so how far turned to i want it?
not all the way in...i know that, but how far?

 

with a 42 slow jet and a full pipe and filter with the air box lid on i would try around 2.75 turns out from lightly seated on the fuel screw.

 

I see finaly some people are using my pal at carb parts.com. They are a little arogant over there, but they know their sh*t. As for the issue at hand.
pilot jet - in the carb, round, has holes, seats tight, flows fuel for the idle to 1/4 throttle circuit.
Air screw - on the outside, screws in/out, usually 2 turns out, adjusts air into idle circuit (some 4 stroke quads adjust fuel into curcuit)

 

ok so basically, i want to screw it all the way in, and then unscrew it 2.75 turns...
do i have that right?

 

well i tried screwing it all the way in, and then unscrewing it 2.75 turns and its still dying, i even tried unscrewing it more...still dies.
what else could it be?
when i was in the carb, i noticed a little brass screw with a slit for a flat head screwdriver, i think i adjusted taht at first thinking it was the pilot by mistake. I dont know what it was, but it wasnt the main, or pilot jets...coudl that be the problem?

what are some other things that could be causing this?

 

First, there isnt any thing inside the float bowl, that can be "adjusted" with a screwdriver. If you lossened the jet, go back and retighten it.The pilot jet controls the maximun amount of fuel that can go into the motor, at idle. The mixture screw ( which is what you have) fine tunes the amount, in relation to the jet. The 2.75 turns out isnt an absolute. Its about that much.
There are many ways to adjust the mixture screw, the most popular way, is to warm up the motor first. Set the idle speed to a little fast, about 300 rpm more than normal. Then slowly turn the feul mixture screw in, until the rpm drops. From this point on, keep track of how much you turn the screw. Now start slowly turning out the screw, til the rpm drops again. From here, the optimum setting is half way inbetween, the two idle drops. Thats why you count the turns, so you can put it back half way.
IF the idle doesnt drop, by turning it in, until its seated, the pilot jet is too big.
IF the idle doesnt drop, by turning it out, until you are 4 turns or so out, then the pilot jet is too small. Or its partially plugged.
When you turn it in, dont use alot of force, because the mixture screw has a needle point on the inside, and it can easily be deformed, and this could be why it wont adjust. Take the mixture screw all the way out, and look at the point. If its dented...get a new one. Be careful not to loose the spring and o ring, that will come out with the screw.
Heres a good site on carb tuning,
jetting
The way to tell if its a fuel screw( mixture screw), or an air screw, is by where its located. If the screw is between the carb slide andd the motor, its a mixture screw. If its between the carb slide and the air filter, its an air screw.

 

the flat blade jet your adjusting in the bottom of the carb is the slow jet. that is the one your suppose to change to the 42. this is really close to the mainjet actually.

 

it wont idle at all, so i cant really adjust things when it wont idle at all...

 

Is the mixture screw the screw that has the spring and ring on it, with a black cable that goes in between the twist and the actual screw?

 

You might need to adjust your throttle cable a little bit to give it more throttle at idle.