[B 4204 T3]

Thanks for all the responses; I really appreciate the suggestions.



I haven't done anything with this VCR yet, but when I have more time, I will try looking at it some more. I thought maybe the culprit is a mechanical problem with one of the idler tyres or one of the belts, so I can try examining it. I also have a can of Deoxit D5, so I will try cleaning the front controls.



Something else I've heard about the Hitachi VCRs from the 1980s is that they have a very complicated internal mechanism, and they're difficult to service. I'm thinking of ordering a service manual for this VCR, but it's expensive.



I will also try looking for other VCRs if I can't get it working reliably.



Thanks again for the suggesions.