Sounds more like an air leak on the intake manifold somewhere. Squirt a bit of brake cleaner around the intake manifold and see if it makes the engine note change, if the engine suddenly changes note then you have an air leak creating a lean mixture. The engine light will not reappear immediately following being cleared, it will monitor the lambda for a number of miles and then throw the light back on once it has determined it is still running lean.
Hope this helps