What Happened With The Delco X Maintenance-Free Battery?
Thanks to the research of John Sawruk and Rocky Rotella, we were able to determine that in model year '71, Delco Remy introduced the Delco X maintenance-free battery, the C89, which was standard equipment only on the Grand Prix SJ, and as option 654 for Firebirds, LeMans, Catalina, Bonneville, and Grand Ville. Though it remained standard on the SJ, the option for other Pontiacs was cancelled twice due to limited availability; first in February 1971, returning as option 691 in June 1971, then cancelled again in October 1971. For the '73 model year, it returned in most model lines. It's not currently being reproduced.
Frequently Asked Battery Questions
Q: What is a hard-top battery?
A: A hard-top battery uses one piece of molded plastic to seal its face-top. It was introduced in '66 for the GTO and 2+2.
Q: What is a "maintenance-free" battery?
A: A maintenance-free battery was delivered "wet" from Delco-Remy with calcium lead, and required no addition of distilled water to maintain charging capacity.
Q: How did Delco define a heavy-duty battery?
A: R-Series batteries came with 2,900 watts of cranking power at 0 degrees. If the letter "S" was added to the end of the model number-i.e. R59S, R79S, or R89S-the battery came with 3,250 watts of cranking power at 0 degrees and was called "heavy-duty." If the letter "W" was added to the end of the model number-i.e. R79W or R89W-the battery came with 3,750 watts of cranking power at 0 degrees, and was still called "heavy-duty."
Q: Why did my original battery have charcoal-colored caps?
A: In 1973, Delco-Remy changed to a charcoal colored "flame resistor" cap upon the mandate of the DOT. Even today, reproduction batteries use charcoal inside the period-correct caps to adhere to DOT requirements.
Q: Why does my maintenance-free reproduction battery still have caps?
A: Reproduction batteries maintain the identical outward appearance of the original lead-acid batteries manufactured by Delco-Remy and maintenance-free internal components. Adding acid or water to a reproduction maintenance-free battery will ruin it.
Q: Why does my counter battery have a different color painted on it than other similar batteries I've seen?
A: Remy produced three versions of each series of counter battery in most model years. The entry-level battery was painted green (i.e. E1000 G59) and was designed for "popular applications having moderate starting and electrical power demands," according to a 1971 Delco product guide. The standard battery was painted yellow (i.e. E3000 Y59) and provided "high capacity for normal cranking power requirements." The top-of-the-line battery was painted red (i.e. E5000 R59) and started your car "fast with an instant power-burst of up to 2,900 watts of cranking power."
Got Battery?
Maybe not! One of the problems for collectors is that not all the varieties of Delco batteries have been reproduced, such as the original '71 pre-Freedom Maintenance-Free C89. This situation extends even to modern cars. In our personal experience with the Delco Freedom OEM heavy-duty battery option, the life ranges from 7-14 years.
Even modern batteries have changed style and colors over the years. For example, our original '84 Sunbird Turbo has had multiple Delco batteries in its life and the current one doesn't look like its original. (More about modern ones later.)
I commend HPP for taking on this very difficult and confusing subject. Sometimes there were midyear changes that weren't well documented. Owner's manuals may or may not be helpful, depending on the year. Some literature lists GM part numbers, while others use Delco terms, such as the R59. Service replacements may not have been the same battery as OEM, which further confuses things. (This is true even today.)