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What's Cookin'?
Gardening a lifelong love for 'Corn
By REBECCA WELLS
Even when Shirley Richert was
a little girl, she grew up tending
a little flower bed and garden. "I
have always loved to garden," she
says.
Since the late 1980s, Shirley has
been selling fresh produce from
the Richert family farm, including
the locally acclaimed "Bodacious"
corn, at a produce stand in Thur-
ston County. Now people see her
around town and on the street and
recognize her as the "Corn Lady."
"It was kind of an adventure
when I first started," she recalls.
She began at the Olympia
Farmers' Market but in order to
not compete with her cousins, the
Johnsons, she later moved to Mud
Bay Road, selling out of her vehi-
cle. These days she sets up shop in
the Phyl's Furniture parking lot,
the owner of this business being
one of her customers.
"IT'S JUST really neat, neat.
I really enjoy doing it," Shirley
says.
At first, she sold out of her
father's little red Jeep until it fi-
nally broke down and she outgrew
it, but its legacy lives on. "It was
a family thing. My kids knew the
little red Jeep and my customers
still ask me, 'Where's the little red
Jeep?'"
While her location and vehicle
have changed, her main prod-
uct is still Bodacious corn, which
her customers have loved since it
was first introduced at the farm-
ers' market. "It took the place by
storm," she recalls.
Now when she puts her produce
sign out along the side oftlm road,
she doesn't simply announce she
has just any kind of corn for sale;
she makes sure to specify she's
selling the Bodacious variety.
BESIDES CORN, she also
raises Blue Lake green beans,
pickling cucumbers, slicing cu-
cumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes,
pumpkins and summer squash,
including zucchini and winter
squash. All of it is grown right on
the family farm in the Skokomish
Valley. She picks the corn fresh
each morning.
Having a Finnish and Norwe-
gian heritage, she also grows yel-
low Finn potatoes and hopes to
pay another visit to her relatives
in Norway next summer.
In addition to the produce
stand, she also runs a "U-pick"
program on her thrm, mostly of-
fering beans and cucumbers by
appointment only. Since she also
cultivates a few herbs, including
dill, customers can select fresh cu-
cumbers and buy just enough dill
in the morning to make pickles by
the afternoon.
"I've enjoyed it. I really have
enjoyed it and I enjoy my custom-
ers. They enjoy the fact that I'm
there, you know? To do something
you know they really appreciate is
very rewarding," she says.
HER CLIENTELE has
spanned generations, and as
grandparents pass away they
leave their children and grand-
children to carry on the traditional
visits to her produce stand. Shir-
ley's not afraid to talk to people.
This seasonal job, which usually
begins around the end of August,
depending on the weather, gives
her a chance to see some people
she would never come across oth-
erwise, such as former classmates
and students.
"I don't go until the corn is
ready. That's my starting point.
That's the major thing," she says.
Shirley taught elementary
school in Hoquiam for several
years, having grown up and grad-
uated from high school there. Her
degree is from Central Washing-
ton University and she went on for
a fifth year of college to obtain her
teaching certification at the Uni-
versity of Washington.
She also started her family in
the Hoquiam area while she was
Rose's Odyssey will
benefit youth center
Shelton Spiritual Cinema will
show the new documentary 2012
The Odyssey at 2 p.m. on Sunday,
July 8, in the PUD 3 Auditorium,
307 West Cota Street in Shelton.
Filmmaker Sharron Rose trav-
els across the U.S. speaking to re-
spected researchers such as Jos6
Arguelles and Gregg Braden about
the year 2012.
"This film shows us that the
coming world is ours to reshape
and to remake in any way that
we believe possible. It reminds us
that we need not be victims," said
spokesperson Bob Bottman. Dun-
can Roads of Nexus Magazines
called this film, 'Wery informative
and thought-provoking."
Shelton Spiritual Cinema
has been showing inspiring and
thought-provoking films from the
newly emerging genre of films
known as "spiritual cinema" for
more than two years. It is not affil-
iated with any organized religion
or political group, and no admis-
sion is charged, but cash donations
are welcome.
All proceeds go to SOCK Youth
Center in Shelton. More informa-
tion is available by sending an e-
mail to: bob@sock.org or calling
Bottman at 432-3229.
Unless otherwise noted, all
events take place at the Mason
County Senior Activities Center
at 826 West Railroad Avenue.
