How to design camshaft for 4-cylinder engine?

[jeffmorris]

I'm creating a 4-cylinder engine based on General Motors 2.5L engine made from 1977 to 1993.The firing order is 1-3-4-2. I don't know if the engine rotates clockwise or anti-clockwise. The timing gears mesh with each other instead of using belts or chains. How do I design camshaft for 4-cylinder engine? I have Autodesk Inventor.

[jg613]

interesting question, keep us updated on that design. I might see if I can do something like that on SelfCAD's Editor and report back.

[curious aardvark]

Given that i have no idea what camshaft looks like.
I'd start by finding out what it looks like and make a model that looks like a camshaft :-)

It would obviously help to find an existing camshaft and measure it.

It sort of answers the question, but as I use openscad and have never dismembered an engine, in no way does it help you lol

Me I'd go look at the engines on thingiverse and see if I could modify a part from one of them. Well, I'd never consider making a plastic engine in the first place.
But each to their own :-)

[Marm]

I've written out a reply a few times for this post, but I think CA sums up my comments with less snark. (I do happen to know what a cam shaft looks like. It's all wobbly bobbly cammy stuff.

But it's just like replicating any other previously made item. Either get the original drawings for it and copy that, or find one in the real world and copy that one. Given that's a pretty popular engine, I'm sure there's a lot of user guides for that engine, as well as one available pretty cheaply in your local junk yard.