QuestionQUESTION: Hi My dad has a 1950 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe. Our question it is a 6 volt and we have heard different ways about how to jump start it and charging it. It is cold blooded so we don't drive in the winter time but the last nice day we had when it was in the 50's we couldn't get it started. Wondering what your thoughts were on what the best way to jump or charge a 6 volt system.
Thanks Mike & Kevin
ANSWER: When these cars were new, they started very well in cold weather, if everything was in good shape and the engine had the right weight oil in it for winter use (I know, I drove one to work every day!).
If you have to jump your battery to get it started, check to make sure you have 6 volt battery cables (They are different!) - they must have copper conductors that total at least 5/16 inch in diameter, and 3/8" is better. The best source of good 6 volt cables is a golf cart battery place, or you can have them made up for you out of size "00" welding cable also. If someone has put 12 volt cables on it, that explains a lot of the trouble. Also, both ends of both cables must be clean, shiny metal, with no paint or grease or any other contamination around the connections or on the places that teh cables bolt to like the starter terminal and the engine ground connection.
The battery must be in good shape also - and the new gel batteries like "Optima" brand are much better than any old fashioned type you can buy these days. Of course it is obvious that the starter must be in good condition, and that there be fuel in the carburetor so it starts quickly, without running the battery down. Adding an electric fuel pump in series with the gas line will help - you only need to turn it on for a minute or so before you start the engine.
The battery should be connected positive ground.
To charge the battery, the best way is to run the car frequently, and it's also better for the car. If aren't going to be driving the car frequently enough and the battery has run down, charge it with a 6 volt charger, at about 10 amps, for at least 12 hours, and then let the charger trickle charge it at least once a week overnight at around 1 to 2 amps to keep the battery in good condition.
You mention that the car is "cold blooded" - that sounds to me like you are not familiar with the use of the hand choke, or perhaps it is not working. When you pull the choke knob out, it should close the flap on the top of the carburetor. To use it, pull it all the way out until the engine fires, then push it in about 1/2 way, listening to the engine, and slowly push it in the rest of the way in small increments until the engine runs smoothly with the knob all the way in. This will take a few minutes in cold weather. It is possible that the car has an automatic choke - if it does, make sure it does the same thing (watch the flap with the air cleaner off) and if it does not, it needs to be adjusted until it does.
The oil you should be using is SAE20W - nothing heavier - and not "20W50".
Studebakers were famous for being the most reliable cars in bad conditions - even when more expensive cars had troubles, the Studebakers would always start - that is why the rural folks like farmers etc. always preferred them.
Good luck with it!
Dick
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for the info which leads to a couple more questions. It doesn't have a hand choke but we will have to check about the automatic choke and see if it needs adjustment. Has far has the oil goes should we be using SAE 20w all year around. We have been just using 10w30w which is what the guy who had it before was using.
Thanks Mike & Kevin
AnswerThe 10W30 is thin enough that it hasn't been contributing to your starting problem, although I would still change it to straight 20W next time you change oil. I'd run SAE30W in summer, the 20W in winter if your temp drops below 32 degrees.
I just broke out the books and discovered that 1950 Champions came with either a Carter 715S carburetor, which does have an automatic choke or a Stromberg # 380283, which also has an automatic choke - I apologize for the error.
Do check the adjustment of the choke to see if it is closing the flap all the way when it is cold, then begins to open as soon as the engine starts.
If the cranking speed is too slow, I'd concentrate on the electrical items I mentioned.
Dick
