FAQ: Good Battery Replacement?

Snowdog wrote:

12 years old? wow....you should take it into museum....relly....batterys here where i live...they least 4-5years MAX!....winter just hurts them alot..

that's why the OEM battery in the Riv is so good - being inside the car protects it from the weather. Mine lasted 9 years. I replaced with exactly the same one. If it works, (worked) why break it?

Snowdog wrote:

12 years old? wow....you should take it into museum....relly....batterys here where i live...they least 4-5years MAX!....winter just hurts them alot..

You're probably right - it still looked good enough for a museum!

(Of course, it was all I could do to carry the bloody thing into the store... The original 76-7YR must weigh 10 kilos more than the replacement.)

AA wrote:

My original battery is still starting the car at 12 years old. I'll probably replace before winter, but I really can't complain about it being a bad design. It's been TOTALLY maintenance-free for the entire life of the car. I may hit 200k miles before it finally comes out.

My 76-7yr started to leak after 9 years. It started to eat away at the paint. I cleaned the pan with baking soda and water. I put an old license plate under the new 79-6yr to catch any leaks in the future. You might want to consider the new 79-6yr. The replacement is lighter and easier to install.

AA wrote:

My original battery is still starting the car at 12 years old. I'll probably replace before winter, but I really can't complain about it being a bad design. It's been TOTALLY maintenance-free for the entire life of the car. I may hit 200k miles before it finally comes out.

Same here, mine is the original battery and "knock on wood" it still starts on a dime, and up here it cranks over in frigid conditions.

lionfish wrote:

My 76-7yr started to leak after 9 years. It started to eat away at the paint. I cleaned the pan with baking soda and water. I put an old license plate under the new 78-6yr to catch any leaks in the future. You might want to consider the new 78-6yr. The replacement is lighter and easier to install.

I don't think the guys in the North would want a 78, that one is only 675 CCA...

Also, you reminded me about a tip I left out of my post: I always sprinkle a moderate amount of baking soda around the cleaned tray whenever I have a battery out.

Hmm, my battery seems to be original, or at least OEM replacement. We've had it probably 4-5 years, but I don't expect it to last much longer, our temperatures go from 35 to -30 (celcius) at least, and minus 30 doesn't even count windchill... lol.

Eldo wrote:

lionfish wrote:

My 76-7yr started to leak after 9 years. It started to eat away at the paint. I cleaned the pan with baking soda and water. I put an old license plate under the new 79-6yr to catch any leaks in the future. You might want to consider the new 79-6yr. The replacement is lighter and easier to install.

I don't think the guys in the North would want a 78, that one is only 675 CCA...

Also, you reminded me about a tip I left out of my post: I always sprinkle a moderate amount of baking soda around the cleaned tray whenever I have a battery out.

You are correct my post had a typo, I have a 79-6yr with with 880 CCA.

I have the original battery in mine after almost 11 years and 233,000 miles.

i bought mine from sears @ $130, about 1 years ago. same 880cca and vent tube hook ups.

'96reese wrote:

i bought mine from sears @ $130, about 1 years ago. same 880cca and vent tube hook ups.

die hard?

last I knew the style with vents was only available through GM/ACdelco.

deekster_caddy wrote:

'96reese wrote:

i bought mine from sears @ $130, about 1 years ago. same 880cca and vent tube hook ups.

die hard?

last I knew the style with vents was only available through GM/ACdelco.

Yes. Die Hard does make a battery to fit our Riviera. I still have my old battery in the garage (Die Hard).

Good movie too. I still like the first one the best.

ITS A 95 SC MODEL AND THE HORN RAN IT ALL THE WAY DOWN DO YOU THINK ITS POSSIBLE TO HAVE KILLED A CELL IN THE BATTERY

Well my battery is cranking the engine very slowly in the cold. My original is going on 12 years. I can't complain. Got the replacement 79-6YR, part # 19001845. Will put it in this afternoon. Seems like a straight forward install.

interstate batteries if youre up north IMO, thats all i run in my cars and never had a cold start issue and have never come out to a dead battery

DRY CELL only way to go! No spills, no mess, no BS! Hey that rhymes too. I live in the second coldest place on earth as of this Monday... 2nd only to Siberia. Wet cells are a waste of money, time, and above all else patience. Nobody likes changing frozen batteries in their back seat in -40 C weather, at least no1 I've met.

My 2009 Battery Replacement Experience, from another battery thread

I thought I'd share the latest pluses & minuses on the ACDelco 79-6yr replacement, and a couple photos. I decided against the Optima because it costs more for fewer amps, someone here pointed out that the hold-down clamp may stress one of the circular housings, there is no place for the battery thermistor to rest against, and their "non-vent" design still has emergency valves that can vent into the car if the battery overheats/overcharges...

