Yeah, he said he had to hold the carb open (choke plate I assume?), sounds to me like either the choke is set wrong or the choke stove is rusted away/not hooked up. Also make sure the spring inside of the choke isn't broken or worn, your choke plate should have some tension and it should snap back as you let go of it.
When there is a vacuum the choke pulldown should open the plate a slight amount.

Choke pull down, choke stove, wrong choke adjustment, fast idle, curb idle. that's where I'd look first. Do the rebuild though, it's cheap and can make a hell of a difference. If anything, you'll be able to rule a lot of stuff out once you're done with it.

and both jets should spray an equal amount.