Hi everyone, I bought a 1988 Volvo 240 a little less than a week ago. The wipers haven't worked since I bought it. I turned the wipers on and put my ear up to the motor and didn't hear anything. Does this most likely point to a bad wiper motor. I'm assuming its not a fuse because the horn still works and I'm pretty sure its the same fuse for both. Should I try switching the relay first? Where is the relay? Is changing the wiper motor something that someone with minimal experience working on car can do. I'm trying to do this the cheapest way possible. Also the car dies the first few times I start it if I don't rev the engine a bit to warm it up then idles kind of jumpy. Any ideas that might solve this would be helpful.
-Lee

 

Changing the wiper motor is simple. Three 10mm bolts under the hood, Pull the 7 screws retaining the glove box and remove it. The wiper mechanisim is held to the shaft of the motor with either a bolt or a clip, I forget. Undo it and the motor comes right out. Takes at most 30 minutes the first time BUT...since the car is new to you, check ALL the fuses first. The ceramic fuses Volvo used corrode quite often...removing each fuse and hitting the "ears" of the fuse panel w/ emory cloth always helps. Get a digital volt meter if you don't have one...you'll need it for your Volvo! Make certain you have 12 volts going to the wiper...if you don't, swapping the motor won't help a bit.
On most 240's, the wiper relay is under the carpet, high up by the driver's left foot.
As for the idle...it could be a ton of things. You need to get a service manual for your car. The goal is to get the car back to stage zero. The Volvo 240 is a super car but it requires many things working properly in concert to run spot on. It's been my experience that Bricks that have been marginally maintained often need lots of TLC. What happens all too often is, rather than one thing failing and causing a poor idle, several things are operating marginally. Checked w/ the volt meter, they will each test at the low side of acceptable. Combined, they can cause performance less than desirable. There are certain things I always do...whether I have the previous history or not. I always replace the O2 sensor. It is the only sensor in the car that gives feedback to the ECU as to how the motor is running. I always remove the throttle body, clean it, replace the gasket and reinstall. Plugs, rotor, cap, wires are a given. Replace all vacuum hoses, even if they look good. Lossen every ground wire under the hood, clean 'em up and reattach...especially the 2 grounds that attach to the mounting bolts of the fuel rail. Replace fuel, air and oil filters. This is all stuff done without attempting to fix anything. It's more about knowing where the engine is at as far as maintenance. It may fix the idle, might not. But it allows you to rule many routine things out from the get go. If you still have issues, you can start checking the engine coolant sensor, amm, fpr, iac, icu, ecu, LBJ and JFK! Keep us posted and congratulations.

 

I have a similar situation... my wipers stopped working in the midst of a severe thunderstorm while driving on the hihgway..

They got crossed and stuck in the upright position. I can still hear my motor turning though, so it seems that the wiper bar is broken or off track. I think i will take it to the shop and get it fixed along with my AC charged.

Good luck!

 

YOu do not have to remove the glove box to replace a wiper motor...just take the passenger side kick panel off and look up under you'll see the wiper arm..yuou'll need a 1//4 drive and a 8 or 10mm socket..most are 10...there is also a clip....his needs to be removed before you pull the motor off the fire wall..but before you replace it get a test light and test for power at the motr when the switch is on...no power than either you have a blown or corroded fuse or a bad ground...TEST TEST TEST...then proceed with caution Oh the wiper relay only controls intermittent...wipers will work if relay is bad just won't have intermittent speed...so it's not a relay problem...yeah poor idle? bring it in to a Volvo specialist...that's what we do leave that stuff to us