Need help finding ac Valve on c4 2005

[Nela04]

Hello everyone .i just bought a c4 2005 and Im new to Citroën so i thought asking you smart guys for some help . I feel that ac is not as Cold as i would like it to be so want to try with starting with refilling it before i try more expensive solutions.

Problem is i dont know where THE refill Valve is because om not used to Citroën c4 as a car . Do anyone of you know where it is in the engine room , is there any picture that shows location ? Thanx in advance guys

[admiral51]

Hi Nela04
Welcome to the wonderful and confusing world of Citroen ownership.

This is the place to find the answer to all of your questions

If you take the cover off that covers the expansion tank and screen wash filler on the drivers side of the engine compartment the AC valve is located underneath.
This is a photo of a 2005 C4 not a Piccasso though

[Harlequin]

I personally wouldn't refill it yourself - the system needs a specific amount of gas + oil to function. I had mine recharged at ATS for under £30 with a voucher on groupon

[myglaren]

I personally wouldn't refill it yourself - the system needs a specific amount of gas + oil to function. I had mine recharged at ATS for under £30 with a voucher on groupon

Nelao4 is in Sweden.

[GiveMeABreak]

If refilling it yourself, it is the LOW pressure pipe and valve that you need to locate. This usually has as a blue cap. Most kits you can buy will only fit the LOW pressure valve, so you can't accidentally connect to the wrong one.
I have used these kits myself on our C5 and C3 to recharge them and can recommend them as a much cheaper way to recharge your cars. The STP kits usually have a refundable £10 (in the UK - but Euro equivalent) to meet EU directives on return of the cylinder.

You can buy them on ebay with or without the trigger valve, but these are re-usable, so once bought you can just buy the refills in future.

Here is their European site - but can be bought on Amazon and Ebay and other good auto shops - also called EZ-Chill:

https://www.stp-aircon.eu/

Just remember the system needs to be recharged with the AC compressor running, so if you are completely out of gas I would get it checked for leaks first.

If you don't have a leak, but are really low on refrigerant, there may not be enough to trigger the compressor as this is disabled in low gas conditions. In this case, you should get a small amount of gas into the system, then try starting the AC again and check to see if the compressor engages. If it does, then you can recharge it, but make sure it stays within the green on the gauge.

[white exec]

Both the correct gas and the correct oil should be added accurately by weight, after the previous remaining contents have been removed by vacuum.

This cannot be done with a top-up can, and is positively not recommended. Far better to pay the €25-50, and have it done professionally, using the proper equipment.

AC systems can be damaged by under-filling and over-filling, and without the proper kit you have no idea how much gas/oil remains in the system. The proper kit also recovers the old refrigerant gas, which is illegal to discharge to the atmosphere.

[GiveMeABreak]

Appreciate what you are saying Chris, however this particular STP kit is widely used by professionals and contains the Oil and the refrigerant for the amount being added. I would agree that a full AC service that extracts the lot and refills it is good practice, but personally I would not consider that for annual recharges at £50 a pop when you can recharge on average 3 cars or more on a single cylinder for £30.

Obviously this won't help if you have any leaks. I can only speak from experience and have been happily using this for years and have constantly ice cool air.

Here's one of the many videos

[Harlequin]

No `professional` will ever use a refill can to recharge an AC system as those gauges are simply an estimate and change depending on the temperature

[GiveMeABreak]

Yes and you can change the dial on some of the gauges to reflect the temperature. Yes there are those that don't have the full kits, but these have always proved effective for me and many others I know who also use them.

When you have 3 cars to do £150 is a lot for a simple annual top up, that can be done for £30.