Mitsubishi Repair: 99 eclipse w/ black smoke, air fuel mixture, intake component

Question
I have a 99 eclipse 2.0L non turbo with manual trans. The car pours black smoke out of the back and misfires at higher RPM's. I just replaced the plugs, wires and ignition coil. The car is not showing the CEL(Check engine light) but the service engine soon light is on. I tried to pull the codes and the code reader dosent know its hooked up to the car. Not sure if the "keydance" works on this year but it also has no results. Is the CEL supposed to be on when I turn the key to the on position without starting it? Because I have never even seen the light on, maybe the bulb is out. Anyways I do not want to just start throwing expensive parts at the car without any direction. Is there any other way to get the diagnostic info from the computer? What do you think the most commen problem is for the black smoke? Oh and I also disconnected the O2 sensor while the engine was running and there was no change in the way the car ran and it didnt make the CEL show up either. I know there are alot of questions but just do the best you can. Thanks in advance for your time and advice.

Answer
Sean,
Black smoke indicates your air/fuel mixture is too rich (too much fuel).  Running rich can be caused by several things.  A bad O2 sensor (I believe your car has 2 of them; upstream and downstream), clogged air intake component, or faulty catalytic converter are the most common contributors of this.  Your car's computer controls the fuel supply, so it's also possible your computer is malfunctioning.  The CEL should come on for at least a few seconds every time you start your car to do a check.  Your 'service engine soon' light may be the light used for the CEL.  You may want to have a mechanic check the components I've mentioned if you're not sure how.
Good luck!