newb cam questions
Thread Starter
3rd Gear Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 777
From: NJ
newb cam questions
okay, dont we (99-04) have 3.8L OHV, so that means theres no cam, but a pushrod? and if not, what do all the #'s mean? 215/220 or whatever? i know basically the cam is to increase performance on how the cam itself rotates making the A/F ratio alot better... am i even close here or what?
The Godfather
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 15,480
From: Temple, Texas
RE: newb cam questions
OHV = Over Head Valve
OHC = Over Head Cam
OHV - The heads mount onto the block with the heads having the valves ontop allowing air to enter the engine. In V type engines (V6, V8 etc) the valves are connected to the cam by push rods, the cam is located in the bottom of the V. As the cam turns, it pushes on the pushrod, which in turn pushes the valve up, opening the valve. This is a good old setup, and is easy to work on, but is generally restricted to two valves per cylinder (V6 = 12 valve, V8 = 16 valves)
OHC - The heads mount onto the block with the heads having the valves, and the cam ontop of it. It's hard to explain, but the cam directly opens and closes the valves with no use of push rods. This set up allows for more valves and more possible performance (V6 = 12 2V, 18 3V, or 24 4V, V8 = 16 2V, 24 3V, 32 4V) This setup also allows for multiple cams ontop of each head. 2 valves use one cam above each head, 3 and 4 will use two cams above each head.
OK, the 215/220 is the lift, and the second number, 0.515/0.520 is the duration. The higher the lift and longer the duration, the more air allowed into the engine, therefore that equals more power. However, too aggressive a cam with an inproper set up can be a bad thing, so always contact a distributer such as www.supersixmotorsports.com for advice when selecting a cam, and make sure you tell them what you're doing to your car, how you want it to drive, and anything else you feel you need to add.
Also, the more air into the engine, the more fuel needed to keep up with that air, too much air and too little fuel means you're running lean, and run the risk of blowing the engine, so when you do a cam swap, you generally have to swap out the fuel injectors and or up grade the fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator.
OHC = Over Head Cam
OHV - The heads mount onto the block with the heads having the valves ontop allowing air to enter the engine. In V type engines (V6, V8 etc) the valves are connected to the cam by push rods, the cam is located in the bottom of the V. As the cam turns, it pushes on the pushrod, which in turn pushes the valve up, opening the valve. This is a good old setup, and is easy to work on, but is generally restricted to two valves per cylinder (V6 = 12 valve, V8 = 16 valves)
OHC - The heads mount onto the block with the heads having the valves, and the cam ontop of it. It's hard to explain, but the cam directly opens and closes the valves with no use of push rods. This set up allows for more valves and more possible performance (V6 = 12 2V, 18 3V, or 24 4V, V8 = 16 2V, 24 3V, 32 4V) This setup also allows for multiple cams ontop of each head. 2 valves use one cam above each head, 3 and 4 will use two cams above each head.
OK, the 215/220 is the lift, and the second number, 0.515/0.520 is the duration. The higher the lift and longer the duration, the more air allowed into the engine, therefore that equals more power. However, too aggressive a cam with an inproper set up can be a bad thing, so always contact a distributer such as www.supersixmotorsports.com for advice when selecting a cam, and make sure you tell them what you're doing to your car, how you want it to drive, and anything else you feel you need to add.
Also, the more air into the engine, the more fuel needed to keep up with that air, too much air and too little fuel means you're running lean, and run the risk of blowing the engine, so when you do a cam swap, you generally have to swap out the fuel injectors and or up grade the fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator.
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