Crankshaft, timing and valvetrain

Camshafts

Camshafts that open the intake and exhaust valves at the right moment and by the right amount: the shafts whose lobes are ground to the profile and the timing of the original engine and whose journals run in the bearings of the head, for European and Japanese passenger cars, identified by OE reference.

MONTTRON camshaft: a steel overhead camshaft with its lobes, its bearing journals and the drive flange at one end

The camshaft turns the rotation of the engine into the opening and closing of the valves. Its lobes, one per valve or per pair of valves, are ground to a profile that sets when each valve opens, how far it lifts and when it closes; the shaft is driven from the crankshaft by the timing chain or belt at half the crankshaft speed, and its journals run in bearings in the cylinder head or in a separate carrier. Most passenger-car engines have one or two camshafts per bank of cylinders, one for the intake valves and one for the exhaust valves.

Camshafts wear where the lobe meets the tappet or follower. The contact is a line under very high pressure, separated by a film of oil; when the oil is low, old or of the wrong grade, or when the engine has been started and stopped too often for the oil to reach the top of the head, the lobe scores and wears down, the valve lift drops and the engine loses power, ticks and fails its emission test. Journals wear when the oil feed is blocked, and a camshaft can break when a follower seizes.

MONTTRON camshafts are made to OEM-compliant quality and as aftermarket spare parts: the lobe profile, the lobe timing, the journal diameters and the drive end of the original, so the camshaft runs in the original bearings and drives the original valves at the original timing. The materials are tested for durability and temperature resistance.

The range covers European and Japanese passenger cars. Each reference is identified by the OE number of the original part; send that number and the vehicle identification number (VIN) and we confirm the matching MONTTRON reference.

For availability and OE cross-references, contact us by email.

Frequently asked questions

What wears a camshaft out?
Oil starvation or old oil. The lobe and the tappet that runs on it are separated only by a film of oil under very high load; when the oil is low, dirty or of the wrong grade, the lobe scores and wears flat, the valve no longer opens fully and the engine loses power and ticks. Journals wear when the oil galleries in the head are blocked.
Are the tappets replaced with the camshaft?
Normally yes. A worn tappet face wears a new lobe quickly, so the tappets or followers that ran on the old camshaft are renewed with it, and the engine is filled with new oil and a new filter.

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