diff -ur zkc-3.4.5-orig/c/src/zookeeper.c zkc-3.4.5/c/src/zookeeper.c
--- zkc-3.4.5-orig/c/src/zookeeper.c	2012-09-30 10:53:32.000000000 -0700
+++ zkc-3.4.5/c/src/zookeeper.c	2013-09-07 21:25:24.000000000 -0700
@@ -1650,14 +1650,16 @@
         // a PING
         if (zh->state==ZOO_CONNECTED_STATE) {
             send_to = zh->recv_timeout/3 - idle_send;
-            if (send_to <= 0 && zh->sent_requests.head==0) {
-//                LOG_DEBUG(("Sending PING to %s (exceeded idle by %dms)",
-//                                format_current_endpoint_info(zh),-send_to));
-                int rc=send_ping(zh);
-                if (rc < 0){
-                    LOG_ERROR(("failed to send PING request (zk retcode=%d)",rc));
-                    return api_epilog(zh,rc);
-                }
+            if (send_to <= 0) {
+                if (zh->sent_requests.head==0) {
+                    LOG_DEBUG(("Sending PING to %s (exceeded idle by %dms)",
+                                   format_current_endpoint_info(zh),-send_to));
+                    int rc=send_ping(zh);
+                    if (rc < 0){
+                        LOG_ERROR(("failed to send PING request (zk retcode=%d)",rc));
+                        return api_epilog(zh,rc);
+                    }
+                }
                 send_to = zh->recv_timeout/3;
             }
         }
@@ -1669,6 +1671,12 @@
             zh->next_deadline.tv_sec += zh->next_deadline.tv_usec / 1000000;
             zh->next_deadline.tv_usec = zh->next_deadline.tv_usec % 1000000;
         }
+        
+        if (tv->tv_sec == 0 && tv->tv_usec == 0) {
+          LOG_DEBUG(("Returning a 0.0 timeval: state=%d idle_recv=%d idle_send=%d recv_to=%d send_to=%d  send_requests=%s",
+            zh->state, idle_recv, idle_send, recv_to, send_to, zh->sent_requests.head==0 ? "false" : "true"));
+        }
+        
         *interest = ZOOKEEPER_READ;
         /* we are interested in a write if we are connected and have something
          * to send, or we are waiting for a connect to finish. */