I'll start over...

When I crank it up, the choke pull off will open the choke baffle a quarter inch or so. If i put pressure on it and close it almost all the way off with the engine up to temp, the idle speeds up, indicating a lean idle mixture. Now, if I open the choke baffle all the way open with the engine up to temp, it will die, also indicating a lean mixture. It also runs a little hot (a little over halfway on the gauge but less than 2/3rds) in 65 degree weather...indicating a lean mixture and/or over-advanced timing.

I'm hoping I make batter sense now, I'm only 22 but I've been working on cars since I could hold a wrench. I know what I mean, but it's hard to explain sometimes haha.

Thanks so much for your reply! I'll address your input from the top down

1. What I meant by lean idle and choke not opened was the fact that the only way for it to run was without the choke open, if you pushed your fingers over it to close it, the idle would literally skyrocket...upwards of 3k.
2. I'll put it this way, the carb actually idled before both rebuild attempts...now it struggles to run without pumping the accel pedal at all.
3. Devac is one option, but they are still doing visuals here in NC and for some odd reason they are cracking down on these old cars...also I don't want to decrease my fuel mileage, that's the only reason I bought the car!
4. National Carbs is a huge company, after core return my total would be $231.70, but I'm not giving up quite yet.
5. While the carb was off the first time I did replace those 2 big lines, and I sprayed carb cleaner around everywhere when we were attempting to locate the vacuum leak.
6. The insulator looks fine, with a few cracks where the corners meet, but nothing getting into the sealing surface or throttle bores. Now, the O-ring seals are iffy, I have only found a replacement for the top one, not the bottom.

I will soak the carb in Pine-Sol today for 24 hours, I'll assemble it, slap it back on, and if it still does the same thing ill check to make sure everything is hooked up in the right spot (for the 346th time ha) and let you guys know what happens.

Thanks!

Hey guys, I heard around the net this was the place to go for great info on 80's hondas.

I'll start out with the background....

Bought the car for $500 on craigslist, the guy picked it up from the original owner for his son, but didn't know anything about carbs, so I bought it (everything else works great). I was getting a lean misfire at idle, wouldnt really idle at all under 1000, and missed until about 2500, then clear as a bell on up. I did drive it, good power through the gears...or any time with a load on the engine, but way too lean at idle. Fuel seemed to dump out of the primary veturi, not atomized but like a broken liquid stream, and the aux butterfly was wet with fuel. The choke wouldnt open, only pull off, and thats why it would run at all being so lean, you manually open it...and it would die. So knowing it was lean I got a carb kit, rebuilt it, put it on...would run at all without pumping the accel constantly and if it dropped below 2000 it would die anyway. Took it off and cleaned it again...same thing, I did get more discolored carb cleaner as I sprayed the passages this time, but they were all clear when I assembled it back last night. This morning, and the first time I put it back on the car (both times) I noticed I had NO fuel coming from the aux bore. BONE DRY. So, I'm guessing I blocked an important passage somehow. I did use compressed air to blow out the passages, but not full blast through the holes...as I have heard you can permanently seat enclosed check balls. I drove 100 miles into South Carolina to get a carb listed in the junkyard database, but it was complete junk, as the hood was left up and it was full of water...I was rather angry with them, as they knew I was coming from Charlotte. Is it even worth it to try and find another core and rebuild it? What about National Carbs, 200 bucks for a reman unit...has anyone had luck with that?

All I would like to know is if my carb is done...or what should I do next?

Thanks guys.