Turned a/c on, smoke came out from under the hood. Belt had broken in half.

Hi, When I had the a/c on, I saw sparks coming from behind the pully part. What can I do to have defrost in winter. Also, can I replace the compressor without needing the system recharged?

YOU WILL STILL HAVE DEFROST. I STATED THE A/C "HELPED" DEFORST DEFOG.AGAIN YES YOU CAN REPLACE THE COMPRESSOR WITHOUT CHARGING A/C. BUT THAT IS "YOUR" CHOICE. YOU ALSO SHOULD CHECK ALL BELT DRIVE/DRIVEN COMPONETS CLOSELY!! IF YOU INSTALL ANOTHER COMPRESSOR AND DO NOT CHARGE SYSTEM IT STILL WILL NOT WORK BUT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DRIVE CAR. TAKE IT TO A REPAIR SHOP IS THE BEST BET. WISH I COULD BE MORE HELP. GOOD LUCK.