It seems the catch that connects the motor to the linkage is stripped. I have tried tightening the nut (which is new) as well as putting some thread filler in there, which just gets rubbed off once I turn the motor on. It gets one revolution of operational wipers before it stops catching. The motor is new and the plastic spur looks like it's in good shape. I'm curious if anyone knows a quick fix for this, or maybe a commonly available replacement part. Otherwise I'll replace the whole linkage.
Works fine when pulled or turned by hand.