Wipers; make sure the wiper arm shaft retaining nut is tight so the shaft stays aligned. If it is, you have to take the dash apart to get at the wiper linkage and see what's broken.

thanks all.

well, turns out it was probably a combination of a somewhat bound-up linkage, esp on the passenger side, and also a weak motor. i pulled the linkage out, popped off all the cups, cleaned them, regreased them, then cleaned and oiled/greased the spindles for the wipers. i installed it back but with the old motor and while it was better, the wipers still skipped and would get stuck. so i replaced the motor with a known good unit from my bin o' parts and it worked like a charm. unfortunately, the gasket to the firewall was toast, so i applied some gray sealant/ gasket maker. i dunno if it sealed it exactly the same, but then again looking at it i am unsure if it really matters. i took the motors out so many times once i found a combination that worked i left it, lol.