Hi all, I have a 99 B4000 with the pulse vacuum hubs and no axle nut, only the orange retainer clip and metal ring. I had a ripped CV boot so I swapped in a whole new cv yesterday. when I went to take the old one out it was in nice and tight and I followed the manual directions of hitting the end of the axle with a punch and hammer to loosen it then removed normally, no problems. my issue is with the new one, how do I make it tight again? does it need to be press fitted somehow? when I reinstall the plastic ring and clip the axle still has way to much play and is loose. I live with a mechanical engineer and another one of my mechanic friends stopped by today. traditionally you would tighten up the cv with the axle nut but we couldn't think of anyway to seat it properly. if anybody has experienced this or has tips I would be grateful. the new and old parts measure the exact same. do I need some sort of special 2 arm press to pull it back towards the hub? I noticed the end is tapered almost like it needs a press fit. very confused and really wish I just had a axle nut, lol thanks guys!

 

Ahh yes the dreaded vacuum hub locks, I'm sure the engineers at for are trying really hard to forget about that idea lol.

Pulse hubs do not have an axle nut as you have noticed it sounds like your problem is the clips. There should be 2 one is kind of a spring deal that wraps around itself and the other requires snap ring pliers. Make sure your cv axle is ALL the way pushed into your front diff, sometimes you have to fight with those things pushing and pulling violently until it was to slide in all the way, you will feel it when it does. Then you have to maneuver the cv axle into the steering knuckle through the hub (it can be tricky but it's possible) . Next the clips snaprings whatever
sounds like you put the two clips backwards..

The one that requires snap ring plies GOES 1ST(orange)
then pull the cv toward you or push in on the steering knuckle, with upper control arm UNBOLTED and use a flathead or something to slowly push the snapring untill you hear and see it snap into the slot.. you will know when it does. there should be a TINY amount of play if you go to pull on the cv before it stops maybe less than 1/8th of an inch.

Than put the other safety clip in after the snap ring and re assemble everything.

 

Either snaprings are on wrong or your cv is not in ALL the way. Sometimes you will feel it slide in than come to a stop like it's in but it's not really all the way. Try hitting it with a mallet or just yard on it like your trying to wack off with both hands.

 

Thanks PussyPatrol, I appreciate your input! I'll take it apart and see if I can get the cv into the diff further. I struggled with it a bit but then it lined up and clicked into place. I could pull on it maybe an eighth of an inch but it stayed in place like I saw in videos. I have the ring in correct I believe, orange ring clicks into place then put the metal clip around it inside the orange clips retainer. The truck drives fine and 4x4 works fine the way I assembled it but when I come to less than 8mph I hear a metallic clicking coming from my hub that is very concerning. Turning and brakes have no effect on the noise. Mechanic friends believe it's a bad wheel bearing that isn't letting the cv seat all the way into the hub. It's just frustrating that I can't get the cv tight into the hub. Thanks again man!

 

The metallic sound your hearing could very well be a wheel bearing, an easy way to tell is to jack up the tire said problem tire and shake it, there should be no play. If the tire wobbles or you hear a clunking sound sound the bearing is bad, also should be easy to tell if you are driving there usually is a shaking in the steering wheel.

It could also be the dust cover plate that goes around the rotor, 4 8mm bolts hold that on, make sure they are snug.
If you are sure the cv is in ALL the way than double check upper control arm bolts.
since the pvlh do not come with axle nut it is normal for the cv to have some play, but anything over an 1/8 inch after retaining clips are installed means like I said the axle is not in all the way or the clip is not seated in the groove properly..

Luckily Those wheel bearing are easy to replace and only run about 50 dollars off rock auto. They come in the whole hub aassembly already packed in and only have 3 12mm or 14mm bolts that attach to the steering knuckle. I will try to post some videos for you to look at that may help

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VhQYYUvsJGo

 

So I got it all taken apart today. I put the differential shaft in nice and tight and even gave it some bonks to make sure it was seated really well, it popped in to place very nice. I put the cv back in as far as it would go then hammered it with a rubber mallet. the cv was nice and tight inside the hub and had very little play just like the driver side I haven't messed with so I thought I solved the problem. took her for a drive and I still had the same metallic clicking noise while coasting in neutral around 10mph so that was a bit depressing but oh well. next plan of action is remove the cv and go for a drive and see if my sound persists.will update you guys further. I've seen that video you posted along with every other one on YouTube showing wheel bearing replacements and cv swaps with the pulse hubs but I still appreciate man. thanks for your help and time. Aloha from Hawaii

 

Well as it turns out I'm a moron. after removing the cv the third time I let me friend roll down a hill with the truck off while I layed next to it to identify where the noise was coming from. my driveshaft bolt was loose and that was the source of the rattle all along. Well in hindsight now I can remove and install a CV in about 30 minutes. feels good to solve my problem.