I got a ranger about 6 months ago. Finally got around to to hooking up the taillights. Right before the plug in the rear I pulled back the sheath that is around the wires and there were wires that were cut and not connected to anything. They were brown black green and yellow wires. My brake lights work but my turn signals arent working. I checked the fuses and they were all good. Any thoughts

Sounds like a connection to a trailer used to be there and was cut off.

When you say you got around to hooking up the taillights, were they not hooked up previously?

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2000 Ranger Extended Cab, 2.5L, 2WD, 5spd with A/C

Yeah the truck is a project.

My recommendation would be to start simple - check the bulbs. If bulbs are okay, then check the relay - try turning on the hazard lights and if they all come on it's probably ok, if not, then that might be the problem. You did not mention if the front signals come on when you turn the signals on - if they do not, it may be a switch issue. Then there is the mysterious wiring issues - if this is a project truck, you may end up tracing wires to be sure there is not a break. Also check your grounds, that can play havoc on the blinkers.

It would also help to know year and options on the Ranger. You can just put it in the signature like mine below. Just good general info for trouble shooting.

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2000 Ranger Extended Cab, 2.5L, 2WD, 5spd with A/C

The cut wires were most likely for a trailer connection (green=right turn, yellow=left turn, brown=tail lights, black=ground). If they were cut and not protected they might have shorted. Check all the fuses. If you have a meter try seeing if you have power at each connection (except the ground). If your truck is similar to mine ('99) there may be a connection plug up high on the driver side where the main electrical trunk is interrupted to connect the trailer lighting. It is hard to get to and when I added mine I had to drop the spare in order to really see it and have access. Check it to see if it's loose or broken. Lastly, pop the tail lights off (just a few screws) and see if anything is corroded , broken, or burned out. There's a lot of room behind the lights for things to go wrong.

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The cut wires were most likely for a trailer connection (green=right turn, yellow=left turn, brown=tail lights, black=ground). If they were cut and not protected they might have shorted. Check all the fuses. If you have a meter try seeing if you have power at each connection (except the ground). If your truck is similar to mine ('99) there may be a connection plug up high on the driver side where the main electrical trunk is interrupted to connect the trailer lighting. It is hard to get to and when I added mine I had to drop the spare in order to really see it and have access. Check it to see if it's loose or broken. Lastly, pop the tail lights off (just a few screws) and see if anything is corroded , broken, or burned out. There's a lot of room behind the lights for things to go wrong.

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The cut wires were most likely for a trailer connection (green=right turn, yellow=left turn, brown=tail lights, black=ground). If they were cut and not protected they might have shorted. Check all the fuses. If you have a meter try seeing if you have power at each connection (except the ground). If your truck is similar to mine ('99) there may be a connection plug up high on the driver side where the main electrical trunk is interrupted to connect the trailer lighting. It is hard to get to and when I added mine I had to drop the spare in order to really see it and have access. Check it to see if it's loose or broken. Lastly, pop the tail lights off (just a few screws) and see if anything is corroded , broken, or burned out. There's a lot of room behind the lights for things to go wrong.

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Had a rambling thought. You mentioned a black wire. Typically, a trailer ground is white. Wonder if someone connected or disconnected the wrong wire(s) before you bought it. I believe there are wiring diagrams on this forum for each year of truck one might have.

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1999 XLT SuperCab 4.0 liter V6 2WD