshafts turning in exact time, so the valves open and close at the right moment. Some engines use a timing chain instead.
  • cylinderOne of the round chambers in an engine block where a piston moves up and down and the fuel is burned. Most car engines have three, four or six cylinders.
  • engineThe machine that burns fuel, usually petrol or diesel, to produce the power that moves a vehicle. It turns the energy of burning fuel into rotation of the crankshaft.

More terms: Engine and Fuel Systems

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