Just purchased (last week) an R53 JCW. Was driving today, hot weather, and saw a puff of white smoke from the passenger wheel well/hood side. It was preceded for a few seconds for a change in pitch/pressure from the air vents, and now I'm getting warm air with the A/C on. Thoughts on what happened? I assume the condenser and clutch are located on that side, can't tell anything with the hood upexcept maybe a small puddle in the tray under there. Need to find a better light and maybe get it up on stands to look further, but just wondering if anyone has ideas on what could have happened and maybe what the fix is.

 

You're correct in that your A/C compressor is located on the passenger side of the engine compartment. Not sure what would cause white smoke but it's entirely possible that one of your pressure hoses may have burst, or your compressor clutch may have given up the ghost. A rebuilt compressor with a 1-yr. warranty (same as new) can be had on eBay for around $100. That's the route I went and mine will freeze you out of the car. It's not hard to replace but you will need to put the car into front-end service mode (FESM) to remove the old and install the new. Best bet is to start with a pressure check at a shop to ID the issue. Could be just a hose/fitting but that would require replacement along with a freon recharge.

 

Good thoughts. Didn't think about a pressure test first. I was hoping to avoid the dreaded FESM until the 100k service, but good to know that's an affordable route at least.