1996 LS400 237K miles. Cleaned the power steering Solenoid screens 6K miles, and 6 month ago.
In the past two weeks, the power steering pump made a very loud noise. The power steering fluid won't flow. I thought the power steering pump was bad, resulting in no-flow of the power steering fluid.
I bought a reman power steering pump form The Advance Auto Parts store, replaced the old pump, added the power steering fluid, Nothing changed at all-. Started the engine, the newly-installed power steering pump still made very loud noise, and the power steering fluid won't flow at all. I turned the steering wheel full-left, full-right, the fluid still won't move (won't flow), and the power steering pump made a loud noise.
Assuming that the newly-installed PS pump is a good one, what other things could prevent the power steering fluid from moving (flow)?
The power steering solenoid screens were cleaned 6K miles ago.
Thank you.

 

Checked: Removed the reservoir, check the reservoir screen, the power steering fluid passed through the screen freely. The reservoir screen is not the problem.

 

I dont know what your problem is but I hope you didnt put power steering fluid in it.... use dextron atf

loosen all your lines and try blowing thru them, something is stopped up ..

 

how do you know it's not flowing? looking inside the reservoir is not enough to 'see' if it's flowing. in fact the fluid in the reservoir will remain relatively still when the pump is spinning.

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but To the best of my knowledge, the 95+ models didn't have the solenoid screens..?

It sounds to me like you got another faulty pump! Although rebuilt P/S pumps from auto parts stores are usually pretty decent, you may have gotten one that was done to sub-par standards.

 

Since your reservoir is good, Look for kinks in the lines.

Is there power when your turning the wheel?

 

My car was doing the same thing and what I did to fix it was took it on a high way on ramp with a couple turns and got the revs to 4000 -5000 and did the turns and it felt like something popped and my power steering came right back. It was the weirdest thing but it's been working fine ever since!

 

^ there is a valve between the pressure hose and pump that needs to move freely/smoothly. if it gets stuck you wont have power any way you turn.

 

I thought the there might be no fluid inside the the power steering pump resulting in that the pump had nothing (except the air) to pump, so the ATF won't flow.
I loosed the ratainer nut that connects the high pressure hose to the pump, let ATF leak a little bit, so the ATF could saturate the pump, then tightened the nut.
Started the engine, and the ATF began to flow.
But there is still noise, the noise might come from the PS pump, or alternator, or other moving bearings. There must be a bad bearing, since it burned the serpentine belt.