The senior center hours are from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center's tele-
phone desk 426-7374) is closed
for lunch from noon till 12:30
p.m.
Adult lap swimming is set for
11:15 a.m. weekdays and noon
on Saturday at the Shelton High
School Pool.
Friday, July 6
8:30 a.m., Tat Chi class.
9-11 a.m., line dancing.
9 a.m.-2 p.m., sewing circle.
Noon, potluck lunch.
Noon, Brownie Troop 4284
visit.
6:30-10 p.m., Old Time Fid-
dlers.
Monday, July 9
8:30 a.m., Tat Chi class.
9 a.m., beginning line dancing.
10 a.m., line dancing.
12:45 p.m., pinochle.
Tuesday, July 10
Footcare by appointment.
9 a.m., line dancing.
9 a.m.-1 p.m., sewing circle.
10 a.m., intermediate and ad-
vanced line dancing.
12:30 p.m., bridge.
Wednesday, July 11
8:30 a.m., Tai Chi class.
9 a.m., line dancing.
Thursday, July 12
9-11 a.m., line dancing.
9-11 a.m., EZ Crafters.
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., blood-pres-
sure checks.
1 p.m., bingo.
teaching there. By the time her
children were in school, she had
moved to Mason County and was
working as a substitute teacher at
Hood Canal School. "That was nice
because I got to know the teachers
and got to know the school," she
says.
AS A WIDOW, she met and
married Gerald Richert thanks
to the matchmaking efforts of Ed
and LaVonne Cole of Shelton. Be-
tween Shirley's two little boys and
Gerald's three children, they sud-
denly found themselves parents of
four sons and one daughter. They
started referring to their house-
hold as "The Brady Bunch," after
the popular television show in
those days about a blended family.
They could identify with the char-
acters.
Shirley and Gerald built a home
in Potlatch, where they raised
their family and lived for 20 years.
They were married 40 years last
August 6.
"I can't believe it's been that
long. It just flies by," she says.
They hope to celebrate their anni-
versary by taking a family cruise
up to Alaska next summer. In De-
cember 2004 they went on a cruise
to the Mexican Riviera with one of
their sons and his wife.
Shirley and Gerald had been
very involved with the First Bap-
tist Church of Shelton. She taught
Sunday school there for years but
then in 1990, once his parents be-
came too far along in age to handle
the family ranch anymore, they
decided to move back to the Skok
Valley farm and take it over for
them. They now attend Skokom-
ish Community Church, which
just celebrated its 50th anniver-
sary. Jerry serves as a church dea-
con and Shirley helps in a number
of different ways.
"I ENJOY BEING on the other
side of teaching. I've done a lot of
teaching. It's good to be taught,
too. I enjoy that, too," she says.
By the time they moved back
to the Skok Valley, their children
were grown and the couple now
has several grandchildren. Their
son Doug Richert owns a photog-
raphy shop in Shelton. Their son
Ken Drake and his wife Kristi co-
own La ranter, a French bakery in
Seattle's Pike Place Market. Their
daughter Tish Greenfield works
for the state and her husband
Gene works in carpentry. Their
son Kirk and his wife Michele live
in Folsom, California. She works
for Verizon and he works in ac-
counting. Their youngest son, Al-
lan Richert, lives in Brinnon.
Gerald was born and raised
right in the Skok Valley and now
Shirley's having fun stepping up to
grow produce in the fields. "I love
it! The valley's a beautiful place,"
she says.
The farm has been there for so
long that the family knows where
to plant crops in order to avoid
the annual flooding in the winter.
Their property includes almost
100 acres around the house, plus
several hundred acres of hay and
another 100 acres of corn on the
other side of the Skokomish Riv-
er.
THESE DAYS they're work-
ing on expanding their produce
with the addition of blueberries,
grapes and raspberries. The farm
is also transitioning into organic
agricultural practice. Though they
already practice organic farming
techniques, it will be a couple of
years before they will be officially
certified as organic farmers.
Hired farm hands perform the
heavy labor in the fields and Shir-
ley is in charge of the lighter farm
work. "I do the stuff that needs a
gentle touch: watering, fertilizing,
weeding," she explains.
She shared a recipe for a moist
chocolate cake using zucchini.
