Please see the two pictures.. first off, in trying to figure out my carb issues, I just noticed that my curb idle screw (circled) doesn't even touch what ever throttle part it's near. I did not mess with it but it may have been adjusted before by my Dad. Should this be turned in?

Secondly, what is the opening circled in the next photo? Sorry if this is a dumb question. Looks like it is supposed to be enclosed.... is this a massive vacuum leak?

Thanks for your help,
J.

 

The throttle will be held off of the curb idle adjustment when the choke is engaged. When the choke is engaged it allows the fast idle cam to hold the throttle slightly more open for a higher cold running idle. When the choke opens the fast idle cam is allowed to drop away and release the throttle, allowing it to fall back to the curb idle screw.

The fast idle/choke assembly is on the opposite side of the carb. You can play with it some by manually opening/closing the choke/throttle and observing how the linkage works. May want to clean everything down with some carb cleaner to ensure everything moves freely.

The second pic is the top of the Thermal Vacuum Switch (TVS) for the purge valve. Looks like the little plastic cap on the valve is missing. Not sure if it's an aesthetic issue or will leak vacuum without it. Best to check.