Help with speedometer

I just purchased a 1994 Accord DX with 150,000 miles on it. The car is extreemly clean in and out. The only real problem with it is that the speedometer works about half of the time. Once while it was not working I slapped the top of the dash real hard and it worked for a few miles then quit again. I took the dash apart last night and removed the three plugs to the guage cluster and reconnected them. The speedometer still works only part of the time. Also the light ring around D4 will not light but when I slapped the dash it came on for an instant. All the other light rings work around the other gear numbers.

Does it sound like I need a new/used instrument cluster?

Is this a common problem?

Help please :confused:

Loose connections maybe? Perhaps one of the wires aren't firmly seated into the plug anymore. I know how much pulling the cluster out sux :shakehead but maybe you could try pulling the cluster forward, then, while the car is running/moving (so the speedometer is working) try directly jiggling the connections in the back to see if it is indeed a faulty connection. Might as well exhaust all other options before shelling out for a new cluster.