Due to its tender texture, frosting
isn't necessary; nuts and chocolate
UNOCAL 76 PRODUCTS
*Motor Oils and Hydraulic Oils
* Industrial Lubricants
*Automotive Oils
*Metal Working Fluids
*Greases and Gear Oils
* Solvents, Antifreeze
*Cutting Oils
racing, gasoline
*Job Site High-Volume Commercial Diesel Fueling
* Pump Repair, Tanks, Nozzles, Grease Guns
* Heating Oil Delivered
* Furnace and Stove Oil, Kerosene
UNOr.ALO
Located at Sanderson
Industrial Park
00,e,ton 427-8084
Page 16 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July 5, 2007
FIELDS STRETCH out behind Shirley Richert at her
ily's farm in the Skokomish Valley.
chips sprinkled on top work just as
well.
Since it is very tasty when
served the next day, Shirley rec-
ommends baking it in a glass pan
instead of a metal one so it doesn't
pick up a metallic flavor. She also
suggests using larger zucchinis
rather than smaller ones, be-
cause larger ones are a little drier
and will keep the cake just moist
enough without running the risk
of making it damp and heavy.
"When you cook it, you'd never
know there's zucchini in it, be-
cause it disappears," she said.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients:
]/2 C. soft margarine
1/2 C. vegetable oil
13/4 C. sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. sour milk
21/2 C. flour, unsifted
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 C. large zucchini, finely diced,
but not shredded
1/4 C. chocolate chips and chopped
nuts
Preparation:
Cream together margarine,
and sugar. Add the eggs,
and sour milk. Beat with a
Mix together all of the dry
ents and add to the creamed
ture; beat well with mixer.
Stir in the diced zucchini. Spo-
batter into the greased and flour
9-by-12-by-2-inch pan. Sprinl
top with chocolate chips and nuU
Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenhd
for 40 to 45 minutes or until "
toothpick or cake tester comes o b
clean and dry. d
DIRECT SALES
SHOPPING EVENT,S,
Shop from over 8 "stores" at one,s
time and have fun toot
Jewelry, Cosmetics, Books, 1
Tea, Cookware, Gourmet food,
Candles, Scrapbooking and more 1
Saturday. July 7th n
I Oam-3pm
Steamboat Island
Prosperity Grange
3701 Steamboat Island Road Nil/
The Cherry Lady Is Back!
YAKIMA VALLEY CIIERRIES i
BINGS + RAINIERS
Our cherries + ._.alLy
. l)/* +
** areextralarge, ,a00/I oPEN _+ .
sweet & juicy TttRU
this year. **rl I JULY 8
Viking Floors parking lot in Shehon
• "',.,+++m++ ;++¢+ ++++]+++++++++.. ++++++.+,++ .+++m kP+P
' -m,@ , P+w ,, +, ,-,@++., - , + , g,> - +?.. • , m +
+++++ .... ++4++'+":,'+ + .... +-+,+ "++,+++ <++¢++ '+'++¢ +. ++'+ +%+4,+, '+'+"
+. ,¢ +. + .... + ¢ ++ ,+ + W "+`" +
Car Talk
by Dave Hudson
Owner
ELECTRICAL OUTAGE
After the battery starts your vehicle's engine, the alternator as-
sumes its task of providing electricity to meet the vehicle's needs.
Symptoms of alternator failure include illumination of the charge
warning light or a discharge indication on the ammeter. However,
before a decision to replace the alternator is made on the basis of
these signs, the alternator drive belt should be checked for loose-
ness, and the voltage regulator should be examined to see if it is
working properly. Either of these conditions could cause the charge
warning light or the discharge indication on the ammeter to ap-
pear. Another indication of a failed alternator is a shrill noise that
increases in pitch as engine speed increases, which is caused by a
bad diode.
III III
If the charge warning light on your dashboard is illuminated
be sure to bring your vehicle to TRANSMISSIONS PLUS
AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES and have an experienced technician
take a look at it. Our excellent staff receives ongoing training and
support to stay on top of the latest advances. We will thoroughly
diagnose the probler, and give you an estimate you can trust. Call
360-426-96]7 today. Our shop is conveniently located at 31 E.
Vance Ct. Your complete transmission, clutch, and auto care center. 'TVe
care ... about auto care!"
HINT: A diode is the solid state
electronice device in the alternator
that changes or rectifies alternating
current into direct current for use by
the car's electrical system.
What's Cookin'?
