u/PlsHelpMeWithThi5

It's kinda weird because on some days the noise isn't as bad

I was parked with the AC on waiting for my package. Suddenly there's a cranking sound at regular intervals. Then I see slight smoke coming out of the hood. When I opened it I saw some liquid on the frame (see pic). So it looks like something that dripped, fell onto a hot pipe or the serpentine belt which was generating the smoke.

Turning the AC off seemed to fix the problem. Taking no risk, I towed it to the mechanic who did all scans and checked for leaks.

He said there's no leak except a tiny one at the oil pan which was probably due to reuse of same washer and screw. Then he said the liquid falling could also be condensation that then fell onto the belt/hot metal.

The coolant is still at the level it was and the oil too hasn't emptied, although I did have a patch of liquid on my driveway.

There's also a very tiny continuous hiss I can hear inside the car if I keep everything on silent.

The mechanic said not to worry about that as that's AC related and it'd be better to not spend cash on it for now as the AC works fine.

Please help. Has this happened to anyone here?