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First what is a cam shaft

A camshaft is a rotating object made of metal that contains pointed cams, which converts rotational motion to reciprocal action. It basically connects different parts to do work so they achieve the same goal

So, on the full length of the camshaft there are parts called lobes and they are very important for the smooth operation of an engine

Remember we said that it is a rotating object so fitted on the shaft is another part called the cam gear. The part of the work of this gear is to get the shaft turning. They come in different styles based on the manufacturer’s preference. Here are some cam gears designs

How is this shaft supported and on what it rotates? well, this is a good question.

Placed at certain parts on this shaft are what they call, camshaft support bearing journals.as it sits on another part of the engine called the cylinder head held together by mounting bracket under which the cam bearing lives

Protected by a very effective form of lubrication system.

  Here is a photo of an engine showing a doble overhead camshaft with their cam gears also called timing gears. That’s where they call home for the life of this engine.

Next episode we will talk about the very important roll they play in an engine.                                                     

Why Water pumps for cars

A water pump is another very important component of an internal combustion engine.it is one of several parts attached to the engine block its role is to pump coolant to different parts of the engine block and cylinder head.

Because the engine generates a lot of heat there must be some cooling taking place to keep the engine at operating temperature which is typically 200 degrees Fahrenheit

What do they really do? A water pump circulates coolant from the radiator to the engine block to prevent the engine over heating

The cycle goes like this. The pump draws coolant from the radiator through a hose first goes through a thermostat which acts as a valve that allows coolant to flow only after the engine is wormed up then the engine transfers the heat to the coolant the coolant makes its way back to the radiator where it is cooled by the fan and the atmosphere, and the cycle keeps going on and on till the engine is shut down

But in other for the water pump to perform all the good stuff we talked about it must have a source of power. Different manufacturers design water pumps differently but they all do the same job difference is the way they are being powered some are electrical and some are mechanical.

The mechanical water pump is run by the crankshaft via a drive belt and turns at the same RPM as the crank shaft to get maximum output.

The electrical water pump is powered by the electrical system of the vehicle, and some are designed in such a way that after the engine stops running it continues to operate a few minutes to allow complete cool down of the engine. An engine after driving for some time and comes to a stop at that tome is the engine is the hottest because all cooling activity stops and the heat transfers to different parts of the engine which could cause damage to certain components

So some electrical pump has that feature to protect the engine.