Electrical nightmare - Relay / Jumper 2.2 2013

[Wildwoodflower]

Hello all,
I'm having a 'mare with my Citroen Relay and would hugely appreciate your thoughts. I'm in France and working through this with my local Citroen dealer, who we've know for 30 years.
I'll describe the symptoms and the work done thus far...

Symptoms
Dashboard warning lights for Battery and Oil glowing very slightly when ignition is OFF.
Likewise, the dash lights for Fog lamps and Fuel
All of these continue to glow faintly when the ignition is ON and engine running.
Engine warning light comes on intermittently. Warning is 'oil change'. Oil has been changed and codes cancelled.
On one occasion, during a motorway run, engine went into limp mode.
Starter motor failed, death.

Diagnosis
Electrical earthing issue

Faults found
Front loom - widespread and serious melting insulation damage to wiring in front loom
Starter motor fried
Two gizmos in fuse box fried (don't know what they are in english, mechanic calles them 'roulettes' and they appear as two coloured cubes)
Corroded earth strap
(will post pic of the list of replaced parts)

Work so far
Entire front loom replaced
New starter motor
Earth strap
various electrical/fuse components

And then...
Van then appeared serviceable, collected Friday evening, ran 20km and the electrical faults appeared AGAIN.

I've disconnected the battery so as not to risk frying the loom or starter motor. It's the weekend and my garage is shut until Tuesday, so I've got time to think about this and to ask for your thoughts.

[Wildwoodflower]

A month later and three returns to the garage and the fault is still reappearing - engine warning light, oil change message, battery draining - when the van is taken out for a run.
If there is ANYONE out there who can shed light on this I'd be really, really grateful.

[GiveMeABreak]

Hi, do you have the actual fault codes and a VIN?

[wheeler]

Did this fault appear shortly after jump starting by any chance? I have seen on several occasions on relay 3's the engine bay wiring harnesses burning out when the wiper motor bracket is used as the earth. It looks like a very convenient place to earth the jump leads being a big bare metal bracket, the only issue is the wiper motor sits on rubber mounts & earths through a tiny wire that could never take the current of a starter motor. I normally burns a big part of the engine bay wiring harness. The later models have a sticker on the bracket with a picture of a jump lead with a cross through it
The correct earth point for jumping is a small threaded stud next to the L/H headlamp.

Might also be worth adding a new earth to the instrument cluster?

It could also be water somewhere its not supposed to be like the under bonnet fusebox or any big multi way connectors.

[Wildwoodflower]

Hello Marc and Wheeler, thanks so much for getting in touch.

I don't have the the fault codes as the van is still at the Citroen dealership - but I can get them when I next see the mechanic. As you can imagine, we are also on lock down here in France and it's not easy to get down to the garage. I do have the VIN and I can DM it to you.

I don't know if it had been jumped prior to my buying it, but I'm going to assume so as it was just a couple of days before setting off to France and the battery was not holding its charge. The former owner paid for a new battery. The fault first appeared a couple of days after I bought it. I assumed it was just coincidentally due an oil change, got that done and the light went out. Set off for France and two thirds of the way down on the autoroute the engine light flickered on again (change oil), went off and then about 30 minutes later the van went into limp mode. We got recovered, the fault cancelled and got to our destination ... where the engine light once again came on and I took the van to my local Citroen dealership.
A new front loom, starter motor and repaired instrument cluster later (I'll ask about the earth) and a few km out of the garage and it does it again ... and again ... and again.
I'll ask them to look at the wiper earth, too.
Most of the big multi connectors have been undone during the front loom renewal - but we can check the rest. Fuse box has been out. Both relays had blown.
This is driving me insane and cost a huge amount on money. Your help is so very much appreciated!
Kathy x