My car idles fine most of the time. When I start it in the mornings or anytime it's cold, it will hardly run, and die three or four times before it will idle. THem after it's warmed up, and I'm cruising at around 2000rpm( for example) the idle just wants to stay there. So I tap the gas and it idles fine again. I didn't have this problem before I rebuilt the top half of the carb(TPS and MCS) I'm thinking it might be the choke. I did the little "turn the housing cover until you have 1/16 of an inch opening" and its at the farthest dimple on the housing(clockwise) and I guess it should be in the middle? I also noticed while I was adjusting my TPS that the throttle linkage would get stuck on something by the choke housing, I pushed down on the high idle lever. I think it was the high idle lever, and the lever went down and my linkage popped back down to the idle screw. So any ideas?

 

Real common. Your choke element isn't opening all the way. Most common reason is that you aren't getting a full 12V to the choke power iwre (which heats the choke element). Or if you've taken the choke element out and reinstalled it you didn't get the little "arm" insiside the "loop" on the end of the choke bimetal wire. Beyond that it could be that the choke heater element is bad requiring a new choke element (about $40 from any auto parts store).

If it's a replacement choke element they don't always "index" the same way as the original in the choke element in the choke element housing.

If your choke doesn't "snap" fully closed when you open the throttle on a cold morning (engine overnight cold) AND still doesn't get open all the way when hot then for sure the choke element isn't working for whatever reason (see above).

Once the engine starts however, the little vacuum can on the side of the carb should pop the choke open about 1/8". If this isn't happening then you will need to either readjust the vacuum can or replace it if it's totally dead. There is a screw on the arm of the vacuum can to adjust it. The vacuum can should pull all the way retracted as soon as the engine starts and resist moderate "finger pull" attempts to pull it back out.