The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Electrical Bay JUMP THAT BATTERY??

I got a real simple one. My 51 Chevy truck still has original 6V system. Can I jump it with my 12v car? Thanks.

My neighbor jumps his 6V tractor with 12V all the time. Just don't crank it for a long time or you'll fry the starter. Oh yes, don't turn anything on but the ignition switch.

It can be done, but I would not reccomend it. If you do try it, connect the positive to the battery and the negative to a good engine ground, NOT TO THE NEGATIVE ON THE BATTERY. I've seen batteries explode from this. I've also seen a starter catch on fire and a 6 volt coil explode from too much voltage. Granted the situation was exsessive, the guy was trying to use 48 volts to start a 6 volt positive ground '29 Buick. Your best bet would be to use a 6 volt charger/booster to start your truck.

You may stand a good chance of smoking your gas gauge. Also don't leave the 12 volt car running you also stand a good chance of popping the 6 volt battery.

You'd be better off taking the 6v battery out and getting it charged for free at a place like Autozone or another FLAPS where they will charge it and test it. IF it needs to be jumped frequently, there is a problem somewhere that needs to be fixed.

I don't claim to be an expert at 6V to 12V conversions. I did one conversion on my old 55 1st panel though. For the conversion I changed the coil, voltage regulator, generator and bulbs period. I didn't add a resistor or anything else to drop the voltage to the guages. All of the guages ran with 12 volts with absolutely no problems and I put over 100K on the truck after the conversion. I don't think you'll have any problem with your guages but I still wouldn't turn your lights or any accessories on while the 12V battery is hooked up to it. A lot of folks here strongly advise dropping the voltage to your gauges & while it certainly can't hurt I've personally not seen a probem with not doing it.

If you have a helper have them make the final connection right before you engauge the starter. Than remove it as soon as it starts. Make the final connection on a ground away from a battery like Longbox says. Like nm51 says you should fix it so you don,t have to jump start it.

I always just put a battery charger on mine and let it sit for an hour or so.

Of course, I've got mine working right and I rarely -- if ever -- need to do that any more.

When/if you find yourself in a situation that you need to jump start a 6v system from a 12v system, Wrenchbender Ret.'s technique works very well and it is safe.

I haven't looked at a 55 for a few, but all but the gas gauge don't use electrical senders? 12V should be ok on the amp meter. It's a mater of how full the gas tank is as to excess voltage to that guage.

we used to keep a 12 volt on the floor of a old chevy work truck when it wouldnt start on 6 it would always start on 12 never hurt anything just unhook the 12 when it starts

Hey, I ran across a guy that has found 6V optima batterys. They have twice the cranking amps of a standard 6V battery and are only 1/2 the size. Your parts store I am told will tell you optima dosn't make a 6V battery, but your battery supply will have Or can get one. They are jell cell and you can mount them up side down and they wont leak.
But on jumping a 6V with a 12V that should be left to a professional. Or go buy some realy cheap aluminum jumper cables, I think they only let about 9 volts through. lol (that was a joke)