A/C 02 Saturn L 300

After you cut the wire at the fuse box what is the reading at the green wire at the compressor?Also are you saying you have a connection to ground at the cut wire going into the fuse box. Do you have a blub test light?If so take the clip end and put it on the green wire see if the test light light's up if it does the wire is grounded. Also that black wire is supposed to be ground but if the green which feeds power is grounded then the fuse will blow. With the meter it should read out of limits or no reading at all to ground.

Unplug the a/c relay then see if the green wire going into the fuse box is still grounded.

I posted a wire diagram that shows how the a/c fuse feed's power to the switch side of the a/c relay when the relay is given power and the relay triggers then sends power thru the under hood fuse box then out to the green wire to the a/c clutch. All this checking iam asking you to do is key off a/c off etc. You may have to take it somewhere to have it looked at. When your checking something like this you can't just go all over the place you have to just start from one end and work your way to the other end of the circuit.

Lets not take apart the fuse box if try too you could ruin it. Try this remove that diode and see if the short to ground goes away to that green wire going into the under hood fuse box.

Alright now were getting somewhere the diode is supposed to keep the flow of the circuit going one out and not allow it to back feed when the a/c clutch turn's off and keeps spinning it makes voltage and sends spikes back thru the circuit the diode keeps those spikes from doing any damage. Get yourself a new diode and lets start there.

That is a very uncommon part I doubt those places would have something like that your best bet is the dealer or ordering it from the internet.

With the engine shut off does the center of the clutch turn freely?With the engine running if you have power and ground to the clutch and its not engaging and spinning the center then you have a bad clutch its better to replace the whole compressor. You will have to have the system evacuated and recharged when your done. You will also have to balance the compressor with oil.

On that car the a/c condensor fan only runs at certain vechile speeds a/c pressures temp etc it doesnt just run because the ac is on. Sounds like a bad ac clutch though from what you have found.