Wow I probably should have mentioned that I have an 2002 oz automatic

 

Yeah I noticed from your avatar info, what im trying to say is that line is probably important

 

So I drove around a bit with it unplugged and got the code p0401

 

yup, like I said its most likely connected to EGR

 

That code is because of the egr. The hose you pulled stopped actiavation of the actual valve. It ran better because the egr valve was hanging up. Pull the valve itself off the intake. You'll probably find that the passages in the intake are clogged with carbon. Also check the line off your cruise control module, the big dashpot the line was attached to is for cruise operation as well.