jim wrote:

Don wrote:

I know that it is best to use the drain plug, but there are times I
hate crawling on the floor or sometimes it rains or in the winter it
is very cold.

I saw at sears an air operated oil extractor that has a ridgid
dipstick tube. It can also remove transmission fluid without taking
off the pan.

Would the life of a vehicle be shortened by using this method? By the
way the item I looked at was made by Mity-Vac and held 8.8 liters. You
use it with your air compressor.

you not gonna get any metal parts in the oil that fell to the bottom....
at least when you take out the drain plug you have a chance to get out
all the trash as it going to settle to the bottom.....
mityvac makes some good products, but that is one that i would not want
from any manufacturer.....

True. I remember dropping the pan in of a GM Hydra-Matic, and it
does make one heck of a mess. There's supposed to be a magnet
attached to the inside of the pan. Having the pan off gives the
opportunity to clean the magnet.

I like the Honda automatic transmission method. My '89 Integra
(4-sp auto) had a 5.7 quart capacity, but would drain out 2.5
quarts. What I liked about it was:

* No filter to be changed
* The only tool needed is a 3/8" ratchet and/or cheater bar
* The crush washer needed is the same size as the oil drain bolt.
* The car doesn't need to be raised to reach this drain bolt.

Of course the tranny wasn't very smooth and tended to hunt for a
gear, but that was before more sophisticated electronic controls
were available. I hear the current Honda auto trannies have
electronic controls and have gotten much smoother, yet have the
same ease of maintenance.