First the minuses: Even though it is the only direct replacement, and the thermistor was their idea in the first place, the posts on the new GM battery stick farther out and the battery case doesn't directly contact the thermistor package... hopefully it still picks up heat from the terminal itself. Also, the CCA that fell from the original 970 to 880 is now down to 840. But that's still the same as I had in a 6-litre V8, and plenty for a V6 with a Magnaquench starter.

On the plus side, it's a helluva lot lighter than the original. And amazingly, even here in the Bay Area where everything is expensive, I found one in stock at an independent parts store that carries Delco: $109 plus tax.

Finally, the battery slides in easily and with a couple tidy little mods, the original vent system fits like a charm. After removing them from the "T" connector, a razor blade quickly & cleanly cuts about an inch off of each black tube, leaving one remaining barb. Then, a bit of scotch tape turns the yellow Caution tag into a 'tourniquet' to take the slop out of the rubber strap and keep tension on the end-caps.

Eldo wrote:

My 2009 Battery Replacement Experience, from another battery thread

I thought I'd share the latest pluses & minuses on the ACDelco 79-6yr replacement, and a couple photos. I decided against the Optima because it costs more for fewer amps, someone here pointed out that the hold-down clamp may stress one of the circular housings, there is no place for the battery thermistor to rest against, and their "non-vent" design still has emergency valves that can vent into the car if the battery overheats/overcharges...

First the minuses: Even though it is the only direct replacement, and the thermistor was their idea in the first place, the posts on the new GM battery stick farther out and the battery case doesn't directly contact the thermistor package... hopefully it still picks up heat from the terminal itself. Also, the CCA that fell from the original 970 to 880 is now down to 840. But that's still the same as I had in a 6-litre V8, and plenty for a V6 with a Magnaquench starter.

Optima batteries are an underrated battery when u speak of CCA. Reds are rated @ 800CCA, Yellows @ 750CCA, both more than enuff to crank over a nice sized V8 let alone a 3.8L V6. I have had them tested right in front of me by the guys at interstate and they test normally over what they are rated at. They really are worth the money, which is why you see them in alot of DB drag / regular drag strip applications.
The yellow is most popular because its the deep cycle version making it better at delivering a consistant charge for long period. Where as the red tops are designed for just a quick shot of power for starting an engine, just like a regular battery. If you just need a battery, factory, or a wet cell is fine but for any1 who plans on running any kind of aftermarket sound system. A deep cycle gel cell battery is the only way to go, no ands, ifs, or buts.

I agree that for a psycho sound system the Yellow Top is probably the way to go, provided that they actually have created what no one could before: a combination cranking/deep-cycle battery... A friend of a friend supposedly had to go back to a red-top because the yellow-top didn't retain enough cranking power to light off his Corvette.

For "regular guys", I just found another source of a GM-vent battery (it may even be a rebadged Delco...) It's a 770 CCA Ray-O-Vac at Batteries Plus:

LINK
The one on the right has the photo, the one of the left with the "M" suffix is the Max, with the higher amperage... The first double-digit battery I've found out here, $95 in overpriced Marin County.

Wonder why it's "95-97".

1998 Riv wrote:

Wonder why it's "95-97".

Nobody's perfect (except me, of course...)

We owners know more than mere suppliers, so we know that they're all the same. If I didn't have the local independent Delco dealer, I very probably would've gone to Batteries Plus... I've been in there several times since they opened for specialty stuff like lighter batteries.

I bought an Optima Red Top a few months back - I'm letting my friend use it in his VW until my OEM battery finally dies. It's still doing a pretty decent job, even on the colder mornings. But every year it's getting a little weaker. Can't complain, as it's 12 years old!

My friend loves the Red Top, and says he doesn't want to give it back just yet, so I'm trying to hold out a little longer. The OEM battery is a real trooper, imo.

Aaron, have you ever topped it off with distilled water like I did?

No, I just let the thing be. It's never given me a reason to even look at it.

Yes it has: "But every year it's getting a little weaker..."

I'm just saying, it's impossible for it not to have evaporated a lot of water over all these years, and it only takes half an hour to run thru the process I did. I never had an overflow or acid leak, I got another year and a half out of it, and if I hadn't left the lights on for 24 hours it would still be running...

Eldo wrote:

Now if you'll excuse me, I just got a package from ZZP...

MERRY XMAS ELDO! Hope Jolly ole Saint ZZP was good to ya.