Alright, so i did some research here on the forums. and from what i read is that the second generation cars mostly have had this issue taken care of. However i just purchased my first LS400 for $2800 and it has just about 260k on the clock, but other than the miles the car is in fantastic shape! when i test drove the car everything checked out perfectly, but with that in mind i knew what to look/ask for such as; motor mounts, power steering and the transmission mainly. mounts and tranny are perfect but apparently i missed the groaning noise that the power steering makes ONLY WHEN IDLING OR COMPLETELY STOPPED. It doesn't whine or squeak or squeal but it does have a loud groan. Also i read that if the power steering is neglected it affects the alternator which the previous owner just had replaced. Sorry if i didn't search well enough but i need some help. thanks guys! cant wait to show her off. So i guess im just wondering if the PS pump needs to be replaced or just a high pressure hose. Thanks guys!

 

Welcome to the club and congrats on your purchase. These can be fine cars, but may need some help in getting them up to speed from prior owners neglect.

Couple of things... just replaced the PS pump on my 98 with 203k miles...
Was not groaning but was certainly leaking at the pump. Put in a Cardone rebuild... not a preferred choice but was still $200 and I did the work.
The groaning part. that occurred during the refill of the pump / reservoir and the bleeding of the system. When the unit would get low on fluid it would start groaning and making noise...then top it off and bleed again until it made more noise. I was not filling it up enough during the process as I did not want to get too much in there... too little is worse than too much. My did some groaning when turning also, but was noticeable at idle as well.
The PS pump leak can kill the alternator also... so better go get that checked out.
The alternator had already been replaced in the car just before I bought it, so I suspected the PS pump was leaking. And remember... don't put PS fluid in the PS pump... read the cap, should be Dexron ATF.

On the 95 my mom used to have I did have a hose that was leaking, but took it out and had it rebuilt at a hydrualics shop and got that taken care of... so need to clean everything off and see where your actual problem is.
I doubt any of us from this distance, without seeing actual pics can make a recommendation, but we do have our own experiences.

 

Pretty much everything this website talks about failing on our 96 has failed. Radio LCD, power steering box, etc. Fortunately we did not have a alternator failure as we had the pump replaced as soon as we saw the failure. Hope this helps.

 

thanks guys!!