I have an 85 Corolla. When I suddenly let of the gas, such as when I come to a light, the engine stalls. Otherwise, it idles pretty low and roughly, too.
I vaguely remember that there is a carburetor solenoid. Could the stalling be as a result of this thing going bad? Is it hard to replace by someone who is mildly intimidated by taking the air cleaner off?
The solonoids are fuel cutoffs. One of them is for both barrels, the other does only one, but I don't remember which. If they click, the most common problem with them is a bad rubber o-ring. But your problem doesn't sound like it's being caused by a solonoid but by the idle speed being too low. That car's idle speed isn't tightly regulated by its computer, only bumped up when the A/C is turned on, and the base idle is set by an ordinary idle speed screw located in back. It's unusually long and has a large knob that can be turned by hand. Try turning it inward (clockwise) about 1/8 to 1/4 turn.
The device that bumps up the idle is the "throttle positioner," and if your engine stalls when the A/C is running, then that device needs to be adjusted as well, but some hoses first have to be disconnected or plugged. Don't mix up the throttle positioner with the choke pull-off or the choke opener, both which look similar.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.