my a/c has been messing up recently. (Idles really low and sometimes car shuts off when a/c is on and the a/c will sometimes cut out giving me warm air) then today i was driving on the freeway and heard a popping noise and then hissing so i pulled over and popped the hood and saw that there was coolent all over the front heat shield and by the radiator. I couldnt find the source of this and car seems to be fine with a/c off i havent turned it on again but is there any clue to my problems?

 

possible what you saw wasn't coolant but A/C oil. The A/C will shutoff normally to prevent the evap from frezzing. But it will also stop if the R134 or R12 pressure is low. I would get a gauge to check your system first. If you are sure it was coolant then presure test your system and cap.

 

so if it was a/c oil (could be) what would cause the pressure to just shoot out like that? i only assumed coolent by color, green.

 

A/C oil is normally clear. So if it was green its a good bet thats its coolant. Like I said if it was coolant, You need to test the system and the rad cap. It could be that you had a boil over due to a fan thats bad or a blown head gasket. There are a few things that would cause it. So start with a coolant pressure test. Then go from there.