[hardflex]

Not Porsche related but anyway.

I have a Mazda B4000 (Same as Ford Ranger drivetrain) with Auto Trans with 346k miles. It's running fine, but I have to add Trans fluid to it quite regularly, about 1 quart every 300 miles There are no drips after parking, no fluid drips or wet spots under the truck that would indicate it's leaking out. Yesterday, while checking everything, I noticed some rubber vacuum connectors seemed to be wet and swollen from saturation in fluid, enough that I was worried there would be a vacuum leak there, so I replaced them. They went to the intake manifold, and should not be getting any fluid whatsoever there. Also connected there is a vacuum tube which runs down to the trans.

If I was sucking Trans fluid into the intake manifold, in essence, wetting the rubber connectors and then burning the fluid, wouldn't there be a telltale smoke trail or sooty exhaust pipe as evidence? Or would the trans fluid burn cleanly?

It's been doing this for some time now and is baffling me. Anyone have some advice here?

BTW, just had the truck emission inspected and it passed with lot's of room to spare.