1995 Grand Caravan, 3.3L V6

1: My AC doesn't work. It blows the fuse as soon as the compressor should kick in. I last checked it a few years ago (blown fuse). The other day I decided to revisit it. It was low on freon so it wouldn't kick on at all. I hooked up a can of freon, and as soon as the can got cold, the fuse blew. The AC relay is fine (swapped it with another known good one, same result) Does this lead to the assumption of a bad compressor? How hard is it to replace, knowing that there's barely any freon in the system?

2: Cruise control... as far as I can tell, all hoses are fine. (Don't have the tools to do a vacuum test, just visual inspection and feeling for leaks). My cruise control will either work for a little while and then gradually grow weaker to the point where it doesn't do anything useful, or will work fine except on hilly areas, or will work momentarily but only hold certain select speeds, or just not bother working at all. Sometimes the resume/accel button will kick it back in/make it more aggressive, and sometimes it does bupkis. Seems the warmer it is, the less it feels like doing. Suggestions?
What components are involved in making it work normally? Is there a cruise control module or similar?

I did find "a TSB, number 21-06-99, issued April 2, 1999 entitled "Speed Sensor - Intermittent Loss of Cruise Control" This bulletin involves replacing the input and output speed sensor connectors." but looks like it's only an issue if the speed sensors have already been replaced.

 

Unplug the compressor and listen for the compressor relay to engage or jump it. If fuse blows, short in harness, no blow and the compressor is bad (clutch portion anyway).

If you have the reservoir built into the battery tray, known leak area.