Changing the oil

I changed the oil in my commuter car today, having grown tired of the "change oil soon" messages which started appearing on the dashboard about two weeks ago.  Changing the oil is something I learned to do from helping my uncle and grandfather work on cars when I was young.  It's much quicker and somewhat cheaper to do it myself than it is to take the car to the shop since you need to include the time spent driving to the shop and waiting for the oil to be changed.

The container on the left in the picture below which now holds used motor oil always makes me think of my grandfather.  It's one of a pair of 5 gallon oil cans I have which he used for delivering heating oil during WWII.  Several times when I've taken these containers to the county recycling center to recycle the used motor oil, people have asked whether I'd consider selling them.  These cans and the other tools I inherited from him hold far too much sentimental value for me to ever consider parting with them although the idea of some yuppie paying top dollar for something like that would have made Grandad laugh.

 

I'm always pleasantly surprised to see how easy it is to access everything on this car (a Chevy Equinox).  It seems every other vehicle we've owned for the past 20 years has placed either the oil drain plug or the oil filter in an awkward spot.  Some have gone as far as hiding them above frame cross-members which makes a huge mess when the old oil drains out.  I've tried all manner of do it yourself funnels to try to coax the oil into emptying into the drain pan with varying degrees of success.