Chevrolet Repair: 2000 Silverado-Lost Power Steering, chevy silverado, belt tension

Question
2000 Chevy Silverado, 5.3L, Z71 4WD with roughly 114K miles.  Truck has become incredibly difficult to steer as if PS pump is bad.  This happened essentially overnight as it operated fine the day before.  The pump makes no noise.  I flushed the system today with over 1 quart of fluid with no improvement.  Even with the wheels of the ground, it still is fairly stiff.  The belt tension is good and the belt is in good condition.  I am looking for the next step.  You were a great help on my fuel pump issue last week; unfortunately, I'm back for more.

Answer
Hey,

 You probably nailed the problem on the head.  The Power steering shaft inside the pump snaps off when you start them in the morning when the fluid is cold. Where are you located in the northern hemisphere and how cold does it get?
 Take the belt off and see if the pulley comes right off.  YOu can actually just reach down and see if it pulls out a bit.

Wayne