Ford Focus 2008 1.6 Engine Lights Flashing/Blinking. Engine shakes when starting up and idle as well. Had smoke coming out yesterday?

So yesterday when I was driving my ford focus 08 and stopped at a light, the exhaust started smoking. When I revved more it smoked more, but it was also smoking on idle a little. The CEL check engine lights are blinking slowly when I start up the car. What could this be? I was thinking spark plugs and/or ignition cables.

It's a misfire. Don't THINK what it is. Find out what it is and fix it.

You missed the most important bit… What colour was the smoke?

Your car is misfiring (one or more cylinders are not firing) badly. See a mechanic. Likely due to bad coils.

If the check engine light is flashing, it means PARK the car IMMEDIATELY and TOW the car to a shop.
The ORIGINAL problem may have been related to the spark plugs, but you have been IGNORING it long enough that you won't get off that easy.

Read this about a flashing check engine light

ANY time the check engine light (CEL) is lit, it's telling you that some repair is needed for the vehicle… That means you take the vehicle to a shop or some auto parts store and have them attach an OBD code reader; then see what codes are being read, and look at this site - - and enter each code… That site will tell you what needs to be repaired and why the code is being shown… AFTER the repairs are done, have the OBD reader reattached and clear the codes from the vehicle ECU

You need to pull the codes to see why the check engine light is flashing. There's a thousand wrong guesses we could make. OBD2 doesn't guess. No spark plug lasts forever, but I've been running the same Bosch double platinum plugs since 2003. Got a volt meter? Check the battery, check the alternator and check the charging system fuse before you run out and buy a new alternator you don't need.

Start with spark plugs.
Make sure you check the antifreeze level in the radiator too.

Shut it off as soon as you can. Don't drive it. Let it stand for a good 15 minutes. Now get out and pop the hood and check to SEE IF YOU GOT ANY OIL. Flashing lights, buzzers, blaring horns, vibrating says you got a bigger problem than a muscle twitch. You can't run it off. As soon as the engine stops smoking, then there's no oil AT ALL TO BURN so it seizes up. You now own a hunk of junk.
. I'm betting good money that you don't even know what a dipstick looks like. Woe is you. If you do know what it looks like, pull it out, wipe it off and stick it back in and count 3 seconds and pull it again and read the oil level on the stick. If it shows Really LOW then you need oil. You WALK and get some and pour it in. And get the level above the "min" marking and below the "max" marking. This is where the oil must be in the car. You are burning it with the gasoline. No surprise. 10 year old car does that.

You must have heard in the old days with real Service Stations, "Fill it up with gas and check the oil.". That has never changed. The oil occasionally has to be checked.

The color of the smoke coming out of your tailpipe can tell you a lot about the problems your car is having…

WHITE "smoke" is actually steam from engine coolant. Probably a head gasket or cracked cylinder head.

Pale BLUE smoke is from oil burning somewhere inside the engine, and probably indicates your engine needs a rebuild. Oil is leaking past valves or rings.

BLACK smoke is from carbon and indicates your engine is burning too much fuel. Either incomplete ignition or excess fuel from the injectors. Get your fuel injectors cleaned and inspected for wear.