IMPORTANT NOTICE

You mentioned the transformer is Crackling and the capacitors are bludging.
It just came to me that the transformer maybe set to the wrong voltage or has been set to the wrong voltage before you got it.
DO NOT POWER IT UP UNTIL IT HAS BEEN SORTED OUT
the caps may EXPLODE and if the wrong fuse is in line with the transformer it may catch on fire

Sorry i didn't metion it before but it just came to me.