What could be wrong??

Smoking from under the hood or out the tail pipe? What color smoke if out the tail pipe? And how much is heated up a lil bit? Gauge a little higher than normal or gauge in hot range?

From under the hood i was told it was in the hot range (you see my nephew was driving it & this is what he told me) could. it possibly be the timing chain?

Timing chain would not normally cause one to over heat. But a blown head gasket or bad water pump would. Honestly I feel it might have got a lot hotter than he is letting on. I advise you to do a compression check. If compression numbers come back ok then you can go from there. But I think you might have head gasket issues due to it over heating.

But even if there's,,head gasket issues, wouldnt car still atleast start up? When u turn the key it sounds like its gonna start but then sound as if starter. doesn't engage or catch. could the motor hv froze or siezed up? If that were to happen would that keep the starter from bein able to actually start it?

Yes in extreme over heating cases the motor can seize up. If that is the case the starter will be unable to turn the motor over. Remove all the spark plugs and try to start it. With out the spark plugs it should turn over real easy. Might even try putting a wrench on the harmonic balancer and turn motor over by hand. If with plugs out it will not even turn over by hand your motor is probably seized up.

With a blown head gasket, if coolant got in to combustion chamber(s) and valves were closed, that's called hydrolocked. Engine seized from coolant inside will not compress, therefore no place for piston to go. Take dandyouns advice, he knows what he is talking about. If with spark plugs out, and engine cranks and coolant comes out plug hole that confirms my guess. I also agree that it got much hotter than they young man realized.

Driving a 1998 ford contour without a power steering hose cause it to smoke under hood?