Hey guys,On the way to dropping my friend off 2nite, my car's temp gauge started to slowly rise above normal levels. I predicted the car to be overheating, but what was weird was there was no hot air blowing in from the fan. We got to his house and he noticed my hood smoking as we went in. I popped the hood and on the left, (I have an 89 240sx hatch), there were 2 containers, i think one was wiper fluid and the other could have been the overflow bottle for the radiator? It was smoking around there, it was probably the overflow container. Then i unscrewed the radiator cap and maddd smoke came out, and i felt like water was gonna come out if i unscrewed more, i heard it gurgling. I stopped the car, let all the smoke out, and started agin to see if i could make it home, 5 mins away, but after 2 mins, that side with the 2 containeres started smoking again. So im not sure whats going on? Maybe a radiator leak? New antifreeze needed? I hope its nothing serious, my dad is gona kill me, esp if we need a new radiator or anything else. Any help would be appreciated.

Not enough info but there are a few possibilities. First of all, was the coolant low? Seems the radiator cap would have been overflowing if it was full. Could be a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Could be a stuck thermostat. Could be a bad water pump or a broken water pump belt. These are generalalities; I'm not very familiar with the 240. Did you notice any white smoke coming out of the exhaust?

I wouldn't rule out anything Daedalus said. I would have to go with the water pump is not working, either due to failure or broken belt....most likely bad pump. On a safety note, NEVER OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP WHEN HOT!! You're setting yourself up for some ugly burns. Let if cool off first a bit, then with a rag turn the cap a little to let off pressure. Once you're sure it's not going to explode and turn you into Freddy Krueger remove it.You can always check the thermostat to with the boiling water test. It's a cheap way to help diagnose if it's a $12 problem or a $xxx problem. Good luck and if you drive it before fixing the problem...well don't, but if you do pull over immediately and kill that engine if the needles moves slightly above normal. Good luck!