loud hum

1993 3300 119,000mi. 3sp auto


about a month or two ago, my car started making a loud humming noise. It wasn't constant, but more often than not. Sometimes it seemed like as the car accellerated, it'd get louder.. then after it shifted, it would go back down... and this would repeat. After noticing it was coming from the power-steering pump/belt assembly area.. i did some research and found out that it is a warning sign that maybe the power-steering pump is going... so i put a bottle of conditioner hoping that would fix it, but it did not. It still hums.. and seems to be louder than ever. This morning, the car wouldnt start. I live in Pennsylvania, and it was about 20degrees last night.. so i was kind of hoping something was frozen. So i had the hair dryer out there on different parts.. and kept trying, but nothing. As a last resort, i had it pointing on the power-steering area, and after a couple minutes, i tried it, and it started. Could a problem with the pump (whether it is going or frozen) actually deter the car from starting? There wasnt even a crank or anything when i tried.. just a click..

any other info. on whether the hum is the pump itself would be appreciated also.. thanks.

i highly doubt your power steering pump stoped your car from starting, Check your starter seloniod, as for your hum try draining your power steering pump resevoir with a siringe and refill it to see if the sound changes.