Cluster gauges dies when drving

[TmLIsMe14]

I'm not sure what the problem is but sometimes when I am driving my 98 TJ 4.0 my gauge cluster dies. My speedometer and my RPM gauge goes to 0 with the airbag light coming on. Nothing else is affected, I can drive normally but it is an inconvenience.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[Jeanfi007]

Hello,
You have a bad connection in the dashboard.
It's easy to repair.
It is necessary to clean up and to put dielectrics grease on the plugs.

 

[Imapepper]

This is the factory repair connector you can purchase if above does not work. .
The connector on the right is the troublesome one. If you remove cover below steering wheel, you can reach/ wiggle the connector to see if the connection is the problem.

 

[TmLIsMe14]

Alright, I will first try the grease I bought at AutoZone. I will report back if everything works as it should. Thank you for both of your replies.

 

[jeepins]

Mine has done that a few times over the years. You can remove the plastic panel below the steering wheel, then remove the metal plate and i'm able to reach up behind it and push the two harness plugs tight to the back of the gauge cluster. I've done it a few times but saved me from having to remove more parts to get to it. I think I figured out on some of these TJs that driving vibrations will shake the harnesses loose a bit since they don't lock in place.