> > Eric, I just went out to a steep (dirt) hill and confirmed that my VC is
> > indeed dead! I tried jacking up the front wheel and spinning it and it
> > turned with resistance, which according to Malcolm Holser means the VC is
> > good...not in this case.
>
Wow, did I say something like that?  *MY* front wheel turned without resistance,
which is *bad*.  *MY* VC was missing totally!

Jacking up a front wheel and turning it will give some indication of whether
or not your VC is toast.  If the VC has failed locked, the wheel will not
turn at all.  If the wheel turns freely, your VC is likely to be missing,
although I've been told they can fail this way as well.  I think that
even a failed one would have some resistance.

A *GOOD* VC will allow you to turn the wheel *very* slowly -- like about
one or two rpms -- it should lock the coupling after a few revolutions at
this speed, but I've been too worn out turning it at all to reallt see this.
It is *hard to turn*.  It is possible to turn the wheel by hand, though.

I can't really believe I would have said a "freely turning" wheel meant
the VC was good -- it means the opposite.

Malcolm