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A cam shaft in a car is basically an axle that has a lobeassigned toeach valve. The lobes are positioned along the axle such that rotation of the axle causeseach lobe to open and closeits valve, which allows the "intake" valves to be lifted to allow fuel/air into the cylinder and lowered to seal off the cylinder when the mixture is ready for combustion. The cam axle rotation continues causing the "exhaust" valves to open after combustion to allow the post-combustion gases to escape. The axle continues to rotate and causes the "exhaust" valves to close - sealing the cylinder as this entire cycle starts over again.

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Q: What does a cam in a car engine do?
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