How many camshafts does a 6 cylinder have?
The number can vary: a six-cylinder engine may use 1, 2, or 4 camshafts, depending on whether it’s a pushrod design or an overhead-cam layout (SOHC/DOHC) and whether it’s a straight-six or a V6.
Camshaft configurations for six-cylinder engines
Below are the common layouts you’ll encounter in six-cylinder cars, with the factors that determine camshaft count.
- 1 camshaft — Pushrod six-cylinder engines have a single camshaft located in the engine block that operates all the valves via pushrods and rocker arms.
- 2 camshafts — Inline-6 DOHC: two camshafts in a single cylinder head, one for intake and one for exhaust valves.
- 2 camshafts — V6 SOHC: one camshaft per cylinder bank, for a total of two camshafts.
- 4 camshafts — V6 DOHC: two camshafts per cylinder bank, for a total of four camshafts.
In practice, the most common modern six-cylinder engines you’ll see used in newer passenger cars are the V6 DOHC designs with four camshafts, followed by inline-6 DOHC with two camshafts or V6 SOHC with two camshafts. Simpler or older designs may use a single camshaft in pushrod configurations.
Summary
Camshaft count on a six-cylinder engine varies by design. It can be 1 (pushrod or some single-cam inline-6), 2 (some inline-6 or V6 SOHC setups), or 4 (typical modern V6 DOHC). Always check the specific engine architecture to know the exact cam arrangement.
