Camshaft replacement is quite an involved procedure that requires a good deal of tools and training. To replace the camshaft on your vehicle, a technician needs to gain access to the top and front of the engine. This usually requires safely lifting and supporting the vehicle off of the ground, removing shields, guards, covers, ducts, and the serpentine drive belt. The radiator might also need to be removed, depending on the orientation of your engine.

With those items out of the way, a typical camshaft replacement (the procedure differs from one vehicle make and model to the next) involves the following general steps:

• Remove the water pump (on some models)
• Detach the drive pulley on the crankshaft
• Remove any engine accessories (AC compressor, alternator, power steering pump, etc.) that are in the way of the timing cover
• Remove the cam cover for the affected camshaft
• Unbolt and remove the timing cover from the front of the engine
• Remove tension from the timing chain or belt by temporarily disabling the tensioner and holding it off the chain or belt
• Remove the timing chain or belt from the affected camshaft sprocket
• Remove the camshaft sprocket
• Unbolt the camshaft bearing caps that hold the camshaft in place
• Remove the old camshaft and replace it with the new component
• Reinstall the camshaft sprocket
• Reinstall the timing chain or belt, taking care to align to the timing marks
• Re-enable the timing chain/ belt tensioner
• Reinstall all components and add fluids as necessary This abbreviated list of steps does not account for differences between engines, such as whether your engine has single or dual camshafts inside the cylinder head(s), or one central camshaft inside the engine block. It also does not take into account all engine configurations or orientations (i.e. transverse vs longitudinal). When a camshaft is replaced, it is common to replace the camshaft timing components such as the tensioner, timing chain or belt, and sprockets as well. If your engine has a water pump that is driven by the timing chain, that too will be recommended for replacement. If this procedure is not done properly, your engine could fail to run, run poorly, or suffer severe internal damage.