96 Tracker check engine light

My check engine light was on, so after reading many post on here I was going to clean out the EGR tube port at the manifold intake. I took the tube off cleaned it out really good, then where the tube goes into the intake port I took a stiff piece of wire and run it up into the port to atempt to clean it out. After doing all that the check engine light came back on within about 5 miles or so. After reading more on here I relized I needed to remove the throttle body and clean out the port better than I did with the wire. I had never got around to doing that yet, here is where it gets funny. In the mean time I replaced a broken speed odmometer cable, while doing that I unhooked the battery because of remove the console section and having to unhook the wire connections to gain access to the cable to replace it. After installing the cable and hooking everything back up I just knew that after a few miles the check engine light would come back on. The check engine light has stayed off and it run perfect untill about 150 miles or so. The light has stayed off so far but now it doesn't want to idle when you come to a stop. Other than at idle it runs perfect!! Anyone have any idea why the light stayed off? Any thoughts as to why the idle is messed up? Doesn't make sense to me. Why would changing the cable do anything? Any thoughts or ideas would be a great help.

when you unhooked the battery it reset the check engine light and had nothing to do with the cable. as for it not coming back on sometimes it only triggers in specific situations and it if having problems idling maybe you fixed the problem before but another one has now surfaced and hasnt triggered the check enging light. i have noticed that sometimes it comes on for me but then will go back off and wont come on for a long time then it will come back on.....sometimes i wonder if its just messing with you :P