Sony SL-HF500 weird guide post issue?
 

Hey there.. this deck plays the tape fine but I cannot clear up the video. It gets way better when I press down the back guide post. The video shows it. If I take tension off it comes back up and the picture gets weird again. Not sure how to get it more aligned. Any thoughts?

No video appears. Possibly one of the guide posts is not fully seating in the slot at the back. Compare it with the other guide.

Got a deck that has the same problem. What you really need are new loading arm gears (arms + guides) .
On mine the P2 guide just slips/ bend toward the drum quickly and then the top picture is messed up, can happen on the other guide aswell i guess.
You can try using crazy blue on the treads, i doubt it'll work

Could be the heads are worn also and the added tension gets the tapes closer to the heads, but yeah, a video would be helpful.