Improve your 240's Wipers

Maybe everyone else has already figured this out, but I still thought I'd share.

My 90 245s wipers were ridiculously slow. Borderline dangerous in anything but a light shower. When I bought the car, there were boxes of spare parts that came with it, including a better looking OE Volvo wiper motor. After being unable to see the road last night on the way home, I pulled into the shop and removed the old wiper motor.

When I put the new one in, I was disappointed to see that the wipers were only marginally better...still painfully slow.

Then I noticed that this new motor had a spot for a ground lug. I didn't realize before now that the motor grounded through the body.



I hooked up an extra ground wire and voila! Speedy, smooth wipers! I've owned 6 240s and never had windsheild wipers work this well.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HSyWU1MkhJM?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I've definitely replaced a lazy motor once. Wonder if this would have helped it. They've always been pretty slow on my 240s.

Headed to garage to have a look-see....

This looks like a good idea.

I'm curious, how was the motor grounded before you added the ground wire? All the 240 wiper motors I have seen were grounded by a brass tab under one of the mounting lugs. Those tabs can fail, and when they do, the motor generally stops dead, because it is isolated by the rubber mounting grommets.

I have never seen a ground lug like that on one of these motors, including the ones I just looked at (this is likely because my cars are extra old). It is easy enough, though, to put a ground wire on one of the screws holding the cover plate on.

Harry Tuttle said:

This looks like a good idea.

I'm curious, how was the motor grounded before you added the ground wire? All the 240 wiper motors I have seen were grounded by a brass tab under one of the mounting lugs. Those tabs can fail, and when they do, the motor generally stops dead, because it is isolated by the rubber mounting grommets.

I have never seen a ground lug like that on one of these motors, including the ones I just looked at (this is likely because my cars are extra old). It is easy enough, though, to put a ground wire on one of the screws holding the cover plate on.

Click to expand...

Yeah, my wipers actually stopped once before. The tab looked OK, but there was a lot of crap built up. I tried to clean it up, but it had little to no effect. Adding the separate ground strap made all the difference.

propav8r said:

The tab looked OK

Click to expand...

I can dig it. I had my wipers stop once because the little peened lugs holding the ground tab to the motor body had become loose.

This make-your-own-ground could eliminate many problems.

Don't the newer 240's have a ground strap on the motor? My 92 did and my 77 does not so I will be adding a ground as well.

Later motors have the ground strap.

I just use early SWF motors and clean the ground tab and add a strap...

More importantly, if the seals have failed and wiper post grease has washed out and they are binding, no amount of messing with the motor will cure that...

There are a couple different wiper motors. An early style that grounds through the mounting tabs (up until around 88'-89' iirc) and the later style with the separate ground lug.



http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=293022

I pulled one off a 93' in the yard and replaced my older style motor which was quite slow. Looking back, I wonder if it was actually the motor, or if cleaning the grounds would have yielded a similar improvement.

That's awesome. Mine aren't fast either, this is a really good idea!
I think that same night when it was downpouring over here, I almost considered getting some rainX, and I really hate that stuff...
(ppl spray it on their windshields while driving, and it gets all over everyone else's)

Funny thing, I installed a front view camera in the grill a week ago, and I could actually see like 80% better through the little 5"x4" screen. (Now I think maybe I should get a bigger screen and mount it over the plastic radio hatch grill thing.)

Where did you run the ground wire to?

ellist said:

Where did you run the ground wire to?

Click to expand...

There was a threaded hole close to the passenger side hood hinge. It's where the ignition coil was mounted on some early cars. I used that.

I've disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled these wiper motors to good effect.

Not too difficult.

As for a ground, I fabricated one with thick gauge wire and round grommets on each end.

Not slow at all.

My '89 had a ground strap on it when I bought the car. When I replaced the motor, it came with a new ground wire, but I reused the old strap. It's a pretty critical thing to implement if you ask me. My wipers didn't really work without it.

on the early wiper motors, is only one of the 3 mounting bolts assigned to ground? if so, which one?

oldschoolvolvo said:

on the early wiper motors, is only one of the 3 mounting bolts assigned to ground? if so, which one?

Click to expand...

It is the top one.