thx..i went under the car to look at the drain plugs again, and they appear to be quite difficult to get to. On the driver's side, it looks like I need to remove the engine shock absorber, and even then there is still very little room to work on. On the passenger side, it appears more difficult because the drain plug is tucked way up on the block , close to the engine schock and in front of the mount.

any tricks on how to tackle this job? do i need to jack the negine up to get more elbow room? and do I need a special tool?

thx