It is precisely because of its curved appearance that the camshaft got its name. More precisely, it is like a large steel roller on the surface of which you can see bumps, i.e. hills. At the very end of the shaft is the drive gear. The drive of the camshaft itself is generally transmitted by means of a toothed belt or, in other cases, by means of a chain.
The operation of the camshaft is very simple. Its cams open and close the valves, thus regulating the air flow. This is also its basic function, and its drive is usually transmitted by a toothed belt that drives the cooling pump and some other parts of the car.
To be more precise when turning the camshaft, the cam puts pressure on the valve lifter which pushes the valve towards the center of the cylinder. In this way, the inflow of the fuel and air mixture is opened or the exhaust gases are released.
Further rotation of the camshaft lowers the top of the cam, i.e. the valve lifter and the valve is returned to the closed position by the valve spring. It often happens that one cam controls two valves.
As we have already mentioned, the camshaft has a direct influence on filling the cylinder with a mixture of fuel and air, and improving its operation greatly affects the overall performance of the car. That is why it belongs to the car parts that can be mechanically processed in order to achieve better engine performance. This process is better known as “tuning”.
There are numerous mechanical or software ways that this tuning can be done, but you should definitely contact the experts in this area for more information.