Black Smoke & Stalling: Honda WRV Engine Crisis Needs Help

I had nearly identical symptoms with my 2015 Honda HR-V (gasoline). After changing the fuel filter myself, I got error codes and similar performance issues. Took it to the garage last month, turned out the fuel pressure sensor connector wasn't properly seated during the filter replacement. They also found contamination in the fuel pressure regulator from dirty fuel. Had to replace both the regulator and sensor, plus clean the fuel injectors. This was actually quite serious, running the engine with incorrect fuel pressure could've damaged the injectors or catalytic converter if left unfixed. With about 230K km on mine at the time, it was worth fixing right. Since the repair, engine runs smooth, no more black smoke or stalling. Fuel economy is back to normal too. I'd recommend getting it checked soon, these symptoms usually don't fix themselves and can lead to bigger problems.

Hey there! Thanks for sharing your experience, it's super helpful because I'm going through something very similar with my WRV right now. It's good to know I'm not alone with these issues. Your situation sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with! Good call on getting it fixed quickly. My plan is to take it to a garage this week. Quick question though, do you remember roughly how much the whole repair set you back? Also, has everything been running smoothly since the fix, or have you noticed any other quirks?

Hey again! Glad I could help with sharing my experience. Just wanted to update you, everything's been running absolutely perfect since getting it fixed. No issues whatsoever with stalling or black smoke, and my fuel economy is back to where it should be. About the costs, I got lucky because once they diagnosed it properly, it was mainly just the fuel pressure regulator that was the real problem. The final bill came to 45€ to clear the error codes after I'd changed the fuel filter. Way cheaper than I expected, honestly! It's like driving a different car now, smooth as silk. Definitely haven't noticed any other quirks or problems since the repair. The mechanic mentioned it was pretty common after DIY fuel filter changes, so I'm just glad we caught it before it caused any serious damage. Hope this helps with your decision! Trust me, getting it sorted sooner rather than later is the way to go. Keep us posted on how your repair goes!

Thanks so much for all the advice! Just wanted to update you on what happened. Finally got my car to the mechanic yesterday. You were spot on about getting it checked quickly! Turns out my situation was a bit different though. The mechanic found that the main culprit was actually a faulty ignition coil combined with a clogged fuel injector. The repair wasn't as cheap as yours, ended up costing quite a bit more, but honestly, it was worth every penny. The difference is night and day! No more black smoke, the engine runs super smooth, and the car feels like it's got its power back. Fuel consumption has improved dramatically too. The mechanic even threw in a free inspection of other components just to be thorough. Really appreciate you sharing your experience, it gave me the push I needed to get this sorted before it turned into something worse. Lesson learned about not putting off these kinds of repairs! Thanks again for all your help!