Gardening a lifelong love for 'Corn
By REBECCA WELLS
Even when Shirley Richert was
a little girl, she grew up tending
a little flower bed and garden. "I
have always loved to garden," she
says.
Since the late 1980s, Shirley has
been selling fresh produce from
the Richert family farm, including
the locally acclaimed "Bodacious"
corn, at a produce stand in Thur-
ston County. Now people see her
around town and on the street and
recognize her as the "Corn Lady."
"It was kind of an adventure
when I first started," she recalls.
She began at the Olympia
Farmers' Market but in order to
not compete with her cousins, the
Johnsons, she later moved to Mud
Bay Road, selling out of her vehi-
cle. These days she sets up shop in
the Phyl's Furniture parking lot,
the owner of this business being
one of her customers.
"IT'S JUST really neat, neat.
I really enjoy doing it," Shirley
says.
At first, she sold out of her
father's little red Jeep until it fi-
nally broke down and she outgrew
it, but its legacy lives on. "It was
a family thing. My kids knew the
little red Jeep and my customers
still ask me, 'Where's the little red
Jeep?'"
While her location and vehicle
have changed, her main prod-
uct is still Bodacious corn, which
her customers have loved since it
was first introduced at the farm-
ers' market. "It took the place by
storm," she recalls.
Now when she puts her produce
sign out along the side oftlm road,
she doesn't simply announce she
has just any kind of corn for sale;
she makes sure to specify she's
selling the Bodacious variety.
BESIDES CORN, she also
raises Blue Lake green beans,
pickling cucumbers, slicing cu-
cumbers, cantaloupe, tomatoes,
pumpkins and summer squash,
including zucchini and winter
squash. All of it is grown right on
the family farm in the Skokomish
Valley. She picks the corn fresh
each morning.
Having a Finnish and Norwe-
gian heritage, she also grows yel-
low Finn potatoes and hopes to
pay another visit to her relatives
in Norway next summer.
In addition to the produce
stand, she also runs a "U-pick"
program on her thrm, mostly of-
fering beans and cucumbers by
appointment only. Since she also
cultivates a few herbs, including
dill, customers can select fresh cu-
cumbers and buy just enough dill
in the morning to make pickles by
the afternoon.
"I've enjoyed it. I really have
enjoyed it and I enjoy my custom-
ers. They enjoy the fact that I'm
there, you know? To do something
you know they really appreciate is
very rewarding," she says.
HER CLIENTELE has
spanned generations, and as
grandparents pass away they
leave their children and grand-
children to carry on the traditional
visits to her produce stand. Shir-
ley's not afraid to talk to people.
This seasonal job, which usually
begins around the end of August,
depending on the weather, gives
her a chance to see some people
she would never come across oth-
erwise, such as former classmates
and students.
"I don't go until the corn is
ready. That's my starting point.
That's the major thing," she says.
Shirley taught elementary
school in Hoquiam for several
years, having grown up and grad-
uated from high school there. Her
degree is from Central Washing-
ton University and she went on for
a fifth year of college to obtain her
teaching certification at the Uni-
versity of Washington.
She also started her family in
the Hoquiam area while she was
Rose's Odyssey will
benefit youth center
Shelton Spiritual Cinema will
show the new documentary 2012
The Odyssey at 2 p.m. on Sunday,
July 8, in the PUD 3 Auditorium,
307 West Cota Street in Shelton.
Filmmaker Sharron Rose trav-
els across the U.S. speaking to re-
spected researchers such as Jos6
Arguelles and Gregg Braden about
the year 2012.
"This film shows us that the
coming world is ours to reshape
and to remake in any way that
we believe possible. It reminds us
that we need not be victims," said
spokesperson Bob Bottman. Dun-
can Roads of Nexus Magazines
called this film, 'Wery informative
and thought-provoking."
Shelton Spiritual Cinema
has been showing inspiring and
thought-provoking films from the
newly emerging genre of films
known as "spiritual cinema" for
more than two years. It is not affil-
iated with any organized religion
or political group, and no admis-
sion is charged, but cash donations
are welcome.
All proceeds go to SOCK Youth
Center in Shelton. More informa-
tion is available by sending an e-
mail to: bob@sock.org or calling
Bottman at 432-3229.
Unless otherwise noted, all
events take place at the Mason
County Senior Activities Center
at 826 West Railroad Avenue.
