I've been an MX motorcycle fan forever but found out I "splat" when I hit the ground rather than bounce, so I've just invested in my first Quad ( Suzuki LT160).
Anyway...after years of buying project bikes there is one mantra you need to repeat over and over..."What did the last owner do?"
I had a PW 50 that absolutely would not run until I found out the previous owner had run a drill bit through the main jet to enlarge it. Put in new jet and it ran like a dream.
So...if the manual says it should be 1 and 3/4 turns out and that makes it worse, you might want to check and see if the parts of your carb are stock and if the adjustments (i.e., cir-clip on jet needle) are standard. Also, from your remark, "Unrelated but I still dont know what that little plunger on the side of the carb is for," the only plunger I'm aware of on a carb is the choke. Are you running it with the choke engaged?
