Well, it can hurt the engine. It can cause the head gasket to blow. Let me explain. When the head gets intensly hot it can cause the head to warp slightly and the intense pressure in the water jacket from the heated steam will cause the gasket to fail. Also, the heat can sieze the engine. It can literally weld bearing and bind the piston rings to the block. Although, this is typically caused by running it with no oil. It can warp the intake or cause the gaskets to fail. I would add water again and watch to see if you see a leak. If no leak is present, then I would start by changing the thermostat. If that doesn't fix it, change the water pump.

Since it was "smoking" I would guess its a leak. Fill it with water and start the car with the hood up and watch it you may be able to see where it is leaking from and it could be a simple hose. Other than that I would suggest you take it to a shop.

It could be as simple as that. Most of the time if a car overheats (as long as the headers dont crack) you wont have any problems. I would try adding back the radiator fluid and see if it happens again. If it does, you may have a leak in a hose or crack in the radiator. A mechanic can put a fluid in it along with a special light and check to see if there are any problems. Most likely, the car probably just ran out though.

smoke or steam?

either way

that engine needs to be looked at

it could well be the case that it will be fine

could be as simple as a broken hose

dont think just topping it up will be the end of it

something has gone wrong that needs attention

If it's a Ford it's done

depends what got and hot hot it got, cast iron block and alum head, poss heads trash but block could be ok, alum block it's poss shot, will need to be surfaced,

I was on my way to the store and my car barely started to smoke. I honestly thought it was from the car in front of me, it was such a small amount. Then when I left the store and was on my way home, I pulled onto my street and then the car died. I stopped the car on to the side of the street and turned it off. I did not notice smoke at that point. I turned the car back on and as I started to go about 100 yards down the street and into the driveway, my car started to smoke a lot. I made it into the driveway and I turned off the car. I then popped the hood and left it there to cool. I waited about 20 minutes and looked and saw that the little heat gauge thing was in the red. I checked on it again another hour later and it had cooled. How do I fix it? Do I just need to put water and antifreeze back in it?