Yikes...electrical gremlin in a 17 year-old car with a quarter million miles...this should be easy...
I'm at a loss. Start with checking all the electrical connectors and engine/chassis grounds you can get to...I had a Dodge Shadow in the shop once acting similar (gauges going crazy, CEL without codes set, wild idle, stalling), there was a thermostat stud that served as a ground for three different systems...when I grabbed the wires they broke off, corrosion...after repair everything worked fine again...
I'll post again if anything pops to mind..