How many camshafts does a WRX have?
Four camshafts.
In practice, the WRX uses a horizontally opposed four‑cylinder engine with double overhead cams (DOHC). That means two camshafts sit above each cylinder head—one for the intake valves, one for the exhaust valves. With two cylinder heads, the engine uses four camshafts in total.
Engine families powering the WRX
Here are representative engine families that power the WRX across its generations and their camshaft configuration.
- EJ-series engines (early WRX and older Impreza WRX generations) — DOHC with four camshafts total (two per bank).
- FA-series engines (modern WRX, including 2.0L and 2.4L variants) — DOHC with four camshafts total (two per bank).
- FA24 engine (latest WRX, 2.4L turbo) — DOHC with four camshafts total (two per bank).
Across these generations, the number remains the same: a four-camshaft DOHC layout that supports multiple valve timing configurations and performance characteristics characteristic of the WRX.
Boxer engine layout and camshaft arrangement
Subaru’s WRX uses a boxer (horizontally opposed) four-cylinder layout. Each of the two cylinder heads in this layout houses a pair of camshafts—intake and exhaust—so the engine, regardless of displacement or generation, features four camshafts in total.
Summary
Four camshafts in total. The WRX’s DOHC 4-cylinder, boxer engine uses two camshafts per head (intake and exhaust) across two banks, totaling four camshafts across the engine. This configuration has persisted across generations, from EJ-series to the modern FA-series engines.
Do subarus have camshafts?
A cam or “camshaft” is a part that hides in the cylinder heads of your Subaru engine. This part runs the length of the entire cylinder head and is connected to a cam gear at the front of the engine.
How many camshafts are in an engine?
A dual overhead cam, double overhead cam, or twin-cam engine has two camshafts over each bank of the cylinder head, one for the intake valves and another for the exhaust valves. Therefore there are two camshafts for a straight engine and a total of four camshafts for a V engine or a flat engine.
How many camshafts does a 5.0 have?
A modern 5.0L Coyote V8 engine has four camshafts, with two in each cylinder head: one for the intake valves and one for the exhaust valves. This is because the engine is a dual overhead cam (DOHC) V8, meaning it has two camshafts for each bank of cylinders.
- DOHC Design: A dual overhead cam engine has two camshafts on top of each cylinder head.
- V8 Configuration: With a V8 engine, there are two cylinder heads, which means a total of four camshafts.
- Function: One camshaft on each head controls the intake valves, while the other controls the exhaust valves.
- Ti-VCT: The 5.0L Coyote also features Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT), which allows the engine's computer to adjust the timing of both the intake and exhaust camshafts independently for improved performance and efficiency.
How many camshafts does a V-6 have?
A V6 engine can have either two camshafts (for a Single Overhead Cam, or SOHC, design) or four camshafts (for a Double Overhead Cam, or DOHC, design). In a V6, two cylinder banks are arranged in a "V" shape, so a SOHC engine has one camshaft for each bank, totaling two, while a DOHC engine has two camshafts per bank, for a total of four.
- Single Overhead Cam (SOHC): A V6 with a SOHC setup has one camshaft per cylinder head (or bank), for a total of two camshafts.
- Double Overhead Cam (DOHC): A V6 with a DOHC setup has two camshafts per cylinder head (or bank), for a total of four camshafts. This is often referred to as a "quad-cam" engine.
