No bus, No dash, No idle
 

I have a 99 Cherokee I just got a few weeks ago. 5-10 minutes after starting, my tachometer and speedometer go out, and the vehicle stays in third gear, unless shifted manually. "No Bus" shows on the odo. I got used to it, but still don't like it. just a week ago, instead of just dying, the tach fluttered, and the vehicle stalled. I can often get the dash and gears up again just by restarting the jeep (although it's getting less and less often), so after a few tries it worked again. that only happened once, but tach/speedometer/shift death still happens. A few days ago jeep wouldn't start, or even light up. I jumped it, but it won't stay running unless I rev it. does anyone know what these problems could be caused by, and if they are related? fyi, plugs behind dash are clean, and tcm is new
any word appreciated, thankya