diff --git a/src/afs/AIX/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/AIX/osi_vcache.c
index 1c99d73c7f..b61d466c02 100644
--- a/src/afs/AIX/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/AIX/osi_vcache.c
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 extern struct vnodeops *afs_ops;
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
      int code;
      if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
          && avc->opens == 0 && (avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0) {
diff --git a/src/afs/DARWIN/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/DARWIN/osi_vcache.c
index 4f2e5a87c8..ce3bb5f49d 100644
--- a/src/afs/DARWIN/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/DARWIN/osi_vcache.c
@@ -27,9 +27,10 @@ osi_NewVnode(void) {
 
 #if defined(AFS_DARWIN80_ENV)
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     *slept = 0;
 
+    /* we ignore defersleep, as we *always* need to sleep */
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc, 0) && avc->opens == 0 &&
 	(avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0) {
 
@@ -64,7 +65,7 @@ osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
 }
 #else
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
         || ((VREFCOUNT(avc) == 1) && (UBCINFOEXISTS(AFSTOV(avc))))
         && avc->opens == 0 && (avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0)
diff --git a/src/afs/FBSD/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/FBSD/osi_vcache.c
index 1e48fcccc1..d400492daa 100644
--- a/src/afs/FBSD/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/FBSD/osi_vcache.c
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
 #endif
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
 
     /*
      * essentially all we want to do here is check that the
diff --git a/src/afs/HPUX/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/HPUX/osi_vcache.c
index e08afda624..cf669a29dc 100644
--- a/src/afs/HPUX/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/HPUX/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"        /*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     int code;
 
+    /* we can't control whether we sleep */
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
         && avc->opens == 0 && (avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0) {
 	code = afs_FlushVCache(avc, slept);
diff --git a/src/afs/IRIX/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/IRIX/osi_vcache.c
index a34c9b9cb8..01a8d53585 100644
--- a/src/afs/IRIX/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/IRIX/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"        /*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
      int code;
+     /* we can't control whether we sleep */
      if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
          && avc->opens == 0 && (avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0) {
         code = afs_FlushVCache(avc, slept);
diff --git a/src/afs/LINUX/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/LINUX/osi_vcache.c
index 21ad7c2097..e82d78e5da 100644
--- a/src/afs/LINUX/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/LINUX/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"        /*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     int code;
 
     struct dentry *dentry;
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
     struct list_head *cur, *head;
 
     /* First, see if we can evict the inode from the dcache */
-    if (avc != afs_globalVp && VREFCOUNT(avc) > 1 && avc->opens == 0) {
+    if (defersleep && avc != afs_globalVp && VREFCOUNT(avc) > 1 && avc->opens == 0) {
 	*slept = 1;
 	ReleaseWriteLock(&afs_xvcache);
         AFS_GUNLOCK();
diff --git a/src/afs/LINUX24/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/LINUX24/osi_vcache.c
index e3e3003ef1..bbaf5ce2f9 100644
--- a/src/afs/LINUX24/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/LINUX24/osi_vcache.c
@@ -22,13 +22,15 @@
 #endif
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     int code;
     struct dentry *dentry;
     struct list_head *cur, *head;
 
     /* First, see if we can evict the inode from the dcache */
-    if (avc != afs_globalVp && VREFCOUNT(avc) > 1 && avc->opens == 0) {
+    if (defersleep && avc != afs_globalVp && VREFCOUNT(avc) > 1 && avc->opens == 0) {
+	*slept = 1;
+	ReleaseWriteLock(&afs_xvcache);
         AFS_GUNLOCK();
 	afs_linux_lock_dcache();
 	head = &(AFSTOV(avc))->i_dentry;
@@ -57,13 +59,19 @@ restart:
 	afs_linux_unlock_dcache();
 inuse:
 	AFS_GLOCK();
+        ObtainWriteLock(&afs_xvcache, 733);
     }
 
     /* See if we can evict it from the VLRUQ */
     if (VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0) && !VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,1) && avc->opens == 0
 	&& (avc->f.states & CUnlinkedDel) == 0) {
+	int didsleep = *slept;
 
 	code = afs_FlushVCache(avc, slept);
+        /* flushvcache wipes slept; restore slept if we did before */
+        if (didsleep)
+            *slept = didsleep;
+
 	if (code == 0)
 	   return 1;
     }
diff --git a/src/afs/NBSD/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/NBSD/osi_vcache.c
index f7a544e9af..976c8758a4 100644
--- a/src/afs/NBSD/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/NBSD/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"	/*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     *slept = 0;
 
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
diff --git a/src/afs/OBSD/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/OBSD/osi_vcache.c
index cbd37f81c2..6598ceabdb 100644
--- a/src/afs/OBSD/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/OBSD/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"	/*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     *slept = 0;
 
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
diff --git a/src/afs/SOLARIS/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/SOLARIS/osi_vcache.c
index 2bb8f26ec1..6bd542890c 100644
--- a/src/afs/SOLARIS/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/SOLARIS/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"        /*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     int code;
 
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
diff --git a/src/afs/UKERNEL/osi_vcache.c b/src/afs/UKERNEL/osi_vcache.c
index 9fe66ec71c..dce051e847 100644
--- a/src/afs/UKERNEL/osi_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/UKERNEL/osi_vcache.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #include "afsincludes.h"        /*AFS-based standard headers */
 
 int
-osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept) {
+osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *avc, int *slept, int defersleep) {
     int code;
 
     if (!VREFCOUNT_GT(avc,0)
diff --git a/src/afs/afs_osi.h b/src/afs/afs_osi.h
index 2bb57f5a2a..548ead53d3 100644
--- a/src/afs/afs_osi.h
+++ b/src/afs/afs_osi.h
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ extern struct vnodeops *afs_ops;
 #endif
 
 struct vcache;
-extern int osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *, int *);
+extern int osi_TryEvictVCache(struct vcache *, int *, int);
 extern struct vcache *osi_NewVnode(void);
 extern void osi_PrePopulateVCache(struct vcache *);
 extern void osi_PostPopulateVCache(struct vcache *);
diff --git a/src/afs/afs_vcache.c b/src/afs/afs_vcache.c
index f357744637..d96bfc0222 100644
--- a/src/afs/afs_vcache.c
+++ b/src/afs/afs_vcache.c
@@ -698,7 +698,7 @@ afs_ShakeLooseVCaches(afs_int32 anumber)
     afs_int32 i, loop;
     struct vcache *tvc;
     struct afs_q *tq, *uq;
-    int fv_slept;
+    int fv_slept, defersleep = 0;
     afs_int32 target = anumber;
 
     i = 0;
@@ -718,7 +718,7 @@ afs_ShakeLooseVCaches(afs_int32 anumber)
 	}
 
 	fv_slept = 0;
-	if (osi_TryEvictVCache(tvc, &fv_slept))
+	if (osi_TryEvictVCache(tvc, &fv_slept, defersleep))
 	    anumber--;
 
 	if (fv_slept) {
@@ -728,8 +728,14 @@ afs_ShakeLooseVCaches(afs_int32 anumber)
 	    i = 0;
 	    continue;	/* start over - may have raced. */
 	}
-	if (tq == uq)
+	if (tq == uq) {
+	    if (anumber && !defersleep) {
+		defersleep = 1;
+		tq = VLRU.prev;
+		continue;
+	    }
 	    break;
+	}
     }
     if (!afsd_dynamic_vcaches && anumber == target) {
 	afs_warn("afs_ShakeLooseVCaches: warning none freed, using %d of %d\n",