You probably have a dropout (dirty contacts) in one of the pushbutton switch contacts.
The suspects can be the Input-Tape switch, the EPL switch, or either of the Mono-Stereo switches.
The cure is to spray the switches from inside the chassis with a good contact cleaner (Caig Labs Deoxit D-5 recommended) and then cycle the switches 50 times or so each with the unit turned off.
Yes there is a major upgrade for your old Pat-5 chassis. We still support it with our newest OmegaStar PAT-5 circuits. This a complete new internal circuit set of our design, along with precision volume and balance controls.
The upgrade price is $599 and includes new phono, line, tone control, and power supply circuits, along with a new three year parts and labor warranty on everything we do. Any minor repairs will be done too at no extra cost.
This will provide you with with as nice a solid state preamplifer as they get, with outstanding functionality.
Frank Van Alstine