The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay Opinion on 6v/12v

Me again. Thanks to you, I have been able to plod along and work on my Thing! But, Im Baaaaaack!

Worked on wiring this weekend. And hit a :confused: huh?
The generator dont generate (jumped with screwdriver, no arch)
The battery is a 12v. Off the batt rins 2 wires, one for gages, one for ignition. No "reducer" for these 2 wires. My gages run off WAY off (spedo. and trip dont work)
There is a reducer on my firewall, and somewhere under the dash the 12v wire splits off to these other wires, runs BACK out to the reducer...then BACK in. My lights are 12V, bulbs 6v. Discovered I had power to lights, no power IN lights pulled 12v bulbs out of 88 S10 and poof, lights work....
OKAY This wire works, this one has a brighter test light then that one, this one dont have anything....
Called my Dad with this :confused: Huh? He said "check fuse box" (duh right) well, would be GREAT if I HAD A FUSE BOX. They (previous line of owners)pulled it out. The only fuses I have are as follows
1.) Flasher (says 6v, runs off blinker wires)
AND.) 2 'TWO' fuses on the firewall next to the reducer.
I havent even began to get to the rear end wiring yet. And those of you who have done or messed with wiring know what a "fun" adventure it is trying to get up underneath that dash. I got stuck...need to have a few less cervesas. Anyhow. Here is my question...
A) Pull out all wiring and wire all to 12V ad a fuse box
or B) replace bad/frayed wiring, fuses as they are needed on wiring, fix it best I can and run 12v lights and 6v "inside" stuff threw reducer....
Which would you do?
And my blinker inside, it is one of them radiator hose clamped on steering column doohickies they added in later.. Does that, and my pull out light switch need to be 12v beings I am running 12v lights? :hammering: :hammering: :hammering: :hammering:

It sounds like someone threw a 12v battery in there without knowing what he/she was doing.

There will be a number printed on the backs of your headlight bulbs. If that number is 6006, then you have 6v bulbs. I'm not sure what the 12v number is on a 7" sealed beam light.

What color is the tag on your generator?

If it's black and silver, then it's probably a 6v.
If it's red and silver, then it's probably a 12v.

Also, look at your starter. Same color rules apply.

The starter will work fine on 12v if it's a 6v. The generator and regulator, otoh, don't work on 6v.

Have a peek at your coil. Is it a 6v or a 12v coil?

If you do have a 6v coil on there, you may have already fried it, or the points. Just warning you.

~#~#~#~#~#~

My opinion on 6v vs 12v: Leave it as a 6v Truck. after you get all of the kinks worked out, you won't have any problems with the 6v system.

It's very obvious you need to find someone with a basic knowledge of DC electricity to help you out. Your comment about shorting out the generator to "test" it speaks volumes about your lack of understanding of how to work on an electrical system. The only things that really MUST be changed to make your truck work on 12 volts are the coil, and the charging system. An alternator is a much better choice than a generator, but if you want it to look close to original, a 12 volt generator and regulator can be substituied for the 6 volt components.

The fuel gauge will need a voltage-dropping resistor installed inline with it. Other things, like headlights, tail light bulbs, instrument lights, etc. can be changed to 12 volt items. If you choose to run a radio, there are lots of choices of 12-volt items that will work well and look OK.

Try to find some expert help to get the system up to par, before you end up with a serious short, and possibly an electrical fire that will destroy your project!
Jerry