pinging

I have a 1999 Ford Ranger. Shortly after starting, it will start pinging. It gets pretty loud. It will then start missing, lose power and die. It won't start again until it cools down, and then does the same thing shortly after restarting.

Welcome to Automotive Forums. I don't thing the problem is a preigniton ping such as will happen on the highway on a load with too low octane of fuel. I suspect mechanical problems. It could have dropped a valve seat into the combusion chamber and it could be hitting a piston. I suggest taking the plugs out check for a bent ground electrode. Something is causing a problem in a cylinder. It would be a good idea to run a compression check.