Quote Originally Posted by tom4bren View Post
The balls (bearings) wear a groove into the green cup (outer race) and in the star (inner race). As the bearings slip into & out of the worn grooves, that's what causes the clicking sound.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cv_joint

has an animated graphic that'll help you to see what's going on.
Ah. Ok. that makes sense.

So in case I or someone else hears the clicking of a worn CV, is the problem mostly an irritating noise that is only corrected by a replacement and can be driven for awhile before repair? Or does it need to be fixed immediately to avoid further damage to other parts?

I only ask because I am replacing both sets of boots before a 3k mile journey to MOAB. If I goofed up and did a bad job cleaning, or didnt install somthing perfect and I hear the clicking suddenly on my way, am I safe to continue?