When I turn on my air conditioning in my 2003 Lincoln Town Car Signature, I initially get hot air

coloradoboy

Sometimes, after about 5-15 minutes, cold air begins to blow. The air flow is also very noisy like a wind tunnel. Any suggestions about where to start? I'd like to try to fix this on my own, but I don't have any experience with air conditioning.

Mr_Shiftright

AC is not something you really want to mess with if you don't have the basic skills. If the car takes a long time to blow cold air, you may just be low on refrigerant, so that's the first thing I'd have checked. If you want to tackle it yourself, you could try using one of those re-fill kits you buy at Autozone or OReilly's. I used one on my truck and it worked fine. You just have to be careful not to overfill the system. The gauges you get with these kits isn't the best, so err on the low side. Another possibility is that your engine cooling fan is not operating when you turn the AC on. Have you noticed that the AC is much colder when you try it early morning, or after parking in the shade. If so, that might be a clue that the refrigerant is not being cooled properly at the condenser attached to the radiator.

coloradoboy

Great suggestions!. I have not noticed whether or not the engine cooling fan is operating. I will check it out. Also, I have not noticed whether the AC is much colder in the early morning. I'll look into that too. Thanks!