Ford Explorer Camshafts

A camshaft is one of the main parts of any internal combustion engine, which mechanically opens the valves via a series of lobes. Located at a certain angle relative to one another, each lobe pushes the corresponding valve lifter or cam follower, depending on the engine design. Produced since the 1991 model year, the Ford Explorer has both OHV or OHC engines in its lineup, with the former installed in the earlier versions. Some of those pushrod engines could be equipped with roller lifters that reduce friction if compared to more traditional flat ones but require a special shape of cam lobes.

Afterward, Ford focused on more modern SOHC and then DOHC EcoBoost engines featuring the TiVCT (short for Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing) system and other innovations. Like other variable valvetrain mechanisms, this setup doesn't actually relocate the lobes but adds so-called cam phasers. These sprockets have a special design allowing them to advance or retard the camshafts depending on the current RPM; the process is usually controlled by electronics and allows for improving performance significantly. Should you face any problems with the camshafts, phasers, seals, or other parts of your vehicle, browse our Ford Explorer camshafts inventory.