The senior center hours are from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center's tele-
phone desk 426-7374) is closed
for lunch from noon till 12:30
p.m.
Adult lap swimming is set for
11:15 a.m. weekdays and noon
on Saturday at the Shelton High
School Pool.
Friday, July 6
8:30 a.m., Tat Chi class.
9-11 a.m., line dancing.
9 a.m.-2 p.m., sewing circle.
Noon, potluck lunch.
Noon, Brownie Troop 4284
visit.
6:30-10 p.m., Old Time Fid-
dlers.
Monday, July 9
8:30 a.m., Tat Chi class.
9 a.m., beginning line dancing.
10 a.m., line dancing.
12:45 p.m., pinochle.
Tuesday, July 10
Footcare by appointment.
9 a.m., line dancing.
9 a.m.-1 p.m., sewing circle.
10 a.m., intermediate and ad-
vanced line dancing.
12:30 p.m., bridge.
Wednesday, July 11
8:30 a.m., Tai Chi class.
9 a.m., line dancing.
Thursday, July 12
9-11 a.m., line dancing.
9-11 a.m., EZ Crafters.
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m., blood-pres-
sure checks.
1 p.m., bingo.
teaching there. By the time her
children were in school, she had
moved to Mason County and was
working as a substitute teacher at
Hood Canal School. "That was nice
because I got to know the teachers
and got to know the school," she
says.
AS A WIDOW, she met and
married Gerald Richert thanks
to the matchmaking efforts of Ed
and LaVonne Cole of Shelton. Be-
tween Shirley's two little boys and
Gerald's three children, they sud-
denly found themselves parents of
four sons and one daughter. They
started referring to their house-
hold as "The Brady Bunch," after
the popular television show in
those days about a blended family.
They could identify with the char-
acters.
Shirley and Gerald built a home
in Potlatch, where they raised
their family and lived for 20 years.
They were married 40 years last
August 6.
"I can't believe it's been that
long. It just flies by," she says.
They hope to celebrate their anni-
versary by taking a family cruise
up to Alaska next summer. In De-
cember 2004 they went on a cruise
to the Mexican Riviera with one of
their sons and his wife.
Shirley and Gerald had been
very involved with the First Bap-
tist Church of Shelton. She taught
Sunday school there for years but
then in 1990, once his parents be-
came too far along in age to handle
the family ranch anymore, they
decided to move back to the Skok
Valley farm and take it over for
them. They now attend Skokom-
ish Community Church, which
just celebrated its 50th anniver-
sary. Jerry serves as a church dea-
con and Shirley helps in a number
of different ways.
"I ENJOY BEING on the other
side of teaching. I've done a lot of
teaching. It's good to be taught,
too. I enjoy that, too," she says.
By the time they moved back
to the Skok Valley, their children
were grown and the couple now
has several grandchildren. Their
son Doug Richert owns a photog-
raphy shop in Shelton. Their son
Ken Drake and his wife Kristi co-
own La ranter, a French bakery in
Seattle's Pike Place Market. Their
daughter Tish Greenfield works
for the state and her husband
Gene works in carpentry. Their
son Kirk and his wife Michele live
in Folsom, California. She works
for Verizon and he works in ac-
counting. Their youngest son, Al-
lan Richert, lives in Brinnon.
Gerald was born and raised
right in the Skok Valley and now
Shirley's having fun stepping up to
grow produce in the fields. "I love
it! The valley's a beautiful place,"
she says.
The farm has been there for so
long that the family knows where
to plant crops in order to avoid
the annual flooding in the winter.
Their property includes almost
100 acres around the house, plus
several hundred acres of hay and
another 100 acres of corn on the
other side of the Skokomish Riv-
er.
THESE DAYS they're work-
ing on expanding their produce
with the addition of blueberries,
grapes and raspberries. The farm
is also transitioning into organic
agricultural practice. Though they
already practice organic farming
techniques, it will be a couple of
years before they will be officially
certified as organic farmers.
Hired farm hands perform the
heavy labor in the fields and Shir-
ley is in charge of the lighter farm
work. "I do the stuff that needs a
gentle touch: watering, fertilizing,
weeding," she explains.
She shared a recipe for a moist
chocolate cake using zucchini.
