Not starting

What's weird is it (2002 Honda civic ex) worked fine yesterday except for the starter started grinding and the car wouldn't start. So, we took out the battery, replaced the starter, put the battery back in and now ( like I said) lights all work fine ( no dimming) but dash lights don't light up at all and absolutely no sounds or anything when trying to start it.

We checked the fuses and the ignition1 (40 amp) fuse blew but, we attempted to replace it with a (50 amp) and it blew right away.

Is there a way to check to see if it's a short to ground? The Car's been running great till now.

We checked and nothing. We think our next best bet is the ignition switch.

Ok. Will do that. Thank you.

How do I figure out what to check that the ignition fuse controls?

I would also question the "new" starter. Wouldn't be the first time a part was defective from the factory.

Its remanufactured, we tested it with a voltmeter and it's got power to it.

But when you put power to it does it spin?

With the voltmeter?

Otherwise, when we try, it blows the fuse.

Wire the starter (not installed in the car) so you can briefly apply power directly from the battery to see if the starter motor advances.

Had the starter bench tested yesterday and it's working. I didn't see your response until just now.

Ok, when you look inside the hole where the starter attaches to the engine can you see if the flywheel has damage to the teeth?

Also, if the car has an aftermarket alarm system it might be spliced into the wiring for the ignition switch (follow a black and white wire) there might be a short that will blow the fuse every time you try to start. Do all accessories work at the ON(I) and ON(II) positions?

Found the short. Car's running great. Thank you all for the help.

Great, what was it??

A nut fell and landed right under the starter and I guess made contact somehow cause it didn't feel like enough room to make physical contact.