98 ford ranger # 4 piston not getting any compression

No compression : the piston clould have a hole in it or the top off off it , a valve is burnT really bad letting the compression leak by it , or you might have droped a valve destroying the top of the piston , if it was bad rings I thing you would be getting a little bit of a reading on your compression guage , the rod cap could have came off and the piston is not even going up and down to create compression .

Hole in top of piston probably from a droped valve

Rod has come loose from piston and piston not going up and down to create compression

badly burnt valve could let the compression pass by

No compression : the piston clould have a hole in it or the top off off it , a valve is burnT really bad letting the compression leak by it , or you might have droped a valve destroying the top of the piston , if it was bad rings I thing you would be getting a little bit of a reading on your compression guage , the rod cap could have came off and the piston is not even going up and down to create compression

What should i do to fix the problem. valve job are replace the motor. is there a cheaper fix then the two i just described