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6 Volt Emergency Booster


Norm's Coupe

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Anyone ever see one. I haven't. Many times we've discussed jumping a 6 volt battery while out on the road. Most have either pushed the car to start it, or carefully jumped the 6 volt battery with a 12 volt to get the car started. However, if you aren't fast enough or don't do it properly with the 12 volt battery you can mess things up a little.

Yesterday afternoon was talking with my brother in law on the phone. He has an extra 6 volt battery in the garage all the time. Wouldn't help him on the road though. We both also have the 12 volt emergency booster packs. However, since we both bought those about the same time some years ago, neither one will hold a charge now. So, we were just saying it probably just as cheap to buy new ones and toss the old ones. After hanging up though, I could smell the wood ignite in my head.:)

If you take the battery packs apart, you'll find a 12 volt dry/gel cell battery in there. Those are replaceable. Now, if you go to someplace like Batteries Plus, etc. you could get a 6 volt battery and put in there instead of a 12 volt. Should work since the battery cables for jumping are very heavy. Then you can make or buy a 6 volt charger to plug into a 110 outlet to recharge it when needed. This will give you the 6 volt emergency booster for on the road use. Or.........even at home if needed. I already have an industrial 6 volt dry/gel battery in the shop I use for testing. My son made a 6 volt charger for it. It's not big enough to turn the engine over though. Only use it for testing 6 volt items.

Just a thought. Going to get with my son on this and if it can be done, will give it a try. I don't see why it wouldn't work myself. Any comments?

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Norm;

Guess I must ask why bother? You have stated many times that when a battery shows signs of weakness it should be replaced. How many times have you had to jump start your coupe?

I dont even own any jumper cables let alone a battery pack jump starter.

Don,

You do have a point. I never used the 12 volt battery pack either.:rolleyes: I also have a pair of very heavy duty jumper cables hanging in the garage for years. About the only time I used those was to jump someone else. I've only used the boost feature on my charger once since I've owned it. That was to jump my wife's Sundance after she bought the Kia. The Sundance battery went down from non use after that, so had to jump it to sell it.

But...........being an ex Boy Scout leader it's nice to "Be Prepared". So.....that's the reason for a battery pack.

Thanks Robin. I'll take a look to see if I can find that.

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While not the cheapest solution you could keep a optoma gel cell in the trunk and use that to jump or even switch it in not really a lot more the a good booster pack.

However if you have lights,radio etc off I cannot see a 12 volt jump causing any damage. I have used my 12 volt booster pack to move around some of my 6 volt cars and have not had any problems doing it.

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While not the cheapest solution you could keep a optoma gel cell in the trunk and use that to jump or even switch it in not really a lot more the a good booster pack.

However if you have lights,radio etc off I cannot see a 12 volt jump causing any damage. I have used my 12 volt booster pack to move around some of my 6 volt cars and have not had any problems doing it.

I really don't need an extra battery or pack for around the garage. If a battery goes down at home, I just wait for the battery charger to charge it back up. If the battery doesn't take a charge or goes down in the garage for no reason, I'll replace it. It's usually not that important that I move the coupe that I would have to jump it. I'm more concerned about being out somewhere when that might happen.

However, I wouldn't buy an Optima battery for everyday use, much less to keep in the trunk. My son keeps after me to buy an Optima for under the hood. But...........like I tell him, "I'm cheap".:D Optima's cost twice as much or more than the regular lead acid battery, and from seeing people around here that have them, they don't last much longer or even longer. Plus, you do have to keep those charged up if not used regularly too. Yes, I'll agree with my son and others that they don't make a mess like the old type batteries, but that mess is cleaned up easily with just letting the hose wash off the battery and tray once in a while.

If I can find a battery similar to those in the the packs for about $40 or less, then it may be worth it to make the emergency pack if possible.

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A couple of months ago my truck battery suddenly and without warning died. The truck was sitting just outside my garage door so I could not get my car out of the garage. I attempted to charge the truck battery but it was flat and woulod not take a charge. I removed the battery from my P-15 and installed it in the truck. I then drove the truck and bought a new battery. Returned home and swapped the car battery back into the car. Another advantage of doing a 12 volt upgrade on my P-15.

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Norm. It sounds like a fun project but at least for me a 12 volt jump works with no problems . I suggested the optima for someone who would want back up battery but may not want to carry a wet cell in their trunk.

If you 6 volt pack works out maybe you could start selling them and it could be one of the rare new electronics products made in the US

Ed

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I'll agree, converting to 12 volt does have it's advantages. Not only for what you just mentioned, but for other things as well. But........I don't want to convert mine, at least not now.

That said, I never block one of my cars in. We keep my wife's car and the coupe in the garage and my van sits outside. However, I always park the van far enough away from the garage door so I can get both cars out, without moving the van. Up here in the winter you not only have to worry about a car not starting from a battery problem. Sometimes when you leave a car outside here the doors will freeze shut and you can't open them. Plus, this way I don't have to jockey cars around to drive the one I want, and it really doesn't matter too much if it's frozen shut or the battery is dead in one of them.

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  • 6 years later...

Wow, revisiting this thread 7 years later. Norm you were a swell guy.

Technology has finally caught up to Norm's standards. I just bought a 6/12v charger that has an engine start mode. However, it only cranks out 85 amps for 5 seconds and then needs 3 minutes to "cool down" before getting another shot at getting the car to start.

I'm guessing 85 amps isn't enough to start our cars (and rarely would my 6 volt car fire up in less than 5 seconds on the first go!). Does anyone know how many amps we'd need to supplement a dead battery? Might return this charger if it doesn't give enough juice.

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I bought one at orilleys that has 100 amps for 6 volt and 200 amps for 12 volt and keeps putting it out for as long as I have ever used it

So casper, if your battery is dead from trying to turn over the engine, you can use the engine start mode and the 100 amps is enough to to crank your 6 volt starter? If yours is the one I saw at orioles it's on wheels and going for $120, 20 bucks more than mine....I might need to upgrade!

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Wow, revisiting this thread 7 years later. Norm you were a swell guy.

Technology has finally caught up to Norm's standards. I just bought a 6/12v charger that has an engine start mode. However, it only cranks out 85 amps for 5 seconds and then needs 3 minutes to "cool down" before getting another shot at getting the car to start.

I'm guessing 85 amps isn't enough to start our cars (and rarely would my 6 volt car fire up in less than 5 seconds on the first go!). Does anyone know how many amps we'd need to supplement a dead battery? Might return this charger if it doesn't give enough juice.

you require approx. 300 amps to spin the 6 volt starter on your car..and as it is a Chrysler you lucky...it is the fastest turning starter of the Mopar lineup at the time..

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