The wipers on my 1993 Volvo 240 Wagon are behaving oddly. The wipers only operate when set to the highest speed, and sometimes not even then. The wiper motor sounds almost exactly like what’s happening in this video ( ), but maybe not quite as loud.

Some google searching suggests that it might actually be the wiper linkage rather than the motor, so I should check that first. But I’m not really clear what I’d be checking for. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.
And on an unrelated matter, the driver seat leather is busted and ugly and patched with duct tape. Can anyone recommend an affordable and reasonably attractive seat cover (or any other solution)?

Thanks!

 

remove the glovebox, disconnect the linkage from the motor shaft, hold the linkage clear, and turn on the wipers, does the motor move smoothly, or sound awful?

its almost certainly the motor, but the linkage could be shot, too.

be sure to use a nice fat donut of fresh butyl "tape" around the hole in the firewall when you reinstall a new motor....

 

Thanks! If the motor does move smoothly, what should I look for in the linkages?

 

pray its the motor. this guy goes into huge details, repairs a motor (yeesh, I'd just replace it) but also has to repair the linkage, which requires removing teh dashboard.
Notes on 240 Volvo Windscreen Wipers