diff --git a/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c b/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
index 8ea20368de9773862c9bcfec4c3b701f41685551..059891119aacf7cb3ca8102e7301d863bfb54363 100644
--- a/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
+++ b/lustre/ptlrpc/client.c
@@ -1878,8 +1878,8 @@ restart:
         if ((brc == -ETIMEDOUT) && !ptlrpc_expire_one_request(req)) {
                 /* Wait forever for reconnect / replay or failure */
                 lwi = LWI_INTR(interrupted_request, req);
-                rc = l_wait_event(req->rq_reply_waitq, ptlrpc_check_reply(req),
-                                  &lwi);
+                brc = l_wait_event(req->rq_reply_waitq, ptlrpc_check_reply(req),
+                                   &lwi);
         }
 
         CDEBUG(D_RPCTRACE, "Completed RPC pname:cluuid:pid:xid:nid:opc "
@@ -1902,7 +1902,7 @@ restart:
         if (req->rq_err) {
                 DEBUG_REQ(D_RPCTRACE, req, "err rc=%d status=%d",
                           rc, req->rq_status);
-                GOTO(out, rc = -EIO);
+                GOTO(out, rc = rc ? rc : -EIO);
         }
 
         if (req->rq_intr) {
diff --git a/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c b/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
index 2551d9079ca2445c1a107f3476bd33a998a23464..920786102c1072b5130cea67f4a3d8970d81cc98 100644
--- a/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
+++ b/lustre/ptlrpc/niobuf.c
@@ -482,6 +482,7 @@ int ptl_send_rpc(struct ptlrpc_request *request, int noreply)
                        request->rq_import->imp_obd->obd_name);
                 /* this prevents us from waiting in ptlrpc_queue_wait */
                 request->rq_err = 1;
+                request->rq_status = -ENODEV;
                 RETURN(-ENODEV);
         }
 
@@ -505,8 +506,12 @@ int ptl_send_rpc(struct ptlrpc_request *request, int noreply)
                 LASSERT (request->rq_replen != 0);
                 if (request->rq_repbuf == NULL)
                         OBD_ALLOC(request->rq_repbuf, request->rq_replen);
-                if (request->rq_repbuf == NULL)
+                if (request->rq_repbuf == NULL) {
+                        /* this prevents us from looping in ptlrpc_queue_wait */
+                        request->rq_err = 1;
+                        request->rq_status = -ENOMEM;
                         GOTO(cleanup_bulk, rc = -ENOMEM);
+                }
                 request->rq_repmsg = NULL;
 
                 rc = LNetMEAttach(request->rq_reply_portal,/*XXX FIXME bug 249*/