I have a 1984 Volvo wagon, recently the windshield wipers have started malfunctioning. The problem is when the wipers stop, the wipers are in the middle of my view. I can tap the windshield wiper switch to get them to go part way down. It is very distracting to be trying to get the wipers out of the way while driving. Both wipers work (nearly) in unison and go all the way back and forth. A few weeks earlier the driver side wiper slipped slightly out of sink with the other wiper but was not a big deal.
I looked at the wiper gear box in the engine compartment. The contacts looked good, but there was corrosion on what appeared to by a ground wire. The plastic wheel that separates the three contacts seems to be what controls the position of where the wipers are when the power is cut to the wiper motor. The plastic wheel did not seem adjustable. Did I miss something? Is it the motor that needs to be replaced? Would a new motor include the gear box, contacts and wire harness? Could the problem be caused by the switch on the steering column?
What is causing this problem and how can I fix it?
Thank you in advance. Austin Volvo 240 160,000miles