Dweller, The 'logical' reason for doing it the other way is : It uses the oil in the pan to rinse some of the stuff which has settled on the bottom of the pan into the drain bucket. Many people have never taken a pan off an engine.... the bottom is usually pretty ugly... and it just provides a way for gravity to evacuate some of that out of the engine. You don't suck the water out of your bathtub.... do you ? ...LOL.... and the drain hole IS on the BOTTOM of the pan.... Greg