When I tried to search for some music I got this error saying "your search must be at least 3 characters to avoid congesting the networks" and my search was more than 3 characters. I re-installed it and the same thing happened. Has anyone else had this same problem? thank you so much if you can help. =)

Try deleting LW's preferences folder when LW's properly closed. See point 3 here & also point 2 if you've used older versions of LW in the past (there could be a folder in either location).
Fixes for LimeWire
This will change all of your settings within options, you'll have to go back through afterwards & reset things. If you're not sure of your settings, go through LW's tools > options & write them all down, so that you can reset things later.
In case you're using Vista: LimeWire Pref Folder in Vista

Which version of LW are you using? Have you used other versions of LW in the past & not had this problem?

I am using the latest Version 4.14.12 . This has just started happening yesterday. I just went to see if I could search, but it gave me the same error.
I have never had this problem before and I don't know why this started.