Nissan Repair: 89 Pulsar Q, head gasket problem, antifreeze coolant

Question
I recently bought a pulsar Q '89 model.. The temperature gauge does not work but all other gauges do.. The gauge has tested fine as has the temp sender.. any clues? also during damp weather when idling I get white smoke from the exhaust I changed the fuel filter and it stopped but I still get water in the exhaust pipe... Usually white smoke means the head/head gasket but the car is showing no other tell tale signs.. It starts first time every time and purrs like a kitten when idling,doesn't seem to overheat and doesn't appear to be losing water or oil.. It does however have a hole in the exhaust pipe? any clues as to why this is happening..Thanks.. Mel

Answer
i would first do a flush of your coolant and put the recomened ratio of antifreeze(coolant)/water into your vehicle, along with changing your thermostat.  on top of that, have a shop do a compression test on all cylinders and make sure the results are within the specs of your engine (to rule out head/gasket problem).  you may just need a flush and a new thermostat.  any leaks in the exaust should be repaired as well.  take it to a local garage and ask if they can just repair the hole for the time being and see if these fix your problem.  good luck and let me know your results!  [email protected]