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Fuel compensator

the only thing i can think of is on the carb itself..You know the bakelite housing that has graduation marks on it

but that doesnt have a 'thumb nut' see post above.

Do you own or have you read a shop or owners manual? The fuel compensator is at the distributor and is just a simple little plate that if you take the time to adjust it when initially timing the engine, you an advance or retard a few degrees accurately by just referencing the timing degree marks on the compensator.

The bakelite housing on the carburetor with the index markings is an automatic choke.

have both an owners manual and shop manual for 37/38 but doesnt show compensator..will have to remove cap and inspect to see where it is thanks Owen-Dyn will adv

It (the fuel compensator) isn't under the cap, it's part of the base plate. It's just a little sub-plate that indexed in degrees.

Here is a picture of what you should be looking for . It is the silver plate with the lines marked on it (under the distributor cap).

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i was looking under the cap..hmmm

Clipper/osterman

ooookay back to garage..
thanks

Gee I found it guys..Thanks..

right now it shows way off of '0' mark..Look where it has been set all these years(15 yr) wonder if this has been a factor also in hard starting..hmmm ..one of many issues i guess.

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right now it shows way off of '0' mark..Look where it has been set all these years(15 yr) wonder if this has been a factor also in hard starting..hmmm ..one of many issues i guess.

That may be significant or not, depending on whether the last person to time the engine bothered to set the index correctly.

The Compensator was a feature Packard had so that owners could accurately advance or retard the ignition timing on their engines to compensate for gasoline quality.

The Compensator Index and the distributor can be moved separately. The two cap screws securing the Compensator Index to the engine, the thumb screw securing the two moving parts of the Index, and the screw clamp on the distributor all need to be tightened after setting the timing.

Consult your owner's manual or look in the Packard Literature and Manuals section on this site for more information on this feature and the procedures to be used.

Good luck.