diff --git a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/Overseer.java b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/Overseer.java
index 799f690b8ef..9ee80a0bad9 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/Overseer.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/Overseer.java
@@ -581,12 +581,26 @@ public class Overseer {
   public void close() {
     isClosed = true;
     if (updaterThread != null) {
-      updaterThread.close();
-      updaterThread.interrupt();
+      try {
+        updaterThread.close();
+        updaterThread.interrupt();
+      } catch (Throwable t) {
+        log.error("Error closing updaterThread", t);
+      }
     }
     if (ccThread != null) {
-      ccThread.close();
-      ccThread.interrupt();
+      try {
+        ccThread.close();
+        ccThread.interrupt();
+      } catch (Throwable t) {
+        log.error("Error closing ccThread", t);
+      }
+    }
+    
+    try {
+      reader.close();
+    } catch (Throwable t) {
+      log.error("Error closing zkStateReader", t);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
index f910bf95e57..389eb3a3e47 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/java/org/apache/solr/cloud/ZkController.java
@@ -348,6 +348,12 @@ public final class ZkController {
       log.error("Error closing overseer", t);
     }
     
+    try {
+      zkStateReader.close();
+    } catch(Throwable t) {
+      log.error("Error closing zkStateReader", t);
+    } 
+    
     try {
       zkClient.close();;
     } catch(Throwable t) {
diff --git a/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionIntegrationTest.java b/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionIntegrationTest.java
index 6dd4b1aea40..4658b1dcb75 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionIntegrationTest.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionIntegrationTest.java
@@ -284,6 +284,10 @@ public class LeaderElectionIntegrationTest extends SolrTestCaseJ4 {
       zkClient.close();
     }
     
+    if (reader != null) {
+      reader.close();
+    }
+    
     for (CoreContainer cc : containerMap.values()) {
       if (!cc.isShutDown()) {
         cc.shutdown();
diff --git a/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionTest.java b/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionTest.java
index a4f69fcbfce..21772017b49 100644
--- a/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionTest.java
+++ b/solr/core/src/test/org/apache/solr/cloud/LeaderElectionTest.java
@@ -451,6 +451,7 @@ public class LeaderElectionTest extends SolrTestCaseJ4 {
   @Override
   public void tearDown() throws Exception {
     zkClient.close();
+    zkStateReader.close();
     server.shutdown();
     super.tearDown();
   }
diff --git a/solr/solrj/src/java/org/apache/solr/common/cloud/ZkStateReader.java b/solr/solrj/src/java/org/apache/solr/common/cloud/ZkStateReader.java
index 70374e1ee6c..371f6114ef5 100644
--- a/solr/solrj/src/java/org/apache/solr/common/cloud/ZkStateReader.java
+++ b/solr/solrj/src/java/org/apache/solr/common/cloud/ZkStateReader.java
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ public class ZkStateReader {
 
   private Aliases aliases = new Aliases();
 
+  private volatile boolean closed = false;
+
   public ZkStateReader(SolrZkClient zkClient) {
     this.zkClient = zkClient;
     initZkCmdExecutor(zkClient.getZkClientTimeout());
@@ -437,6 +439,7 @@ public class ZkStateReader {
   }
 
   public void close() {
+    this.closed  = true;
     if (closeClient) {
       zkClient.close();
     }
@@ -469,7 +472,7 @@ public class ZkStateReader {
    */
   public Replica getLeaderRetry(String collection, String shard, int timeout) throws InterruptedException {
     long timeoutAt = System.currentTimeMillis() + timeout;
-    while (System.currentTimeMillis() < timeoutAt) {
+    while (System.currentTimeMillis() < timeoutAt && !closed) {
       if (clusterState != null) {    
         Replica replica = clusterState.getLeader(collection, shard);
         if (replica != null && getClusterState().liveNodesContain(replica.getNodeName())) {
diff --git a/solr/solrj/src/test/org/apache/solr/client/solrj/impl/CloudSolrServerTest.java b/solr/solrj/src/test/org/apache/solr/client/solrj/impl/CloudSolrServerTest.java
index 279dc56bcef..c6cb68f2957 100644
--- a/solr/solrj/src/test/org/apache/solr/client/solrj/impl/CloudSolrServerTest.java
+++ b/solr/solrj/src/test/org/apache/solr/client/solrj/impl/CloudSolrServerTest.java
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ public class CloudSolrServerTest extends AbstractFullDistribZkTestBase {
   public CloudSolrServerTest() {
     super();
     sliceCount = 2;
-    shardCount = 6;
+    shardCount = 4;
   }
   
   @Override