Just got home from a crazy ride home in my relatively new to me '97 850 turbo. On my way back from work my driver side windshield wiper which i replaced when i got the car went totally loose and started flopping around on the windshield. I took it to the local advanced auto and they looked at it and tried to slide it back into place and it wouldn't go I bought a new rain x blade which wouldn't go on at all so I returned it. One guy said I need special blades which I don't buy for a second. I think the arm may have gotten bent somehow but I can't tell using my untrained eye. Any help is appreciated.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Take the bolt cap off the base of the blade and tighten the nut. They come loose sometimes.

I have put rain-x blades on my car before. Other than the fact that they suck in cold climate, they went on fine.

 

Not sure what the parts guy might have been trying to say but on 850's they have what is called a "J" hook arrangement. It's a very common way of mounting wiper blades to the arm. Wagons use the same "J" hook in the rear.
There are some newer vehicles where there is a special way they hook on and you have NO CHOICE other than the ONE CHOICE the parts store guys carry and one the dealer would have !!

What RSPI is talking about is if your wiper arm itself managed to loosen up from the stud that sticks up from the bottom of the windshield. If that nut get's loose the whole arm and blade will be flopping around.
This is a good Youtube vid on how to:

Windshield Wiper Arm Repair - YouTube

Rain-X instructions on the blade itself:

Installation Instructions for Rain-X® Latitude® And Repel

 

Thanks for the help. I'm going to get at it tomorrow as its a little too dark now.