Aircooled VW South Africa

Here's a question for the 'dof questions' thread...

Can I jumpstart a 6v beetle with 12v. What's the risk? What might blow up...?

Well... 6v = 50% of 12v... so I wouldn't take the chance if it was my 6V Beetle... Rather try another solution... like push-starting it...

...or use a VERY flat 12V battery

Your charge/oilpressure bulbs will probably be the first to blow. And jour 6V coil, if you leave the 12V battery on too long. Hopefully the other circuits woud be switched off at the time so wont be damaged. Starter will survive if you only use it for a few seconds at a time.

Remember with 12V applied to a 6V component, double the current flows, power (watts), is volts times amps, so you have not twice but four times the energy applied!

Know someone who jump-started an old 6V Chev with 12V. He burnt out all the gauges and sending-units- lots of expensive damage.

This is something I have been pondering over for a long long time....
16 volt battery with a 12 volt takeoff.
Baiscally, 16V alternator charges the battery. The starter motor goes onto 16V (for added starting power) and the rest of the car goes onto 12V as per normal.

Awesome idea!

Never had a problem with jump starting my 6Vbeetle with 12V.

Good thing I didn't try. Had the car delivered by the AA (best R170 I ever spent).

The loadbed of the AA truck was awash with fuel - the fuel pipe that attached to the fuel filter was hardened and had cracked through. If I'd tried to start the car... BOOM!!

Well, you see... THAT is why we ALWAYS say to replace the fuel hoses OFTEN...... Glad yo udidnt end up in tears!