Due to its tender texture, frosting
isn't necessary; nuts and chocolate
UNOCAL 76 PRODUCTS
*Motor Oils and Hydraulic Oils
* Industrial Lubricants
*Automotive Oils
*Metal Working Fluids
*Greases and Gear Oils
* Solvents, Antifreeze
*Cutting Oils
racing, gasoline
*Job Site High-Volume Commercial Diesel Fueling
* Pump Repair, Tanks, Nozzles, Grease Guns
* Heating Oil Delivered
* Furnace and Stove Oil, Kerosene
UNOr.ALO
Located at Sanderson
Industrial Park
00,e,ton 427-8084
Page 16 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, July 5, 2007
FIELDS STRETCH out behind Shirley Richert at her
ily's farm in the Skokomish Valley.
chips sprinkled on top work just as
well.
Since it is very tasty when
served the next day, Shirley rec-
ommends baking it in a glass pan
instead of a metal one so it doesn't
pick up a metallic flavor. She also
suggests using larger zucchinis
rather than smaller ones, be-
cause larger ones are a little drier
and will keep the cake just moist
enough without running the risk
of making it damp and heavy.
"When you cook it, you'd never
know there's zucchini in it, be-
cause it disappears," she said.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Ingredients:
]/2 C. soft margarine
1/2 C. vegetable oil
13/4 C. sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. sour milk
21/2 C. flour, unsifted
4 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 C. large zucchini, finely diced,
but not shredded
1/4 C. chocolate chips and chopped
nuts
Preparation:
Cream together margarine,
and sugar. Add the eggs,
and sour milk. Beat with a
Mix together all of the dry
ents and add to the creamed
ture; beat well with mixer.
Stir in the diced zucchini. Spo-
batter into the greased and flour
9-by-12-by-2-inch pan. Sprinl
top with chocolate chips and nuU
Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenhd
for 40 to 45 minutes or until "
toothpick or cake tester comes o b
clean and dry. d
DIRECT SALES
SHOPPING EVENT,S,
Shop from over 8 "stores" at one,s
time and have fun toot
Jewelry, Cosmetics, Books, 1
Tea, Cookware, Gourmet food,
Candles, Scrapbooking and more 1
Saturday. July 7th n
I Oam-3pm
Steamboat Island
Prosperity Grange
3701 Steamboat Island Road Nil/
The Cherry Lady Is Back!
YAKIMA VALLEY CIIERRIES i
BINGS + RAINIERS
Our cherries + ._.alLy
. l)/* +
** areextralarge, ,a00/I oPEN _+ .
sweet & juicy TttRU
this year. **rl I JULY 8
Viking Floors parking lot in Shehon
• "',.,+++m++ ;++¢+ ++++]+++++++++.. ++++++.+,++ .+++m kP+P
' -m,@ , P+w ,, +, ,-,@++., - , + , g,> - +?.. • , m +
+++++ .... ++4++'+":,'+ + .... +-+,+ "++,+++ <++¢++ '+'++¢ +. ++'+ +%+4,+, '+'+"
+. ,¢ +. + .... + ¢ ++ ,+ + W "+`" +
Car Talk
by Dave Hudson
Owner
ELECTRICAL OUTAGE
After the battery starts your vehicle's engine, the alternator as-
sumes its task of providing electricity to meet the vehicle's needs.
Symptoms of alternator failure include illumination of the charge
warning light or a discharge indication on the ammeter. However,
before a decision to replace the alternator is made on the basis of
these signs, the alternator drive belt should be checked for loose-
ness, and the voltage regulator should be examined to see if it is
working properly. Either of these conditions could cause the charge
warning light or the discharge indication on the ammeter to ap-
pear. Another indication of a failed alternator is a shrill noise that
increases in pitch as engine speed increases, which is caused by a
bad diode.
III III
If the charge warning light on your dashboard is illuminated
be sure to bring your vehicle to TRANSMISSIONS PLUS
AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES and have an experienced technician
take a look at it. Our excellent staff receives ongoing training and
support to stay on top of the latest advances. We will thoroughly
diagnose the probler, and give you an estimate you can trust. Call
360-426-96]7 today. Our shop is conveniently located at 31 E.
Vance Ct. Your complete transmission, clutch, and auto care center. 'TVe
care ... about auto care!"
HINT: A diode is the solid state
electronice device in the alternator
that changes or rectifies alternating
current into direct current for use by
the car's electrical system.