Posted by Clint Dixon [162.158.74.86] on Tuesday, October 06, 2020 at 20:03:10 :
I got a note from a friend of mine who owns a '52 Power-Wagon. It read in part:
"...Climbed back in the truck and as I started to crank it over it did not want to catch. I was concerned that the battery wouldn't hold as it turned quite slow just before it started. I'm thinking of getting a jump starter as it's not like any vehicle can supply a jump. I have a battery charger but that will not help on the road unless I carry miles of extension cords and no resistivity ;-). If you have any recommendations/suggestions for a jumper box I'm all ears. My research so far seams to indicate that 6v jumper boxes are hard to find..."
I have had no experience with jump starters. So I thought I would ask the experts for some input.
It has been over 30 years, but I have jumped my 6-Volt positive ground Power-Wagon from a 12-volt negative ground vehicle on a few occasions. I am thinking this could also be accomplished with a 12-volt jump starter as it would be like jumping from another vehicle's battery, only with the battery out of the vehicle.
I would suggest first disconnecting the fuel sender on his truck as those units do not like 12-volts at all. Also, the starter should not be affected, but the points may not like it too much, along with possibly the coil and condenser? I do remember that the last connection between the two batteries should actually be made on the steel of the truck itself, and as far from the truck's battery as possible. Also, the final connection should be a quick "touch" connection and not a "clamp" connection - definitely a two-person job. Probably better to not have the donor vehicle running and even better to have the donor battery disconnected from the vehicle.
Here is where I cannot trust my memory (it has been 30 years after all). The first time I had to do this, I connected the cables in the manner that seemed to make the most sense and I got fireworks everywhere. I then reversed the connections and got only a strong spark. I followed the plan B method later a couple of times with expected results. No harm was ever done to either vehicle or battery.
I THINK what I did the on the first try was to connect the cable from the positive 12-volt battery (negative ground) to the positive 6-volt Power-Wagon battery (positive ground), and the negative to negative. It seemed intuitive but with unexpected fireworks. I THINK what I did thereafter was to connect a cable from ground to ground (negative to positive) and then the remaining positive to negative. But, I am not sure anymore (I could have the two reversed and don't want to lead anyone wrong). The donor vehicle was probably running at the time, but I don't believe both vehicles would have been touching.
Thanks, Junior.
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