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Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:32 pm

anyone ever hear of using an 8 volt tractor battery in a car with a 6 volt system. I heard of people doing it with old american cars to help boost a tired old electrical system and it works with the stock generator. is it a hoax? thought I might try it in my bug. it would be much cheaper than converting everything to 12 volt and would preserve originality also. Dave

Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:44 pm

An 8 volt battery will only be an 8 volt battery as long as it has about 9 volts to charge it. You cant' tweak a 6v system enough to make this happen so in a week or to you'll still only have a 6v battery and have one that won't last as long as it will never attain full charge.

Fri Mar 07, 2008 9:51 pm

doesn't a 6 volt charging system put out more voltage as it calls for it via the voltage regulator? I thought a generator will put out alot more than 6 volts so it can charge the battery and also run the electrical needs such as if you were driving with the headlights and wipers etc on all at once. I've heard that a 6v generator will charge an 8v battery. they were used on old 6 volt tractors. maybe my info was wrong.

Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:26 am

I've heard of this,, but in damn near 60 years. I've never seen an 8 volt battery,, never seen a tactor that use 8 volt.. and have ask about 8 volts,, only to get that,, are you stuipd look..
Just guessing,, but by time time you burn up gas finding one,, then it's not going to be cheap.. It could end up costing more than going 12 v

Sat Mar 08, 2008 5:53 am

My dad had a 8 volt battery in a 66 bug in the mid 80s. He tweeked the regulater to charge more. It would keep the battery charged and start easy in the winter,but it also would pop a lot of bulbs too and the wipers were also too fast. I would either clean all the connections and leave it 6 volt or just go ahead and change it to 12 volt. Trying to run an 8 volt attery is too much of a hassel.
Tim

Sat Mar 08, 2008 8:35 am

well where I live (rural area 30miles south of Chicago) we have a store called Farm and Fleet which has a few different sizes of 8 volt batteries so finding one for me is no problem. With the bulbs, they may be a little brighter but turn down the dimmer on the dash lights and the headlights and taillights could benefit from a little more brightness anyway. Ive thought of all those minor problems already. just wondering if there are any people with first hand experience, thanks, Dave

Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:47 am

Hi

A month or two ago, this was a topic here or in the oval section. Lots of discussion with references back to posts earlier and then even to earlier posts.
Some even had directions on how to adjust the voltage regulator, rants why it is a bad idea, rants why it is a wonderful idea, rants saying "just switch to 12v you fool!" etc.

Do a quick search and read for the next hour or so.

Dave

Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:51 am

Just switch to 12v!
In this day and age,I see no reason to keep an old Beetle 6v unless it is a trailer queen.
6v batteries and bulbs are just about non existant.

Sat Mar 08, 2008 9:51 am

Dave,

I ran an 8 volt battery in my '48 Plymouth for quite a while with mixed results. True, it never got fully charged but still put out more than a 6 volt would, and since I was living at 8000' in the Colorado Rockies at the time it made winter starting easier. I never tweaked the regulator because that's a can of worms best left unopened, and as it turned out I didn't need to.

The down side was, as mentioned in an earlier post, I'd go through headlamps so fast I took to carrying a spare with me, just in case.

I'd say to give it a try for yourself but be ready to replace bulbs (and the battery when you get tired of that). Best would be to simply clean everything very well, especially the oft-neglected ground straps, and remember that all cars ran very well with 6 volts for nearly half a century.

-Randy

Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:30 pm

first off my car is no trailer queen and if it were, I wouldnt care if the lights and stuff were dim. But, its a low mileage all original '63 convertible and I don't want to start hacking it up. I've not had problems with the 6v system other than the headlights and taillights are dimmer than a 12 volt car and it cranks over a little wimpy so I thought if it were an easy remedy with a 8v battery I'd just do that and all would be OK, but I posted this to help me decide and I guess its inconclusive so I'll just clean up all my connections and live with it as is. thanks for the help. Dave

Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:21 pm

Just as many people will say there is nothing wrong with 6 volt, as long as the wiring is in good shape. I'm blessed with 'good wiring', so I have no problems. Give the screw terminals a little loosen, then snug them up again.

My car has been driven every day of this past Canadian winter, and I only put the magnetic block heater on when it failed to start at -35 c (-31 F). That was only one day. After sitting with the heater on for 3 hours at this temp, it fired right up.

Sun Mar 09, 2008 4:35 pm

bugmandave wrote: but........ I guess its inconclusive so I'll just clean up all my connections and live with it as is. thanks for the help. Dave

Inconclusive !?!? How can you call "yes", "NO" and "switch to 12 volts" inconclusive!?!?

Do what you want to do. You got advice, some like it, some hate it. If you searched and read the other forums about this here on Samba you are pretty well set to make an educated decision for yourself. You know the pros and cons.
Me, I'd put in a new harness, the old ones are so compromised ad "iffy" that it would be money well spent no matter what voltage you are running.

Dave

Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:12 pm

Take apart each connection. Clean, and apply dielectric grease to help keep away corrosion. If you have early style headlight switch see the repair article for this in the type2.com library.
For spade connector VWs solder the brass clips in each socket of the fuse box together. For screw terminal wiring solder each riveted connection on the front of the fuse box.
Use a multimeter to check for any voltage drops in the wiring compared to the voltage at the battery posts.
Make sure to clean not only both battery cables (replace if needed), but also the ground cable from tranny to body.

While you can get an eight volt battery to work. It requires finding an electrical shop that will work on it and have equipment/experience to tweak the regulator to produce 9 volts. Then you have to carry a couple of spare tweaked regulators, just in case down the road. Plus if the wiring is so dirty, loose, or damaged it can reduce the eight volt system so much that it will not function anything like a 12 or 6 volt system that is fully cleaned, tightened, and soldering of all loose connections!

Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:53 am

in the 80's there was an article in the vintage vw club of america newsletter. after using this setup with tweeked 6 volt regulator it was decided to be not worth it. the battery never seemed to fully charge.

Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:26 am

bill may wrote: in the 80's there was an article in the vintage vw club of america newsletter. after using this setup with tweeked 6 volt regulator it was decided to be not worth it. the battery never seemed to fully charge.

Back in the stone age 70s and 80s nobody told us anything and when the cars were about 10 to 20 years old and out of warranty hard start, charging problems customer with little or no money came to us looking for answers....

We did the 8v conversions because other than the battery and adjusting the contacts on the regulator it got them back on the road and made them happy for little money....... All bulbs burned brighter and in fact have a shortened life because of this but all in all it worked ... What happens eventually is the generator burns up because of the higher load but its anybodys guess how long it will last ..... 12 v would be better more permanent solution

You'll know the 8 volt because it has four cells across the top and is bigger than the 6v in height,width and length...My 48 Ford 8N tractor originally a 6v has a 12v conversion running a GM alternator, no more slow or no start issues, shes a honey.....

Jim-