Honda Odyssey Spewing Black Smoke, Ignition Coil Crisis?

Hi there! I have some experience working on cars and had a really similar issue with my 1999 Honda Accord (my second Honda after the Civic). The symptoms you're describing sound exactly like what I dealt with, especially that black smoke and jerking during acceleration. My issue turned out to be a faulty cable connection to the ignition coil. Got it fixed at my regular mechanic for about 365 Euro, and it's been running smoothly since then. Before replacing any parts, Have you scanned for error codes? When was your last tune-up? Does the problem get worse when the engine is hot? This info would help confirm if you're dealing with the same issue I had. Don't want you replacing parts unnecessarily!

Hey, thanks for the detailed response! Last service was just 3 months ago, and I'm at 81235 KM. I did get the codes scanned, it's showing P0303 (cylinder 3 misfire) and P0300 (unusual/multiple cylinder misfire). The problem definitely gets worse when the engine heats up, especially during my commute. You might be onto something with the cable connection, that would be a much cheaper fix than replacing the whole ignition coil! I've noticed the jerking gets really bad especially when I'm accelerating uphill. I'll have my mechanic check the connections first before jumping into replacing parts. Really appreciate you sharing your experience with this! Did you notice any warning signs before your cable connection completely failed? Just wondering if I should be watching out for anything specific.

Hey again! Yeah, those error codes you mentioned are exactly what I saw on my Accord too! Honestly, I'm even more convinced now that we had the same issue, especially since you mentioned it gets worse going uphill, that's EXACTLY what happened with mine! Before my cable connection completely failed, I did notice a few warning signs. First, it started with occasional misfires early in the morning when the engine was cold. Then it got progressively worse over about two weeks. The really telling sign was when the car would sometimes hesitate for a split second before starting up, kinda like it was thinking about it, you know? In my case, the cable insulation had worn down over time and was causing intermittent connection issues. When the mechanic pulled it out, you could actually see where it was damaged. The weird thing was, it looked fine from the outside, the wear was only visible once they removed it. Quick tip, while you're getting it checked, have them look at the spark plugs too. When I had mine fixed, they found that the bad connection had caused one of the spark plugs to foul up a bit. Nothing major, but worth checking while they're in there anyway. Let me know how it goes! Really hope it's just the cable connection like mine was, way better than having to replace the whole ignition coil system!

Thanks so much for all these details! It's super helpful to know what to look out for. You've given me hope that this won't be as expensive as I feared. I've already called my mechanic and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow morning. Mentioned everything you said about the cable connection and spark plugs, he agreed it's worth checking those first. Come to think of it, I have noticed that hesitation during startup lately! I just didn't connect the dots until you mentioned it. Mine also started with those cold morning misfires. Honestly, it's kind of a relief to hear someone else had the exact same symptoms and got it fixed without breaking the bank. Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience in such detail. I'll definitely update once I get it checked out. Fingers crossed it's just the cable connection! Thanks again for all your help, this kind of advice is exactly what I was hoping for when I posted my question.