HELP!! HVAC went kablooie

[PECivil]

97 318i 64.5k miles
my heat/vent/ac started turning off and on while driving.... sometimes it would stay off for a long time and wouldnt come back on until the car was turned off and back on again...sometimes it would turn back on in a minute or two....when it goes off none of the lights or buttons work and it is just dead.

also i noticed a "dripping fluid" sound from the engine bay kinda behind the right headlight area, but nothing is leaking but you can hear something dripping inside somewhere for a couple minutes when the car is turned off.

any ideas?
temp gauge is normal and engine runs fine
thanks for the help

[UD///M]

Just a couple of guesses. Perhaps the pressure level in the system is too low. This may cause it to shut off. Or maybe there is moisture in the system and what you are hearing is the dryer. It is located in that area. That would be a large amount of moisture though! It probably wouldn't hurt to have the system completely pulled to vacuum and then recharged. :atom

[jsp98m3]

Check the accessory fan resistor too.