1981 tercel keeps stalling

[4doorVIP]

using the haynes manual, i seem to have found a faulty second choke breaker.
when connecting/reconnecting the vacuum feed, it shows not move its shaft at all - and according to hayes it should budge after 5-15 seconds.

[4doorVIP]

Here is a photo of choke breaker #2 capped off, as vacuum line that goes to my check-valve also capped, The car did run slightly better in this configuration
This is a cheapo lordco check valve to replace my broken OEM piece. I've attached a picture of it, does it look like it should be up for the job? It is way thinner than the OEM piece

[dlb]

the choke should be closed (horizontal) when you start the car and should slowly open (vertical) over a few minutes of running. if the choke is wide open like in the video right when you start it cold, something is wrong there. use a multimeter and check the resistance between the two wires for the choke. the FSM has the spec in it but i think it is 11-13 ohms. some terc carbs allow you to easily adjust the choke setting but some are riveted in place so they cannot be adjusted. to adjust those ones, you have to remove the carb, drill out the rivets, tap threads into the holes, and then use small screws so that you can set the choke setting once you have adjusted it.

the easiest way to tell if a choke breaker (and any other vacuum diaphragm for that matter) is busted is to put a hose on it and suck. you should not be able to suck air through it. if you can, that means the diaphragm is ruptured. on my last project terc, i found one of the two diaphragms in the choke breaker was broken and was the cause of lousy idle/sometimes stalling when cold. replaced it with one from a spare carb i had and then all was well.

i think i still have a stock check valve here. i can throw it in the mail for you if you want it.

just let me know any time you want to come up here and we can mess around on your terc with the timing light. it would be fun.