On purchasing the missus' 1995 306 SR Sedan four years ago, I noticed that the headlamp aim was a tad high, so wound the beam down. A couple of years later, I wound it down again. Now, I need to do it again.
The car drives beautifully, handling with pin sharp alacrity and riding as you'd more likely expect of one of Jaguar's best efforts, but the static rear ride height "looks" a little reduced (aesthetically comparing wheel arch with wheel) even when parked on level ground with hand brake off and half a tank of fuel. The ride height, front and back, is identical to within a couple of millimetres (ie experimental error) on both sides of the car.
I can't see any evidence of broken springs or mounts and there is no corrosion, so wonder if the relatively soft and compliant nature of the springs fitted to this model of 306 are more disposed to sag over time? Can other 306 owners or BRers familiar with them comment, please?
If so, given 11 years and about 42k miles, I'll change the rear dampers and springs whilst I'm at it.
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For info; for three out of the four years with us, the car was used on a regular basis for a 70 mile round trip carrying five adults to their midwifery studies. Two of the five (both usually on the back seat), were, err, well built. ;-)
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So the springs may have worked hard, even if not for that many miles?
Politest way I could sugest!
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Well, to put it in to context (I just did the sums using what I guestimate for bodyweights!) over three years the car carried a payload of 380 Kg for 6000 miles of which weight 230Kg was on the back seat.
Not a lot of miles, but jeez, put it like that and I may indeed have answered the question! ;-)
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The rest of the time (22 k miles with us) the car has usually been 1 up, occasionally two both in the front seats.
Prior to us (14k miles) the car was used 2 up for nothing more than shopping and local running around.
No towbar has ever been fitted.
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Conclusion = midwives are bad for cars health ?
Not meant nasty, just tongue in cheek!
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I think I'm correct in saying that the 306 hatch or saloon don't have springs, but do have torsion bars.
Have you checked to ensure your subframe mounts are OK, if they are worn you'll hear the frame knock against the body over pot holes etc. This could give the same effect of sagging rear springs.
Otherwise you could adjust the height of the rear of the car by altering the swing arm to the torsion bar. Which is explained in a Haynes manual and not too difficult.
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Thanks, Autumnboy. :-)
Having moved house and mislaid it in the process, I have this evening found my Haynes manual for the 306 and torsion bar it is. No knocking over bumps, but it has just started to give a resonnant grrrrrrrrrr at critical RPM and road speed from the back of the car so I'll get the mounts looked at; with kids on the way any day and other priorities as a consequence, I'll get my trusted Pug Indy to do it when they replace a rear wheel bearing that was an "advisory" at MOT time (it's no worse now, but it does have a small amount of play beyond what I would expect)
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