I'd have to guess that you have a thermally related issue - power on, current draw, and component 'X' drifts out of spec. Tracking this proverbial needle in a haystack can be very frustrating without a working knowledge of electronics. That said, in most cases semiconductors either work or they don't; it is pretty rare to see a fixed regulator, for example, start drifting wildly on its own - if that occurs they simply self-destruct. I'd look to passive components first - capacitors and carbon comp resistors, especially on the raw power supply/rectification side of things. Good luck.
-Richard
-Richard