Cam timing

Can someone please explain to me what advancing or retarding the timing does.

if Im correct(and if Im not someone please correct me) The timing belt turns the cams so that they open and close the valves at the right time

That's a good start to the description...

Adjusting cam timing will affect the performance of the engine vs rpm. Usually the cam timing is adjusted forward or back by just a few degrees, resulting in a shift in the engine speeds at which peak power and peak torque occur. On a SOHC engine, opening the valves sooner generally results in peak power happening at a lower rpm (and later...higher). I attribute this change to IVC timing, but I haven't looked very far into it...

Yes, I know how the cams work and had no questions about that. ivymike1031 answered my question to sastisfaction.

sorry there whitebread...I didn't mean to come across like you're an idiot...but if you wanna be like that about it then you're an idiot.

I meant no disrespect by saying that I know how a cam works. I was just letting you know that I knew. If you thought that I was insulting you, I wasn't.

What is IVC timing???

Intake Valve Close