Boosting with 12 volts

3

30Ford

Senior Member
my battery died in town today ,,,,i had my trusty crank and got it going ,,but was wondering what problems one would run into boosting with 12 volts,,,,the starter will take it ....light bulbs wont ,,,,,,will it destroy the battery ,,coil etc,
 
i have boosted with a 12 volt on two occasions . I just made sure everything was turn off. Be it right or wrong it worked with no apparent side affects. I made sure to disconnect immediately when the A started.
Wayne
 
If all you are doing is jump starting 12V on 6V system will work fine. Don't over crank they system, if it doesn't fire stop cranking.
 
I have read here the warning not to hit the brake while connected to 12 volts as it will pop the brake lights. I think the crank is a better first choice.:)
 
Done it many times. Just make sure the only thing on is the switch. Just think about all the A's converted to 12V with the original starter with no worries. I'm 78 hand cranking ain't a novelty anymore!

Sewall Tyler
 
700rpm said:
Why not just make your 6v system work properly?
Click to expand...

What? .......and take away the fun of blowing up a battery!:D

I've jumped a 6 volt with a 12 volt before, but only make the last connection (ground) just when the driver is ready to step on the starter, then get ready to remove the cable the instant the car starts.

Actually I would prefer to hand crank, or push start the car. Jumping 12 volts to 6 volts isn't good for either battery. Using lighter jumper cables makes for a bit less harm in this instance.
 
In my Dads garage back in the day we did it all the time in the cold northern Mich winters. But do it like Tom says. Make sure all connections are tight. Make the ground last to the engine not the battery, they will blow up washing acid off your face is not fun, ask how I know.
 
A lot of guys own and use jump starts for emergency use, they don't make them in six volt version . To be safe and avoid battery explosion, never jump start to the battery. I connect the negative cable to the contact on the starter seitch first. This is where the negative cable connects to the starter switch. Careful attention needs to be payed to this connection to be sure that the metal part of the cable makes no contact with any other metal other than the contact at the switch or sparks will fly when the ground is connected. I connect the red positive cable to a clean head nut last for the ground.
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
Well, he will, he sed his battery jist DIED while he was in town.
When jumping with 12 volt, it "might" be a "little" protection to use those CHEEP, really SKINNY jumper cables??
Bill W.
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Right, Bill. I misunderstood the OP. I thought he was asking about some kind of fixed add-on that would boost the power of his 6v battery, not doing a jump.
 
Some good advice here.

My battery was low today, too and I tried to jump it. Sparks and stuff, hot cables. What th'? When I got home (thanks to a good samaritan who gave me a push and I popped the clutch), I realized that the car came to me with the battery in backwards and grounded negative! I have only had the car a few months and am still sorting it out. Am researching switching the battery now. Positive side of coil connected to distributor, so that is good.

Once I got the car running, I gave the guy a ride in my car. He was tickled pink. Said it made his day. He made mine, too. He invited me to a barbeque at his house in September. All's well that ends well.
 
If the battery has been connected backwards, it will probably be necessary to repolarize the generator. This is a simple task that requires touching a wire from one post to the other of the cutout for a couple of seconds after the battery has been reconnected correctly. If the battery is the only thing that was connected backwards, repolarizing should be the only thing necessary to get it charging again .
 
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