Thanks for the info! Hmm, I agree with you on the tearing, and am now familiar with that adjustment after fussing with it on my Sanyo VCR4500. I do have a scope I can use to adjust it once I find it.
Do you think that misaligned switching would also cause the white streaks? After watching this video on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUW9gPqScts, I'm wondering if the bearing is bad in the drum and causing the streaks. The drum was seized when I pulled it out of our basement a few weeks ago and I had to break it free by rotating it. There's a tiny amount of "crunch" in the bearing at one point during a 360-degree turn.
@mgross0: That's a wonderful offer of you, I will PM you about that. I would love to have a spare machine since this is a rare beauty and I may have to take the drum apart on mine to try oiling the bearing.