My 96 LE has been sitting up for several weeks. Went to move today and would not start. Jumped it off and noticed the CE light and a really rough idle. It did not smooth out much at higher rpm's. Has 110K and needs a timing belt. Could it be a sensor or do I need to get it hooked up and checked out. I planned to sell w/o having the timing belt replaced, just inform the buyer and let him do it.

 

I'm guessing your battery was dead so thats why it didnt start right away.
Why would you sell it? 110k isnt bad miles. Specially if you put them on there yourself. If the timing belt needs to be done so does the timing im assuming. If your timing is off that could cause a rough idle also a bad motor mount.If the light is on you should get it scanned to see what the problem is. It could be a number of different things. Maybe a bad sesnoror a missfire ect.. Atleast youll know what is causing the problem and perhaps solve it either way. Most sensors can be changed by the average jo with some tools and knows a little bit about engines ( oh yea a beer and some hard work if your lazy) .

 

check you vacume lines. there could be a leak. same thing happened to our focus. easy fix. the CEL went off and everything. Good luck

 

On my 92 (4 Cylinder )I had to check Check the Water Thermo Sensor Connector it's a green connector and you can find it on the outlet that the upper radiator hose is connected to. If this is disconnected the idle will be low and rough and the check engine light will come on. This is the setup on the 92 model don't know if it is the same for 96

 

if it were a sensor or a missfire that would make the check engine light come on..
if im not mistaken you can go to an auto parts store and buy a scan tool for like 50 bucks..or take it to the dealership and apply for a line of credit just for a tech to hook up a computer..then they'll try to get you to let them fix it..and the timing belt.. and every other thing thats wrong with the car..