2000 ZX-9 blows the 10 amp ignition fuse everytime you turn the key on, checked all the wires. used to not do it, just started blowing fuses. sometimes it will do it sometimes it wont. got any clues?

Turn key to On.
Turn on headlights manually... Do they come on?
Are there any lights on the dash?
If yes to these, battery is possibly not the sole problem.
Check for good, tight and clean connections at battery terminal posts!
If yes to above, continue on & get a helper... Turn key past on, to Start position.
Do you hear a click sound at time key is turned to Start?
If yes, then ignition switch is not problem, starter relay is getting power, and is now sending power to starter, but starter is not working.
Pic any No's... Then look there.
Good luck.

Blowing fuses is never an easy direct fix. Its rather a hunt needs some dedication. What I try and do is Figure out what is all on this 40 amp fuse, and one at a time remove something from the system and see if it blows. The key is knowing when it will blow for these tests to work. Keep removing what ever is on the system until it stops blowing a fuse. Then figure out how to single out items on that fuse. Whatever fuse it is the problem is on its path. Check all paths that go to items if no items are easily singles out. Replace as you find ,smash, green corrosion and shady connecters. Looks for heat by finding melted plastic connecters. These are clues. If you have a volt meter, then you will find the problem a whole lot easy, by figuring out what OHMS LAw is for whatever guage wire you are working with and a rough guess on length of known path. Using this you can find smashed and corroded wires quicker. As well as finding a short to ground and even short to powers in some cases. Good luck :)

It sounds like that fuse is supplying power to more than just the amp and is being shorted out in the START mode. Normally I would think the power to the sound system would be cut off by the ignition switch in the START mode. Try to find out what else that fuse supplies power to. You can disconnect suspected trouble areas to see if that helps locate the source of the fault.

( one question i have is every time the ignition fuse blows do i need to replace the starter relay? ) NO ! You have a dead short to ground on one of the circuits that fuse feeds. Do you know how to find a short circuit ? Video's on youtube show how. The fuse that blows ,is it IGN - A 40 amp. located in the under hood fuse/ relay center ? That fuse feeds B+ voltage to the ignition switch ,which powers up other thing's ,fuse's etc.. Not just the starter relay ! I see five other fuse's that get power from that fuse when ignition switch is in the start or run position . In the I/P fuse panel the gauges fuse #4 10amp , air bag fuse #10 10amp , turn b/u fuse #16 20amp. , Plus trans fuse #20 10 amp ! Pull out these fuse an try to start the van. if the ignition fuse doesn't blow the problem is in one of these other fuse circuits. There is one more fuse that get's B+ power from the ignition switch and ign A fuse ,crank fuse fuse #8 10amp. this powers the control side of the starter relay .
You can find a free wiring diagram here http://www.bbbind.com/free_tsb.html Enter vehicle info. year , make , model and engine . Under system click engine , under subsystem click starting. Click the search button then the blue link.
If you pull those fuse's i mention and it still blows the fuse look for a shorted ignition switch or wiring from ignition to the starter relay , not the relay itself. Park neutral safety switch . Isolate the circuit , pull the relay out of it's socket ,pull the crank fuse #8 in the I/P fuse box. with a ohm meter check to see if that part of the circuit is shorted to ground. Do you know how to do that ? Do you have a volt ohm meter ? You can buy one cheap at parts store .

it may be a faulty solenoid

I had a similar problem where the battery was ok but there was no sound from the starter and also there no lights on in the dash when the key was turned. Checked the fuse and checked wire from the fuse back to the ignition switch. The wire from the fuse was ok in fuse box but had no voltage at the ignition sw. The was also no voltage to terminal 30 in the starter relay. Ran a new wire from the fuse to the ignition and it fixed everything. Check for voltage at terminal 30 on the starter relay

If it is the AM2 (30A) fuse that is blowing, check the ignition condenser, capacitor, within the ignition assembly. I just removed it and assembled the ignition back together. I am in the process of ordering a new one from Rock Auto for a total of $2.57. It seems to be a common issue. The condenser is actually a capacitor and the issue is that they internally short.

I had a prolem like this one time a while back. what i did was got the wiring diagram and checked everything that was running through that 30 amp fuse. on the one i was working on it ended up being an injector wire pinched under the valve cover and it didnt short out till the car was driven til it warmed up and expanded after the valve cover gasket was changed. hope this helps!

Check for shorts to the stator or rotor. It is part of the charging system under the left side cover. Sometimes they can get shorted out, and cause the fuse to blow. If you disconnect the plug for it, you can also test to see if the fuse still blows. If it doesn't, you have found your problem. You may need to unplug things and keep checking your fuse. When it stops blowing, you have found your problem. May want to get a resettable breaker till you find your problem.

Ist of all is 10 amp the proper size?
2nd if you bypass and whatever you are replacing the fuse with, is it warm, or hot to the touch?
If it is you have a direct short in you have a direct short in the electrical system. Check for bare wires,wires touching the motor or chassis that don't have a connector.
Hope this is a FixYa
Kurt