Starting with 12v running with 6v

You could always buy a house on top of a hill and roll it down the hill & pop start it every time you want to go to town ~~~ Just kidding ~~~
But it does seem like a lot of work to make some thing more complicated then it has to be.
There is a expression JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE
Of coarse this is just my opinion and it is yours to do as you want.
Please keep us posted on what you decide & how you make out.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
 
I removed one of those contraptions from a '47 Lincoln Continental after it had ruined most, if not all, of the 6 volt components in the car... Maybe whoever installed it did it incorrectly but... I really don't see the need for it, if your car is hard to start on 6 volts, you should go over the system, check wiring, grounds, starter motor, etc.
 
Have you, as I and others have suggested, cleaned all of your grounds and had your starter tested by a good shop? Are you running battery cables designed for a 6 volt system? The 12 volt cables are smaller and most young people at the parts houses don't know that there is a difference. They will overheat and cause the starter to turn slowly. By the way, I would still like to know the year of your car and what problem you are trying to solve?

Charlie Stephens
 
BILL WZOREK said:
You could always buy a house on top of a hill and roll it down the hill & pop start it every time you want to go to town ~~~ Just kidding ~~~
But it does seem like a lot of work to make some thing more complicated then it has to be.
There is a expression JUST KEEP IT SIMPLE
Of coarse this is just my opinion and it is yours to do as you want.
Please keep us posted on what you decide & how you make out.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Click to expand...

I know this was intended as a joke "live on top of a hill & pop the clutch every time you want to go", but that is what I did!! Was stationed in Okinawa in the 60s and owned a 6v VW. They have a rainy season where it rains around the clocks for several months. Something about the VW electrical system would build up a lot of resistance when it set overnight. Every morning I would have to remove the distributer cap and wipe it out and clean the points. Sometimes I would also have to clean the starter and battery terminals. This gets old after a while!! Then I decided to just let it coast down the hill and pop the clutch until it would start. Seemed to make it through the day after that, then the next day the same routine.

When I got back to the states I had a few other VWs and all of them seem to have poor 6v systems in them and I never took the time to figure out what the weak link was, (but I can guess now!). Started installing the series-parallel solenoids in them and never had a problem again. They were very easy to hookup and worked great. They are really no different than any other solenoid, just wiring differently internally. After I started looking into this again it appears they are still a popular item for large trucks. Most of them appear to be dual 12v systems now switching between 24v and 12v.

I am not promoting this dual battery approach at all, was just responding to a question about can it be done. I run my cars 12v through out. But I also under the comments about a 6v Ford system working as well now as it did then if properly maintained.
 
J, there is a Big difference with Ford and vw 6 volt systems. In good order the Ford system works great, very reliable. The vw 6 volt system in good order is a contradiction in terms. Every and I meen every vw rear engined contraption I've had to work on, has had a bunch of electrical problems. Vw must of known this as they kept changing the wiring at some point.
I'd still like to know what's the problem that the OP has with his 6 volts? Hate to think that some one would change a bunch of stuff and things, spend a fist full of bux, when, for instance, a set of brushes in the starter would have it fixed. Might also save him from replacing the bendix spring that will snap normally at the most annoying moment.
You don't know till you ask,
so pray tell, what's the problem?
Martin.
 
For years Our family ran a fleet of Mack trucks ~ I don't even want to try and guess how many hour's & how many super's I got to eat cold because of those dang Series - parallel switches.
Happy day when pop said I could replace with 1 huge 12V batt. in stead of
4-6V Batt. and 12V starter
After changing a few and saw how little maint. was needed we did the rest of the fleet never to look back.
 
scooder said:
J, there is a Big difference with Ford and vw 6 volt systems. In good order the Ford system works great, very reliable. The vw 6 volt system in good order is a contradiction in terms. Every and I meen every vw rear engined contraption I've had to work on, has had a bunch of electrical problems. Vw must of known this as they kept changing the wiring at some point.
I'd still like to know what's the problem that the OP has with his 6 volts? Hate to think that some one would change a bunch of stuff and things, spend a fist full of bux, when, for instance, a set of brushes in the starter would have it fixed. Might also save him from replacing the bendix spring that will snap normally at the most annoying moment.
You don't know till you ask,
so pray tell, what's the problem?
Martin.
Click to expand...
Yep, that's why I posted the comment that I was NOT promoting the dual battery approach. I know a lot of folks like the original 6v systems and they work fine if they are maintain properly and use the correct 6v parts. I prefer a 12v system, but for completely different reasons, it has to do with how I wire them up (non-stock but stock appearance).
 
When I was a kid I had a '55 ford that started on 12v and ran on 6v. It was a nightmare. Always seemed to have had problems with it. I was only 16 and don't remember what was the cause but thinking the solenoid and voltage regulator was always going out on it. Obviously, electrical problems were abound.
 
What 40cpe has mentioned re overcharging one battery and the discharge of another I believe is true.
When I was going to try this myself (2 12 volt Odyssey batteries), I did a bunch of research and the final answer from some real smart folks said that the drawback was the lessening of service life of both batteries.
My concern was that a single Odyssey battery would'nt hold up well and I wanted a backup in that case.
I shouldn't have been concerned at all, as one battery works just fine.
Jim
 
My first auto was a 1961 VW single cab bus pickup truck
As it was a stalk 6 volt system and Maine can get darn cold
I had a second 12 volt battery back aft next to motor.
With the tail lid lifted and a few simple momentary switches
We had six volts doing the ignition, & twelve spinning it all up.
While my second hand did'led the throttle till all was well...
Then the VW jump started both a 49 FORD pickup truck'
and a 52 Chevy pickup truck with long #2 jumper cables
hard wired to the old Bus. I and the others lived far from town
and the Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant in Wiscasset.
Tigger
 
The Peterbuilt glider kit I bought to make a transfer out of, had a Detroit engine in it (removed), but had the series parallel switch, as the Detroit started on 24, but all else ran on 12..now I don't know what the Alt on it was, but do know that Detroit engines in Peterbuilt's were like this for a very loong time...may even still be for all I know...and never problems.

But, as other's said...seems a lot to do in a car to get more ooomph for starting...I'd think one of those battery jump starter things in the trunk might come in handy when needed.
 
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