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!  xxp_sebby@yahoo.com