I have a 99 ranger 2.3L 4cyl. It was in a pretty bad wreck before i bought it 2 yrs ago. Recently the right blinker has been staying on and a puff of smoke comes oyt of the steering colum where the button for the 4 way flashers is. It doesn't do it all the time, mostly when im stopped with my blinker on but the other day i was in the line at the bank and did not have my blinker on but i did have the break pressed and it came on. Some times it works fine sometimes it just stays on sometimes it stays on and smokes. Usually if i turn on my 4 ways it will stop. Anyone know what this could be??

 

Tough, but I would check the wiring. Sounds like you are getting a short, I would check where the damage is or was and look to make sure the wiring didn't get exposed and is touching the chassis of the truck.

 

Standard fix here. Seen it tons at work. The multi-function switch has taken a dump. If you do it yourself, take a good look at the two plugs that go into it. One is for wipers, the other is for turn signal, flashers as well as headlights(hi-beam). Look for melted connectors. If there is sign of heat damage, replace the connector that's burnt as well. Any Ford dealership will stock both the switch and the harness connector because it's such a common repair.

As far as doing it yourself..... Also simple. There are three screws at the bottom of the steering column shroud. Remove them, then the top and bottom parts of the shroud. If you have a tilt wheel, remove the lever before removing the lower shroud. Small channel locks with a towel or 6mm wrench. It turns out counterclock-wise. At the base of the switch, left side of steering column there are two torx screws(t20-t25?), remove them. With a small screwdriver, pry up lightly on the connector retainers and unplug it. Plug in the new switch and reverse everything to re-install.