Dear Tom and Ray:

A friend and I were arguing. I said that you can change your oil by punching a hole in the oil filter and vacuuming all of the oil out through the filter, then changing the filter and filling the oil back up from the top. Why would I do this? Because I like to be different! Would it work? -- Franklin

TOM: Sure. But your wife's going to be ticked when she gets her vacuum back.

RAY: Well, I think Franklin means using "suction" rather than a vacuum, but the technical answer is yes, it can be done. It's a little like having your doctor take a blood sample from the top of your head rather than the crook of your arm, but it is possible.

TOM: It would do an incomplete job, though. You would have no access to the very bottom of the engine via the oil filter, and that's where most of the crud and dirt is lurking.

RAY: If you like to be different, Franklin, you might try going in through the dipstick tube instead. The dipstick hole allows you access to the very bottom of the oil pan. And there are devices you can buy that have a hose that sucks oil right out through the dipstick tube.

TOM: Tune in next week, Franklin, when we tell you how to adjust the headlights via the trunk.