Hi John
Your explanation was well written. I hope this solution does the trick. Based on your description it sounds like too much fuel on cold starts which will lead to severe problems. There are two common causes.
1) Dirty Air Filter (will reduce air flow and increase fuel flow thus creating black smoke)
2) Defective or disconnected coolant sensor (the coolant sensor communicates engine temperature to the computer for choke operation and other controls.
I lean towards the "temperature sensor" over the dirty air cleaner. The dirty air cleaner wouldn't clear up once the engine is hot but the temperature sensor would.
If this condition continues you will get gas mixed in the crankcase because of the rich mixture in the morning and un-burnt fuel residue in the exhaust and catalytic converter which will build up a restriction.
Take this vehicle to PEP Boys for a FREE diagnostic check and take it from there.
I hope this explanation and advice solves this issue.
PS Once the problem has been detected, change the oil and filter regardless if it was changed last week. You don't want fuel diluted oil in the crankcase.
Dan
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