Nissan Repair: jumping speedometer, speedo cable, gauge component

Question
I have a 1999 Nissan Quest with 197,000 miles on it.  It has been a great car, although I've had to learn to live with some funny quirks.  About a year and a half ago, the speedometer started jumping.  At first, it only happened now and then and only at lower speeds (30mph or less#.  As time progressed, it started happening more and more and at higher speeds. When I use the cruise control down the expressway at speeds of 70 or more, it generally holds ok, but periodically it will jump #meaning, it seems to stop working# and it will cause the cruise control to click off in error #the cruise light starts flashing.)  When I'm driving  normally, there is no sense of changing speed, hesitation or anything when the speedo fails.  I have also noted that the tach and oil temp gauges also periodically 'stick' but not as frequently as the speedo.  The gas gauge seems unaffected.  
I've had the car dealer serviced religiously for it's entire life and they could never quite figure out what the problem was.  They checked the fittings and connections OUTSIDE of the dash and said all looked fine.  It never seemed worth the money of spending several hundred dollars to have the dash gauge component replaced, which the dealer indicated "may" solve the problem.  
Any suggestions?  Thanks very much!

Answer
Hi Michael -

Personally I do not think it is the instrument panel. Usually when the needle starts jumping, the speedo cable needs lubrication. This is done by removing the instrument panel cluster. Behind the cluster there is a snap on fitting for the speedo cable housing. Unsnap that, pull the housing away, and proceed to pull out the speedo cable core. You will probably need an long nose plier to get to it, but be careful not to damage the square insert, as it needs to fit into the back of the speedometer.

Once the cable is out, lubricate the entire cable with either silicone, or graphite lubricant. Do not use grease, WD40, or other lubricants not specified for this use, as they may leave residue and cause problems later.

Hope this helps
aloha
calvin