[Dredd]

+1 w00t for duct tape! ...and bailing wire.

The bag idea is genius! I've tried the hose n' the jug method before and it did not go well for me. I'm excited to try this bag idea. Thanks for sharing!

[Douglas Alderman]

I'm a retired painter. I use the Force Flex garbage bags for lining my paint trays Don't have to clean them out.Wrap up leftover paint for the next day and doesn't dry out. They are strong,flex and won't leak.

[Tom]

I think you need to market this!! It is always the simplest, most obvious thing that stuns the world that someone thought of it. I envisioned the quick oil change business in the mid 70's before it ever became popular. I worked with a bunch of women who always complained about how much time and money it took to get it done at a repair shop or the dealer. Unfortunately, I thought it and never did anything about it, thus I'm still a bottom feeder in the world of thousandaires!!

[Douglas Alderman]

If you bend two metal coat hangers tied together inside top poking through bag next to the straps ahead of time to keep it open. Like a fishng net. You can slide it over oil pan from the front of engine. Twist hangers to hold tight onto the oil pan. Makes it much easier to attach.

[Scooby Doo]

I want to start changing the oil myself as does not sound too difficult to do. Can somebody walk me through where the drain plug is etc. I have a 4.3 Mercruiser. Thanks.

[SEMIJim]

I'm surprised nobody has come up with an oil change kit that replaces the drain plug in the bottom with a hose you can route to the point where you could easily attach a pump.

The little 4-banger in our sailboat, an old Atomic 4, has no space under the engine, so you have to get the oil out via the dipstick. Or do you? A company called Moyer Marine makes an oil change kit that replaces a plug into the oil pan on the top, side of the block with a plug that has a brass tube in it that reaches down to the bottom of the oil pan. You hook an included rubber hose to that, run that hose to a convenient place (ours ends just behind the removable companionway steps) and then you just hook your vacuum oil extraction pump to that. Gets the oil out in a fraction of the time, gets more of the oil out, and is so simple to use you almost look forward to changing the oil .

Maybe I'll just fabricate one myself. Wouldn't take much. A replacement drain plug, drill a hole in it, get somebody to braze a small brass tube into it, buy some rubber hose, a fitting and cap for the end, and hose clamps: Done!

With something like that, then all you'd be left with is the oil filter, and a rag would catch whatever dripped from that.

Jim